home Facebook Geese are giants. Features of geese of the Mamut breed. The best goose breeds for home breeding and personal farming

Geese are giants. Features of geese of the Mamut breed. The best goose breeds for home breeding and personal farming

In order to raise a highly productive goose herd, it is important to provide the birds with the right diet. It can be mash and other homemade formulations, as well as store mixes. When calculating how much food geese will need, it is important to take into account the peculiarities of their biology at different periods of life.

Summer diet

Unlike chickens, geese grow well on green and succulent feed. In the warm season, they are driven out to pastures with fresh grass, since the need adult bird in greenery in summer is up to 2 kg per day.

Waterfowl pinch with pleasure:

nettles and clover;
plantain and dandelion;
garden weeds and herbs.

Adult birds are fed 1-2 times a day in summer, as they spend most of their time in the pasture.

So that the birds do not forget to come home, some owners give them feed and grain only in the evening. Given that geese eat actively at night, vegetables and other fiber-rich foods should be in the feeders.

Winter diet

In the cold season, geese eat three times a day: the first time in the early morning, the last one at 8 pm. The winter menu, in addition to grain, must certainly include root crops, bran, as well as flour and chopped hay.

From the end of December, at night, sprouted oats or wheat are poured into the feeders, with the addition of veterinary preparations containing vitamins A, D and E.

How to feed young animals

In order for the goose offspring to grow up strong and healthy, it is necessary to provide him with the correct diet from the moment of birth. Next, we will talk about how to properly feed the geese of the first month of life.

From 1 to 10 days

The best food for day old chicks is boiled yolks, which should be fed 6 times a day. They do not overload the gastrointestinal tract, but at the same time teach the body to digest dense food. In the first 5 days, a little warm boiled water is diluted to the mashed egg.

The growing goslings are mixed with herbs, for example, onions. Gradually, eggs are replaced with cottage cheese, and onions are replaced with clover. You can also give soaked bread crusts. For week-old chicks, fresh grass is added to stimulate enzyme production.

Drinking bowls should be filled with cool boiled water, which is needed not only for drinking, but also for cleaning the beak, as well as for the prevention of nasopharyngeal diseases.

11 to 14 days

Chicks over 10 days old require a higher-calorie diet. To do this, 15% of the usual feed is gradually replaced with corn or millet porridge. Boiled potatoes are also introduced, the volume of which should not exceed 10% of the daily amount of food.

Raw drinking water is disinfected with a weak manganese solution. For this, the crystals are preliminarily dissolved in a separate container, from which colored moisture is added to the contents of the drinkers.

2 to 3 weeks

From this time on, raw vegetables should be present in the poultry menu, as well as boiled peas mixed with chopped eggs and onions (grass). The mash should be made soft, but not liquid, as goslings are reluctant to consume watery food.

Mixtures are prepared with the expectation that the young will eat them in half an hour, since wet rations quickly turn sour, and chicks who swallow stale food suffer from diarrhea. Two-week-old goslings are given mash 1-2 times a day. Eggs are removed from the menu, and chalk and shells are mixed into the feed.

At the age of 3 weeks, the young are released into an open pen with a green lawn. In the early days of walking, feed mixture is not given at all, prompting the goslings to actively nibble the grass. As the amount of vegetation in the pen decreases, the birds are fed:

crushed grain and compound feed;
beets and pumpkin.

At first, gastronomic innovations should be limited to 25% of the daily feed intake, so as not to provoke digestive disturbances.

After 3 weeks

At this age, geese begin to actively gain weight, therefore, the basis of the diet is high-calorie feed mixtures, with the obligatory content of high-quality grain. This will require additional costs, but will raise the profitability of keeping livestock. Nutritional errors during this period can negatively affect the meat productivity of the herd.

Separately, it should be said about such an element of the diet as sunflower cake. The product has a high energy value, is well absorbed, but geese do not eat it in its pure form. The cake is added to the main diet, no more than 100 g per day per head.

Grain is given both dry and in combination with grass (1: 1), adding vitamins and fish oil.

When there is a body of water nearby, geese should swim a lot and eat algae. This will have a positive effect on their health and overall tone.

How to feed geese

Waterfowl are bred mainly for meat and to obtain a delicious liver. When fattening, as well as during the breeding period, they are given a mixture of the following composition (per 1 head):

The finisher eats three times a day:

in the morning and in the afternoon - a wet mash;
in the evening - grain mixture.

And, as usual, there should be fiber in the feeders at night.

Before slaughter

2 weeks before the sale, the number of daily feedings increases from 2-3 to 6, with an emphasis on steamed grain and flour feed. Rye is not given to geese, as it impairs the dietary and taste qualities of fat.

Fattening birds are less often driven out to grazing and water bodies, minimizing their physical activity. This is necessary so that the nutrients obtained from the feed are consumed less. This mode of keeping allows you to get a weight gain of 0.7 to 0.8 kg.

