Hello wonderful people,
I have combed through these forums collecting wonderful advice over the years, but this is my first attempt to post, so please forgive any breaches of netiquette... I'm not familiar with the rules or how this works.
I am looking for input on acceptable weight for geese. This is my first year raising geese (Toulouse & Embden) and I just processed 4 this week, and I am concerned that I am doing something terribly wrong with feeding. All four birds were ~5 months old, and all four dressed out at under 6 lbs (male Embden ~5lbs 10 plucked and mixed-sex Toulouse ~4lbs skinned). Granted I didn't save any wings, tails, organs or internal fat deposits so the weight is a mite low anyway, but still it seems very very small for the age.
Does anyone know what I might have done wrong? They were not sick in any way - I'm new to geese but not waterfowl, and have bred ducks for many years. These geese had free choice access to the same maintenance feed I offer my ducks, plus cracked corn. They were on (admittedly lousy) pasture... not alfalfa or clover, but grass if they felt like grazing. They seemed super healthy, happy and active, but just... small.
They were originally from Hoover Hatchery. Is it the way I fed them? Could they have been sulking all summer because they were separated from the keeper geese at the barn? Genetics? Parasites (I saw no evidence in the offal)? Stress? Or is 6 lbs a normal weight and I'm overreacting about nothing?
Any advice appreciated, and thank you so much!
I have combed through these forums collecting wonderful advice over the years, but this is my first attempt to post, so please forgive any breaches of netiquette... I'm not familiar with the rules or how this works.
I am looking for input on acceptable weight for geese. This is my first year raising geese (Toulouse & Embden) and I just processed 4 this week, and I am concerned that I am doing something terribly wrong with feeding. All four birds were ~5 months old, and all four dressed out at under 6 lbs (male Embden ~5lbs 10 plucked and mixed-sex Toulouse ~4lbs skinned). Granted I didn't save any wings, tails, organs or internal fat deposits so the weight is a mite low anyway, but still it seems very very small for the age.
Does anyone know what I might have done wrong? They were not sick in any way - I'm new to geese but not waterfowl, and have bred ducks for many years. These geese had free choice access to the same maintenance feed I offer my ducks, plus cracked corn. They were on (admittedly lousy) pasture... not alfalfa or clover, but grass if they felt like grazing. They seemed super healthy, happy and active, but just... small.
They were originally from Hoover Hatchery. Is it the way I fed them? Could they have been sulking all summer because they were separated from the keeper geese at the barn? Genetics? Parasites (I saw no evidence in the offal)? Stress? Or is 6 lbs a normal weight and I'm overreacting about nothing?
Any advice appreciated, and thank you so much!