When to start weeder geese to make good holiday feasts?

[SunriseChickers]

Howdy folks! This is my first time venturing into the Geese forum.

My folks have been discussing weeder geese for a while, and using them as Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner after the growing season.
This summer, my boyfriend and I are planting a garden on my folks' land, and I was thinking it would be a nice excuse for finally enacting the weeder geese plan!
So, my main thought is, "When should we get the goslings so that they'll be of a good weight by the time we need to butcher?". And when would be a good time to butcher them so that can be ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Otherwise, what are some good geese breeds? We will likely be ordering from Meyer Hatchery here in Ohio, I haven't checked breed availability yet.
Is two enough, or should we do more? I know it tends to be based on size of garden, I can get measurements tomorrow if need be for that recommendation. I'm just not sure if two is enough, socially speaking.
We have absolutely no experience in geese, so any extra tips are greatly appreciated!

Thanks all.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most goose owners on BYC get pretty attached to their geese. I'm not sure many grow them for meat.

We have butchered out a few along the way. Most often the next year when I find out I have too many grander. I believe meat geese are butchered as young as 8-10 weeks, and anytime after that. Probably best for field raised is 6-9 months. I guess it depends how big of a goose you want to eat, and what breed you are using.

If you only get two you may fall in love with them. My last batch I raised would follow me everywhere in the yard. They end up being very likable, and can make great pets.

Many breeds may be sold out, so definitely check to see what's available. I believe weeder geese are for orchards and large crops, and are generally African and Chinese breeds. Not sure if they would work on a small scale garden. They love to eat all kinds of plants, and probably would stomp and poop all over too. I'm not totally familiar with their use though.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Here's a bit more information,

https://www.mofga.org/resources/livestock/raising-geese-on-the-homestead/

 

[Goose Smith]

Howdy folks! This is my first time venturing into the Geese forum.

My folks have been discussing weeder geese for a while, and using them as Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner after the growing season.
This summer, my boyfriend and I are planting a garden on my folks' land, and I was thinking it would be a nice excuse for finally enacting the weeder geese plan!
So, my main thought is, "When should we get the goslings so that they'll be of a good weight by the time we need to butcher?". And when would be a good time to butcher them so that can be ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Otherwise, what are some good geese breeds? We will likely be ordering from Meyer Hatchery here in Ohio, I haven't checked breed availability yet.
Is two enough, or should we do more? I know it tends to be based on size of garden, I can get measurements tomorrow if need be for that recommendation. I'm just not sure if two is enough, socially speaking.
We have absolutely no experience in geese, so any extra tips are greatly appreciated!

Thanks all.

I’ve been doing something similar to what you’re describing since 2021. We keep a flock of geese that are permant and raise their young for the table at the end of the year after they’ve mowed our lawn and handled weeds in between rows in the garden.

Generally, the earlier you can acquire goslings the better in my opinion. I think the hatcheries sell out rather quickly and hatching eggs are somewhat difficult to hatch successfully, so perhaps checking around locally for geese could be of benefit. If not, make a hatchery order if you can and get them later in the spring/summer months. Some harvest the geese as early as 10 weeks but often it’s more about timing the harvest to avoid “pin feathers” which are present in abundance on young geese until they have fully grown. 20-24 weeks is when I take mine, by then they are large and meaty without having pin feathers.

As for the breeds best for meat/weeding it’s rather dependent on what you can feed / space they have to graze. The Chinese/African varieties are generally smaller bodied and require less input but the larger Tolouse, Embden types are going to need some additional feed but will get much larger and are better on the table from my experience.

If you care for more information on how we manage geese feel free to PM me, I don’t want to drone on endlessly here and take up space. As mentioned by someone else, many in here are keeping geese solely for pet/enrichment purposes, which they are wonderful for don’t get me wrong. If you know what you’re doing though, a goose ok the table is truly a delicacy.

Best of luck!

 

[aart]

I don’t want to drone on endlessly here and take up space.

Oh, please do drone here.
Many others would be interested, both now and in the future.

One question I have, do they really leave garden plants alone and only eat 'weeds'?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh, please do drone here.
Many others would be interested, both now and in the future.

One question I have, do they really leave garden plants alone and only eat 'weeds'?

I agree. Please share all the information that you can @Goose Smith .

 

[blackbox]

Oh, please do drone here.
Many others would be interested, both now and in the future.

One question I have, do they really leave garden plants alone and only eat 'weeds'?

Left to their own devices, geese will eat anything they can get their beaks into. I think the way weeder geese generally "work" is that they tend to prefer thin grass-like plants over thicker or broad leafed vegetables, and if you feed them weeds to train them that they're good eating, they'll be more likely to go after them and leave your plants alone, but it definitely doesn't work all of the time.

Here's a website that has some great information on it: https://web.archive.org/web/20111118223917/http://omniskies.com/gooseweed.shtml

 

[Goose Smith]

What black box said ^
It’s critical that they get weeds to eat as goslings so that they develop the preference for them. They will eat corn leaves, tomatoes, peppers, and whatever else you grow so you have to be tactical with how you deploy them in your garden. I find that letting them go through in the evening and then calling them out before bedtime with a feed bucket helps prevent crop loss. We also like to use row cover that comes in the rolls which is good for preventing bug damage, it’s not goose-proof but when they see all the growth in between rows of covered plants it’s keeps them from getting out of line. If you left them in there for too long I’m certain they would eat everything in its entirety.

For using them in multiple roles the cross bred geese (Chinese x Embden or African x Tolouse) are worth considering as long as you don’t mind not having pure lines. I had a female African that bred with a Tolouse gander and the goslings grew up to be great grazers and we’re basically self sufficient till snow covers the grass. Their carcasses were superior to plain African or Chinese by several pounds. For meat alone, I’d say it’s tough to beat a big Embden or Tolouse. Those breeds in my experience tend to have a favorite spot in the yard and they wear it out before moving on as opposed to ranging as far as some of the others. Your mileage may vary