During the breeding season

Oviposition begins in late winter - early spring. An approximate goose menu at this time looks like this:

0.15 kg of feed consisting of cereals and flour. At the same time, 1/3 of the volume is whole grains (oats or other crops);
0.3-0.5 kg of beets, carrots and boiled potatoes;
0.1-0.15 kg of hay or steamed legumes.

In the 1st and 2nd feeding, root crops and steamed peas are given, and in the evening - grain, part of which is recommended to be pre-germinated. Bowls with crushed shell or sand are placed separately.

The closer the egg-laying, the more food the goose needs, therefore:

the volume of cereals is adjusted to 0.2-0.25 g per day;
the amount of carrots - up to 100 g.

In order to increase egg production, return, cottage cheese, boiled fish and meat wastes are introduced into the diet.

When caring for females, it is important to remember about a complete diet for males. Before the start of the breeding period, they are given:

sprouted oats (100 g per day);
chopped carrots (50 g);
cottage cheese (10 g);
meat and fish.

During the breeding season, geese and geese are kept together. To avoid problems with feeding the males, they are given food after the females go out into the courtyard. It is important to ensure that the male population of the poultry house is not overgrown with fat. Overfed, ganders lose interest in ladies..

Fatty liver

Fattening in order to obtain liver for foie gras goes like this:

First, large young animals are selected, which are raised on the most nutritious diets.

Table 1. Features of the diet of fattening goslings

Then comes the period immediately preceding forced feeding. Within 2 weeks:

geese are given a mixture consisting of 50% soaked or steamed corn, 20% from corn turf, 30% from other components, with a maximum protein content;
the dose of vitamins A and C is doubled to prevent stress.

The final stage is the forced feeding itself. It is used both for 12-13 week old large goslings and for adult birds, whose weight is at least 4 kg.

They are given last year's corn (for the golden hue of the liver), as well as cereals. The grain is pre-soaked or steamed. Alternatively, they feed porridge, which is prepared as follows:

700 g of corn grits are poured into 1 liter of boiling water, and kept over low heat
Add 1.3 kg of steamed corn.
The finished dish is flavored with a small amount of salt and sunflower oil, a mixture of vitamins D3 (100 IE), A (1 thousand IE), as well as B, C, and PP - 0.01 g per 100 g.
The porridge is cooled and then given to the bird.

From 3 to 10 days of forced feeding, meat and bone meal and sunflower meal are additionally introduced in equal quantities, at the rate of 150 g / head. in a day.

Table 2. Consumption of corn grain, g / head. per day:

The forced introduction of feed into the goose's esophagus is carried out manually or mechanically.

How to spot and correct dietary mistakes

Errors in the diet negatively affect the condition of the bird, worsen its health. For example:

Excessive amounts of green food cause diarrhea in young animals. To solve this problem, the volume of fresh grass is temporarily reduced, compensating for dry yolk and cereals. Quantity drinking water also slightly decrease.
The abundance of flour products makes breathing difficult, causing a cough. When pathological symptoms appear in geese, it is recommended to reduce the proportion of flour in the diet, and give preference to wet mash. To clean the esophagus, wet sand or shell rock is poured into the feeders, and the bird is offered a drink. In severe cases, water is forced into the throat, through a tube and a watering can. On the next day, the goose is transferred to vegetable feed, and the next day - to a regular, daily diet.
Consuming poisonous grass from pasture leads to poisoning. Adult geese distinguish between edible and inedible plants, but the young are sometimes mistaken. Having pinched, for example, nightshade or hemlock, goslings begin to hurt. To restore health, the birds are given a lot of water to drink or forcibly poured into the esophagus;

Geese that first come to a pond or lake after a cold weather can get an infection with silt and fish. In such cases, antibacterial treatment is required. After recovering from illness, birds adapt to food from the reservoir.

Conclusion

A competent poultry farmer should know how much feed a goose needs, what can and cannot be given, how to feed the livestock at different periods of life. Compliance with simple rules will allow you to grow a well-nourished and healthy herd, as well as to optimize its maintenance costs.

Many people try poultry so that the family can eat fresh meat without chemical additives. The lesson is not too difficult, but it still requires certain knowledge.

For example, what breed of geese will be more productive? What kind of care do these birds require?

General information

Geese are one of the most ancient domesticated bird breeds. They were grown before for the sake of meat, fluff and delicious liver, which is still considered a delicacy. Previously, fighting geese were also bred. According to historians, the first breeds were kept by the ancient Greeks before the beginning of our era. At the same time, the appearance of these pets remained almost the same.

The breeds began to form on the territory of Europe, the main goal was to increase the mass. Today, some birds can weigh up to 12 kg. Taking 20 heads of young animals in the spring, you can get up to 100 kg of meat by the beginning of winter. Egg production is not too high - on average, no more than 30 eggs. But these birds gain weight well on ordinary grass, they can be grown for walking. Geese love water, but they can be satisfied with an ordinary bath, dug into the ground. Having a place to walk, they will be quite happy. The benefits of keeping this bird can be up to 100%.

