Meat Geese?

[redoak]

Meat Geese, is there something I'm missing, it seems like geese for meat would be pretty cheap to raise. I watch the geese on our ponds raise a clutch of gooslings every year and in about 2 months they are almost adult size on eating grass. In 4 years I've never seen them loose a baby goosling, so predation can't be much of a problem. They also eat mostly the weeds so another added benefit. Can anyone please fill me in on what I'm missing?

 

[KLH2010]

I don't know either but would love to see other people's answers!

 

[greyfields]

Very few drawbacks.

I raise Christmas goose which are sold the week prior to Thanksgiving. I raise mostly Embdens which can dress out at up to 16 lbs.

The 'drawback' is that geese only breed in Winter, so you have to hatch them in winter/spring then keep them all the way until November (or Michaelmas at the end of September was when geese were traditionally sold).

You do need to give them starter while in the brooder, but after that they do fine on grass alone. If you want a lot of at on them, you need some grain for 'finishing' them.

The only other drawback is that not many people eat goose. But, I'm doing my best to re-educate the public that goose is far better than turkey!

 

[Jenlyn9483]

Last year I purchased my first Goose from the Grocery store for my Thanksgiving Dinner (i prefer Dark meat and i'm love to be inventive in the kitchen). The cost of the goose was almost $40 (!) at my local Pulblix (which is the only grocery store I could find goose at. At that point I decided that since I life on a farm that this year I would purchase my own geese for my Thanksgiving dinner. I purchased 4 from the feed store up the road, 3 appeared to be Troulouse and one is a Embeden I think. One did not make it so now I have a trio, the Embeden (Henry) is the male I think. I have been letting the three of them free range in m fenced front yard since about 1 and a half months old. They do not wander and nothing seems to bother them. They keep my grass mowed and seem to be pretty companionable animals. Now from buying 4 i wanted to butcher 2 and keep two to breed for next year. Now I have three, And I was thinkin to Butcher one and keep two. Problem is now that they are getting older they are becoming a little agressive to strangers and Little people and they are loud. Thinkin of maybe butchering all three and startin over again next year.......hmmmmmmmm:/

 

[hazelton farms]

I haven't had the pleasure of eating one yet, myself. But we are supposed to be getting a few goslings here shortly. I hope to process a few to eat around the holidays as well. I am with Jenlyn, I'd buy/acquire goslings every year once they start to get agressive. We tried raising our own once to breed. As soon as breeding season started in spring, forget it! Mean!! My kids were afraid to go outside. We penned them up, but they were rather on the stinky side, needed a small "pond" (we dug an impression and put in a small kiddie pool), it was difficult to feed them the way we had them set up with them being aggressive and being so wet all the time. So all in all, not fond of raising them personally. I'm sure a better set up would've yielded a better product. Like a big field that they would've stayed in an no one else had to go in!

I've heard the meat is really good. I hope you get to raise a few and let us all know how it goes.
Stacy

 

[Omniskies]

I've had Toulouse and Embdens in the past and sold them off. I can't stress how absolutely amazing Pilgrim geese are. Even the ones that I bought as unsocialized adults are laid back and quiet.

The goslings are always happy to see you and don't mind strangers in the yard (they suck as gard geese - which I love).

If you want a meat goose, Pilgrims gain roughly a pound a week for the first ten weeks. The only problem I've found with butchering Pilgrims is that it's easy to grow attached to them. Our Cornish-Rock are docile and friendly, but you know that when they look at you happily they're thinking "Food! Food, food, food! Food!" The flock of Pilgrims I have rush up to you and happily tell you all about their day.

I highly recommend getting a trio of Pilgrims and giving geese one more try. If they don't work out you can send them my way

 

[greyfields]

I raise Pilgrims, too. I'd suggest them to any first time goose person. They're amazing parents. But the Embdens are commically funny, so I love them all.

A christmas goose form me costs around $50. So $40 doesn't seem out of the ballpark. I'm surely treating and feeding mine better than from Goose Farms where they raise them like chicken broilers are. It's very sad since geese are such amazingly sentient animals.

 

[redoak]

I've heard you can use a rope about 1 foot off the ground around a pond to keep canadian geese off your grass. If that works, could you do the same for domestic geese, so you wouldn't have to use expensive fencing to fence in the whole pond, but only allow them to have access to a section of grass. Our front pond is about 600 feet in circumference and would only let the geese have a smaller section of entry/exit but plenty of grass. Also the front pond is about 50 feet from the road and would worry about them getting hit by a car if they had access to the whole pond. Anyone ever try this?

 

[MissPrissy]

I am raising geese on pasture now. I searched high and low for a Christmas goose last year and decided to hatch and raise my own. I have 5 mutts and 8 embdens. AussieSharon has 3 of my embdens she is raising out for her family's Holiday meals too. I have had some requests already for what few geese I do have. The ones who have asked I said easily at least $60 and they never blinked an eye and have goose on reserve while they grow out.

 

[Omniskies]

Redoak, I can safely say the average goose is too smart to be bothered by a rope like that. Mine have been temporarily deterred by a low roost or something in their path, but given the time they will learn how to get out.

Case in point: my Buff flock finally let me know that they're capable of squeezing under the gate if they decide the grass is greener on the other side (it isn't). I now have to rewire the gate keep them in.

I'd love to get $50 for a meat goose. Geese aren't as popular as they should be in this area. They sell poorly, if at all, at swaps (even at $10 each like I saw them today). I was looking at selling any of my geese raised for meat for $20.

I'm determined to spread the goosey gospel in the area. Hopefully in a few years people will be less indifferent toward eating and raising geese.