Geese
Most purveyors of this delightful fall product purchase day-old goslings from a reputable hatchery and raise them to market size some 14 weeks later. Goslings are brooded in the same manner as ducklings described above. Brooding time is about two weeks under the same conditions. Feed should be a 20-22% non-medicated broiler mash with lots of fresh water. After two weeks or so, the birds can be moved on range. Good grass pasture can support 20 to 40 geese per acre. Grass is the normal diet of geese. Geese raised on range will be much leaner than their confined cousins. Geese lend themselves well to herding and can therefore be given a fenced-in range. Your supervision will be required to make sure they don't get into mischief or subject themselves to danger. The growing birds will need a range shelter for protection from adverse weather and predators. A 16% grower ration can be fed every other day to increase growth rates. Plenty of clean, fresh water is a must. Geese are marketed at age 14 to 16 weeks. They play well with fall and holiday meal themes. The Emden, Pilgrim, Toulouse and African are the better meat breeds. From my personal experience, I found the Emden and Toulouse to be a bit quieter and less aggressive than some of the other breeds. Pilgrims are also a fine, gentle bird, but tend to finish out a bit smaller than the others. The White Chinese goose can be aggressive but at the same time, makes a good "watch dog" with its incessant honking at anything out of the ordinary. Study a poultry book to determine the breed that best suits your needs.
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