The desire of the farmer to increase the efficiency of his labor and to have those breeds of geese for domestic breeding, from which more meat can be obtained, is understandable. In the former USSR, about 30 species were bred, today they are divided into large, medium (for home gardens) and small - mostly decorative geese.

Gallery: large breeds of geese (25 photos)

The largest breeds

Lindovskaya breed... It is also called Gorky. Local birds were taken as a basis, which repeatedly crossed with Chinese and others. The purpose of the selection was to increase fertility, which was achieved. The mass of a goose reaches 7 kg, a goose - up to 8 kg.

Perhaps the largest geese among Russian breeds. Combine a large mass with high egg production (up to 50 eggs per year, but if the conditions are good, then these figures are higher). Almost all young growth is preserved, hatchability in the incubator reaches 85%. Linda geese are white and can be recognized by the bump on their forehead. The beak is curved; under it there is a fold of skin, as well as on the belly.

White geese of the Lindovskaya breed are considered early maturing. Already at 8 months, the offspring is able to reproduce and increases its weight 40 times from the moment of birth. A valuable quality is that the bird does not stop growing during molt (late summer - autumn), when there are many natural food sources. Goslings are sent out for a walk as early as a month and a half. This type of geese is very popular not only in Russia, but all over the world.

Toulouse breed — the name indicates the country of origin, it is France. Breeding French birds is considered profitable, because already in 2 months they reach a mass of about 4 kg. The Toulouse are not very mobile, therefore, they should not be kept on the walk, it is better to prepare a dry and reliable enclosure. Plumage color - gray with white. Within the breed, there are several varieties - with "wallets" on the beak and without them. The larger the representatives, the less fertility they have and the worse the incubation instinct is expressed.

Geese can weigh up to 10 kg, geese - 8 kg. The liver weighs half a kilo if the goal is to feed for restaurants. However, all positive traits Toulouse geese can disappear in unsuitable climates. They do not tolerate dampness and cold weather very badly. Therefore, they need to be kept only in warm regions.

Kholmogory breed... Meat poultry. It is believed that the Chinese and Arzamaz lines were taken as a basis. It was first mentioned at the end of the XIX century, therefore, it was withdrawn earlier.

Today the breed has 2 main directions.

The first - birds with a long orange beak, a hump on the nose.
Representatives of the second line, on the contrary, have a dark and short beak.

The color can be white, gray and mixed. Kholmogory residents can live 17 years, which is almost three times longer than the average life span of a goose. But they also reach maturity only in the 3rd year of life. Weight reaches 12 kg, but this breed cannot be called early maturing and prolific.

Other popular breeds

In the second half of the last century, Kuban geese... By crossing the Chinese breed and the Gorky breed, the breeders obtained birds of medium size, but with a high breeding ability. A goose can produce 80 to 120 eggs per year. By the third month, the goslings weigh more than 3 kg. The breed has vitality, 80% of chicks are hatched.

The weight of adult birds is from 5 to 6 kg. They are found mainly in warm regions of Russia. Outwardly, the Kuban goose is very beautiful - it has a black stripe along the neck, a dark beak, grayish-brown plumage with white stripes on the body. White stripes on the chest indicate an impurity - many farmers are trying to make the Kuban people "heavier". The head is large, there is a "purse" on the neck.

Italian breed although it was bred in a warm seaside climate, it perfectly took root in Russia. Livestock breeders liked its characteristics:

relatively high egg production (more than 40 eggs per cycle);
fast growth and good survival rate of young animals.

Descriptions of Italian geese can be found on almost every website about farming, because they are very common in our country.

The average weight of a gander is 6-7 kg, a goose is slightly less - 5-6. The bird has no folds or growths under the beak. The neck is of medium length but thick. The body is wide, the head is small. Italian white geese are also valued for the size of the liver, which in an adult individual reaches 600 g. It is for many farmers that it is the purpose of fattening. It is also beneficial to slaughter the young, because by 2 months the chicks reach a weight of 4 kg. The Italian purebred goose can be exclusively white, blotches of other colors indicate crossbreeding.

often used by breeders. For example, they were used to draw the Kuban and Kholmogory lines. As the name suggests, the bird comes from China. The breed is quite ancient, it is believed that it comes from wild waterfowl that were domesticated in Manchuria.

It appeared in Europe in the 18th century. The relatively small weight (4 - 5 kg) is compensated by the high ability to reproduce - the female lays 80 eggs per year, although the incubation instinct is poorly developed. High quality meat makes this type very popular. There are two types of color: brown and white. Both have a large bump on their beak. Brown is easily recognizable by the stripe along the neck and the entire body.

The body of Chinese birds is noticeably raised in the front part, the chest is round. The general lines of the structure can be called graceful - a beautiful goose will adorn any farm.

Decorative views

Descriptions of geese that are bred as pets are rare. Perhaps because this hobby requires extra space, a separate room and certain conditions of detention. One of the most popular types is tape or curly goose.

It is white in color, has unusual feathers - they do not lie flat, but curl. Therefore, it seems that the bird is wearing a fluffy white skirt.

The nature is docile and calm - these birds do not make noise, are small in size.

Average weight - 5 kg. Although their meat is tasty and not very fatty, they are still bred for the sake of beauty. After all, the tape breed grows very slowly and does not differ in high productivity. Decorative breeds of domestic geese are quite rare and are sold in special nurseries.

Quite a rare species - indogus, or nile goose... It is found in Africa, there are populations in a number of European countries. In fact, it belongs to the duck family, but during the flight it resembles geese, for which it got its name.

The bird is very beautifully colored: the chest is yellow-brown, on the sides there are spots of a yellowish tint. On the neck there is a brown stripe in the form of a ring, in harmony with the color of the wings. The ends of the flight feathers are of deep black color; there are white patterns on the wings. A very spectacular bird.

Geese are quite noisy pets, raising them requires a large number location, availability of grain and combined feed. However, the farmer's labor fully pays off over time.

Attention, only TODAY!

The breeds of geese are the first question faced by novice poultry farmers, who have laid their eyes on such a wonderful species of poultry as geese. In this article, as an introduction, we will provide a brief overview of most of the most common breeds of geese. After that, in detail with a detailed description, photo and video, we will consider the best breeds of geese.

Some breeds (Gorky, large gray, Kuban, Italian, Lands, Obroshinsky, Legart) are widespread. These breeds are superior to the rest precisely in terms of productivity. But despite this fact, less productive breeds are also bred, for example, such as Romny, Kholmogory, Pereyaslavl, Adler, Pskov. Although these breeds of geese are inferior to the breeds listed above in terms of productivity, they are unpretentious, immune to diseases, hardy, which is very important for breeding geese on private farms.

Geese breeds such as Rhine, Emden and Vishtines produce high quality down and feathers. The skins of Italian geese are used for sewing clothes. High egg production distinguishes Italian white, Rhine, Gorky, Hungarian white geese breeds.

Kholmogorsk, Ural, Arzamas breeds yield fewer eggs, but they adapt well to local habitat conditions, and the geese of these breeds are considered good brood hens. Large, fatty liver is obtained from Toulouse, Lands, and large gray geese. All these breeds of geese give mankind and excellent meat. Below are the breeds of geese (description and photo).

Tula breed of geese Video

Before proceeding to reading the descriptions of other breeds of geese, first I want to invite you to watch a video about a very interesting Tula breed of geese. This breed of geese is also called fighting geese; indeed, ganders often like to sort things out. Some amateurs even arrange demonstration fights. I will not bore you for a long time with a large number of boring letters, the video about Tula geese tells and shows everything that is possible, pleasant viewing.

Kholmogory geese

This breed of geese was bred in the central black earth region. Geese of this breed have excellent meat qualities, grow very quickly, feed on all kinds of pastures, and also produce a lot of eggs and adapt well to local conditions.

The female weighs 6 - 7 kg, the male weighs 8 - 9 kg. At the age of five months, these geese are almost equal in weight to an adult bird. Kholmogory geese, as a rule, lay 20 - 25 eggs, the best of them produce 90 or more eggs per year.

Birds of this breed are large, have a massive body, a large head with a bump on the forehead, and there is a skin fold under the beak. The back is straight, wide, and long.

These geese are also different in color of plumage. They are gray, white and piebald. For more details about the breed with pictures, videos, features of keeping, feeding and breeding - read the article.

Kholmogory Geese Videos

Here is a wonderful farm with a reservoir for breeding the Kholmogory breed of geese, watch the video.

The most valuable variety is the white geese. The beak and legs of these birds are yellowish-orange in color, and the eyes are blue. This breed is very widespread in various regions.

Large gray geese

Large gray geese are a new domestic breed of geese, which was created in the 50s of the XX century by crossing the Romen geese with Toulouse geese.

Substitutions carried out the selection of hybrids with high egg production and live weight. In this breed, there are two intra-breed types of geese: Borkovsky and Tambov steppe. These geese have a rather strong constitution. The head of the birds is wide and short, the beak is thick and short, the neck is of medium length and thick.

Their torso is wide and deep, and there are two folds of fat on their belly. The chest of this breed of geese is wide, deep, and arched, the back is long and wide. The wings of birds are well developed. The legs of the geese are strong, of medium length, widely spaced. Legs and beak are orange-red. The eyes are dark brown and the eyelid is orange. The plumage of these geese is gray, and the lower body and chest are light gray.

This breed is productive, has very good meat qualities. The live weight of males averages 6, 5 kg (some specimens reach 9, 5 kg). Females weigh approximately 6, 3 kg ( maximum mass 9, 1kg). The egg production of birds is 35-45 eggs per year. The average egg weight is 180 g.

Large gray breed Video

You see a photo of a large gray goose breed above, now I propose to look at them in the video. In addition to the large gray breed of geese, Italian geese were also included in the frame, but they will be discussed below.

The hatching of goslings is approaching 70%. The live weight of goslings by the age of two months is 4, 2 kg. Goslings of this breed feed very quickly. Geese are mobile, hardy, they incubate and raise their goslings well, are absolutely undemanding to water bodies and eat grains-carrion well.

Linda geese (Linda geese) were bred by breeders through a complex crossing of several different breeds of geese: Solnechnogorsk, ordinary local, Chinese and Adler geese. The plumage of these geese is white, the head is rather large. At the age of 7 months, a bump appears on the forehead of Linda geese.

They have a long and wide body, as well as massive and short legs. At the moment, the Lindovskaya breed of geese is the most widespread in Russia, accounting for more than 50% of all breeds of geese in the country.

Linda geese are heavy birds. Their average egg production is about 50 eggs per year; fertilization, according to various estimates, is about 92%. The hatching of young animals is approximately 65%. At the age of 9 weeks, the weight of goslings ranges from 4 to 4.5 kg (as a rule, females are lighter). A half-year-old bird weighs from 7 to 8 kg.

The safety of young animals is approximately 93%, and adults have an indicator for this characteristic of 99%, which is an excellent result.

Goose breed linda videos

Geese Linda is classified as early maturing meat breed... These birds reach maturity by 8 months. Eggs of geese of this breed reach a weight of 170 grams. A very valuable feature of the Linda geese is that they continue to grow even at 3 months of age, after molting between August and November, when a lot of food is available to the bird.

Goslings of this breed can freely live in a pond or in a meadow after reaching 40 days of age. From that moment on, crows are not at all afraid of them. Geese Linda received worldwide recognition, This breed is recognized as the best in the whole world. Farmers of all kinds of fear, including Russia, Germany, Hungary, and France are creating gigantic herds.
The diet of Linda geese consists almost entirely of the most common grass. In more detail with the features of feeding and even more videos in the article:.

Romny breed of geese

This breed was created on the basis of aboriginal Poltava geese by the method of mass selection to improve their productive qualities. Unfortunately, there is no video for this breed, for that is detailed description and photos of the Romny geese breed.

The body of the birds is deep and wide. The head of the Romny geese is small, round, with a straight, short orange beak. The chest of these geese is deep and wide. The wings of birds are well developed, the tail is relatively small, slightly raised. Adults have one or two fatty skin folds. According to the color of the plumage, white, gray, and piebald varieties are distinguished. The main livestock of gray geese. These geese have a dark gray back and neck, a gray chest and a light gray tail. Legs are strong, short, have a pinkish color.

Adult males weigh 6 kg or more, females weigh 5.5 kg. The live weight of two-month-old young stock is 3.4-3.5 kg. Egg production of geese is approximately 15-20 eggs in the first cycle (4.0-4.5 months). Egg weight varies from 160g to 170g. The hatching of young stock ranges from 55% to 60%.

These geese have good fattening and down-feather qualities, tender meat. Fertility and hatchability of eggs are quite high - 80% and 75% -80%, respectively.

The relatively small number of geese of this breed is associated with a not very high rate of weight gain of young animals up to two months of age. Romny geese also have a low commercial quality of carcasses (the color of plumage affects).

This breed of geese was bred in Italy (local geese were crossed with white Chinese geese). This operation was carried out to obtain broiler goslings (young animals went for meat), as well as for fattening fatty liver. The photo of this breed of geese is on the left, and in the video they can be seen in the video along with the Large gray breed of geese above.

The Italian white geese breed was brought to us from Czechoslovakia in 1975. The Italian breed of geese lies in the middle between light and medium-heavy breeds. This breed is bred with white plumage. These birds are characterized by high egg production. The instinct of incubating eggs in birds is suppressed. Crested geese are sometimes encountered. The young Italian breed of geese is distinguished by a rather high growth rate: already at the age of 60 days, the goslings have a live weight of 3.5 to 4.0 kg.

Italian geese are fattened mainly for the liver. The liver of these birds can reach a weight of 350-400g.

Breed characteristics: the mass of geese is 6-7 kg, and the mass of geese ranges from 5-6 kg. The egg production of these birds is approximately 45-50 eggs per season. With two cycles, egg production reaches 70-80 eggs. Egg weight varies from 140 to 170 g. When Italian and Rhine geese are crossed, hybrids are obtained that have excellent quality meat.

I hope this selection of goose breeds with photo video and description was useful for you. Don't forget to leave comments. And finally, I propose to watch another video, which shows more than 20 different breeds of geese.

Heavy meat-feeding geese breeds have always been popular because they are especially productive. Kholmogory belongs to this category. Geese of the Kholmogory breed are popular in our country and are available.

Features of Kholmogory geese

It is very difficult to say in what year the breed was bred, but the first mention of it was found in a document created at the end of the 19th century.

It is believed that Kholmogory is the result of crossing Chinese geese with Arzamas geese. Most likely, the breed was named after the area of distribution.

The Kholmogory breed belongs to the meat-bearing

The Kholmogorsk breed is classified as heavy (meat-bearing). The Kholmogors have a strong physique, a long wide neck, white or white-gray plumage, a convex chest and developed skin folds on it. The beak and paws have a rich orange color. In the third year of life, geese develop a fold under the beak and a bump on the forehead.

There are two lines of Kholmogory geese. Representatives of the first have a long humped beak and sagging feathers on the wings. Representatives of the second line have a not too long dark beak.

Head of Kholmogory goose close up

Kholmogory live relatively long. They are able to survive in conditions suitable for them up to seventeen years. At three years old, Kholmogory geese can acquire offspring.

Kholmogory is not famous for its good egg production. Thirty eggs a year is the standard figure. About eighty percent of the eggs of the Kholmogory geese are fertilized. After incubation, half of the eggs hatch into goslings. It is worth noting that almost all of them live to adulthood, the mortality of young animals is a rare phenomenon.

Characteristics of the Kholmogory geese

Should you buy Kholmogory geese?

The answer to this question is easy if we take into account the merits and demerits of Kholmogorov. Here are a number of their advantages:

Rapid growth of juveniles. Goslings gain weight in a short period of time.
Good productivity. Kholmogory is a source of quality meat, fluff, fat and feathers.
Developed maternal instinct. Kholmogory geese are good brood hens.
Unpretentiousness. Kholmogory geese do not need special conditions of detention.
Strong immunity. Kholmogory rarely get sick.

Kholmogory is a source of quality meat, fluff, fat and feathers

The geese of the Kholmogory breed have several disadvantages:

Love for reservoirs. If you are going to have these birds, it is advisable to build a small pond for them.
The severity of the geese. When incubating, they often crush the eggs.
Low egg production. The reason lies not only in the severity of the geese, but also in the low egg production.

If you keep geese in order to get a lot of meat, Kholmogory will be the ideal option. This breed can be called one of the most productive, comparing with others.

Kholmogory is a great option for getting a lot of meat

How to feed and maintain Kholmogory geese?

Kholmogory is not demanding in terms of content, but there are still some nuances. Despite the fact that they are not afraid of frost, drafts can harm them. It is Kholmogory who needs to spend the winter in a room that is not ventilated. V summer period Kholmogory will have enough area fenced with a grid and a shed.

One goose of the Kholmogory breed should have at least one square meter. In a smaller area, he will feel discomfort.

Goose house requirements

There should be drinkers and feeders in the goose house. In the nearby area, it is recommended to have a basin, a bath or an artificial reservoir, if there is no natural one nearby.

Dryness and hygiene are important conditions for keeping Kholmogorov. To ensure them, you need to take care of the bedding. It is recommended to use peat or straw. Sawdust is also suitable, but a hungry Kholmogor is able to peck them up and harm his gastrointestinal tract.

Timely replacement of the flooring is another condition. Geese thrive in humid environments, but wet litter ruffles their feathers. This provokes colds because the feather cover does not maintain temperature in this state.

Kholmogory geese need good bedding

Geese of the Kholmogory breed are productive in terms of meat, but if they are fed improperly, they will not have this advantage. The basic rule in this case is to balance the diet. Constant feeding of the same type of food to Kholmogory is a process that leads to a loss of meat productivity, a deterioration in egg production and health of individuals.

Feeding Kholmogory geese

There are several types of food that must be present in the Kholmogorv diet:

serum;
grain crops;
dry food;
vegetables (cabbage, rutabagas, beets, potatoes and pumpkin);
fish waste;
silage;
grass.

Don't forget about mineral supplements. With their help, you can prevent diseases, problems of the gastrointestinal tract and increase the productivity of geese.

Feeding geese in summer

In the summer, it will be easy to feed Kholmogorov. It is enough to take them out for a walk so that they nibble on the grass. But green food alone is not enough for the full development of geese, so in the evening they should be given dry food in combination with wet food.

V winter period you need to give the geese food three times. The more varied the diet, the better. It is advisable to grind vegetables thoroughly. Be sure to inspect the potatoes before serving them to the birds. After eating potato sprouts, the goose may die.

You need to feed the little Kholmogory in a certain way. The table shows the ages and feeding rates:

How to breed Kholmogorov?

Before expecting offspring from Kholmogory, you should pay attention to the ratio of females and males. One in four is the best option.

Checking eggs for embryo

In addition, you need to accustom the hen to your nest. A good brood hen should sit on its eggs even under stressful conditions, so selected specimens should be tested. Remember that eggs for incubation are not stored for more than two weeks and they must be checked with the device for the presence of an embryo.

Pay attention to the table where the required temperature regime for certain days of life of goslings.

Very young goslings, which are several days old, have a peculiarity - they are not able to rise after falling. Fallen juveniles should be returned to their original position, otherwise they may die.

Very small goslings should not be allowed out for a walk.

Very young goslings should not be allowed out for a walk, even if the outdoor temperature is suitable for them. It is recommended to take them outdoors from a week of age, gradually increasing the duration of their stay in the fresh air.

If the goslings eat good quality food in the first days of life, their productivity will be very high. In the first three days of life, you need to feed them seven times, and by the month it is desirable to reach up to four times.

How to choose and transport goslings?

You can buy goslings of the Kholmogorsk breed almost without fear, because almost one hundred percent of the young survive. But it's worth remembering a few distinctive features healthy individuals:

Mobility. Healthy goslings of any breed fuss and rarely stand still. Try tossing a piece of paper into their cage. After that, healthy individuals will react, and the weak will do nothing.
A good appetite. Small, healthy goslings consume a lot of food.
Reaction to sound. Healthy individuals fuss after knocking or ringing.
Good quality down. In goslings, it should be shiny and without gaps.
Soft abdomen and closed umbilical cord. Sick goslings have irregularities in the tummy area.

Transportation of goslings in a household container

Homemade container for transporting goslings

Example of boxes for transporting goslings

For transportation, a regular box is suitable, inside which holes should be made. The size of the box should be large so that the individuals do not crush each other. If the bottom is soft and sinking, you need to compact it. Ignoring the condition can lead to injury and death of goslings.

Diseases and problems of Kholmogorov

Geese of this breed rarely get sick and cause concern, but some problems are still possible:

Description of the breed

During the year, Kholmogory geese produce 30-45 eggs weighing from 180 to 200 grams. They are good brood hens, hatchability of goslings is 50%, of which up to 90% survive.

Conditions of detention

Feeding the Kholmogory people

Feeders must contain chalk and gravel. In the morning, wet food will be useful for geese, and dry food in the evening. In order for birds to digest food well, they must have plenty of drink.

On average, the process of incubating eggs takes 4 weeks, but you can add a few more days to this period. Whether a chick will appear from goose eggs can be understood on the 11th day. A red dot with the vessels extending from it should be visible in them, this is the future circulatory system of the gosling.

Features of keeping goslings

daily goslings.
goslings from a month and older.

Goslings are usually vaccinated at the age of 3-4 weeks, but factors such as the composition of the vaccine, the degree of spread of the disease and the presence of immunity in the parents should be considered.

Health and disease

drafts.
tightness.

mobility.
excellent appetite.
fluff.

How to transport birds

Kholmogory geese: keeping the house

Among poultry breeders and farmers, Kholmogory geese are popular because of their high-quality meat and unpretentious cultivation. In this article, we will give a description and talk about the main characteristics of this breed, as well as how to choose and keep the Kholmogory people correctly.

Description of the breed

Geese of the Kholmogory breed appeared by crossing Chinese and Arzamas geese. The first documented mentions of them date back to the end of the 19th century.

The color of Kholmogory is white, gray or spotted, but white plumage is considered the most valuable. Their legs and beak are yellow-orange. The birds have a strong constitution and a wide massive body. The back of the geese is straight, the neck is long, and the chest is well developed and deep.

Distinctive features of the Kholmogory people are a curved beak and a growth on the forehead (bump). In representatives of the breed with white plumage, the cone is orange, in piebald and gray geese, it is dark. They have a fold of skin under their beak (the so-called "wallet").

Productive characteristics of the breed

During the year, Kholmogory geese produce 30-45 eggs weighing from 180 to 200 grams. They are good brood hens, hatchability of goslings is 50%, of which up to 90% survive. Check out the list of the best goose breeds, with general characteristic black and white geese, and learn about the breeding habits of the Linda and White-fronted Goose.

Chicks quickly gain weight and at 9 weeks already weigh up to 4.5 kg. The maximum weight of adult gander reaches 12 kg, of geese - up to 8 kg.

Upon reaching the age of three, geese of this breed can already acquire offspring. Their life expectancy in suitable conditions can reach 17 years. They adapt well to different conditions due to their acclimatization ability.

Keeping Kholmogory residents at home

It is not difficult to grow geese of the Kholmogory breed, but there are some points worth paying attention to.

Conditions of detention

A spacious room for geese will help keep the floor clean and dry and protect Kholmogory residents from many diseases. It should be spacious - 1 square meter per individual. In warm climatic conditions when geese spend most of their time outdoors, the floor space can be reduced to 0.5 square meters. m.

Important! The most suitable material for building a goose house - wood, as it retains heat well.

It is necessary to protect geese from drafts, as they are very vulnerable to the wind. The door must be installed on the side where there is no draft.

In winter, it is necessary to make a flooring on the floor of the goose house made of materials for keeping warm, such as peat and straw. In the spring and summer, sawdust or sand covered with chopped straw are used as bedding. When the litter becomes wet, it must be replaced with a dry one, otherwise the residents of Kholmoghir run the risk of catching a cold.

Kholmogory geese are great lovers of water, if possible they should be driven out to swim in the river or an artificial reservoir should be built for them.

Feeding the Kholmogory people

From proper nutrition geese depends on the rate of weight gain and the health of the bird. To grow healthy Kholmogory people, feeding features must be correlated with the season and egg production.

Geese begin to lay in February, during this period the birds need about 160 g of feed, which should contain grains, legumes, chopped hay and root crops. Ganders reduce weight during the breeding season, therefore, their diet should contain animal feed: cottage cheese, raw eggs, meat and bone meal.

Feeders must contain chalk and gravel. In the morning, wet food will be useful for geese, and dry food in the evening. In order for birds to digest food well, they must have plenty of drink. It will also be useful for you to know when the domestic geese start to rush, how goose fat is useful.

In spring and summer, Kholmogory residents need to walk in the pasture, where they can eat up to 2 kilograms of grass per day.

Breeding of the Kholmogory breed

Kholmogory residents acquire offspring starting from 3 years old. You don't need an incubator to breed them, because they are good hens and parents. However, skill and patience in this matter will still be required.

Observing these rules, you can get up to 15 goslings per month:

there should be one gander for every four geese in a herd;
it is necessary to teach the goose to incubate eggs in its nest;
the storage period for eggs for incubation should not exceed 15 days;
it is necessary to test the goose for the ability not to leave the clutch under stressful conditions.

Did you know? Geese have good hearing and distinguish sounds at a distance of more than 50 meters.

Features of keeping goslings

The correctness of feeding and keeping chicks of the Kholmogory breed depends on their age:

daily goslings. Before feeding, they must be allowed to dry, then immediately give food. In the first three days, you need to feed them 4-6 times a day, giving them boiled eggs and crushed grain. You need to keep the chicks in a tall box so that they cannot get out of it on their own. A lamp is installed over the goslings, which maintains a temperature of + 28-29 ° C. One square meter of territory is designed for 10 goslings;
goslings aged from 4 days to a month. In four-day-old chicks, the temperature in their box should be maintained at + 27 ° C, from the sixth day of life - about + 25 ° C, from 8 to 10 days it should be + 24 ° C, from 11 to 15 days - + 22 ° C ... On all subsequent days, the temperature must be maintained at + 18 ° C. From the second week, they should be given food as adults of Kholmogory, you can add grass to the diet. At the same time, they should be allowed to see their mother;
goslings from a month and older. At this stage, it is necessary to introduce vegetable protein into the diet, good sources of this substance are nettles and peas. Feeding is carried out 4 times a day. There should be no more than two chicks per square meter.

Important! At first, you need to look after the goslings, since if they fall on their backs at a young age, they will not be able to rise on their own and may die.

The immunity of goslings is not yet strong, so the chicks can be exposed to a variety of infections. This can save them from diseases such as salmonellosis, cholera, pasteurellosis and others.

Health and disease

Geese of the Kholmogory breed are distinguished by good health and live up to 17 years, however, if quality care is not followed, they can have health problems.

The main points to pay close attention to when raising these birds:

drafts. Because of them, geese can get sick and, as a result, die;
tightness. If the correct dimensions of the room are not observed, the geese will begin to have problems with their legs. If possible, you should walk the birds and let them swim.

Among the diseases of the Kholmogory people, one can distinguish:

Learn about the main diseases in geese and how to deal with them.

How to choose and where to buy geese

It is necessary to buy geese for breeding only in proven farms with positive reviews, otherwise there is a risk of buying a fake.

Did you know? Geese choose a mate at the age of three and remain monogamous throughout their lives.

Kholmogory residents are characterized by good survival rate of young animals, however, when choosing goslings, be sure to carefully look at such moments:

mobility. Healthy chicks are distinguished by constant fuss and restlessness. To check, you can throw a leaf into the box for them, healthy goslings will react to it, and the weak will not pay attention;
excellent appetite. Healthy chicks eat a lot;
soft tummy and closed umbilical cord. In unhealthy chicks, irregularities can be found on the stomach;
fluff. Healthy goslings have shiny, bald-free down;
reaction to sound. You can knock on the box and healthy chicks will scurry.

How to transport birds

You can transport the purchased goslings in a regular box with holes made inside. The box should be large so that the chicks do not harm each other. The bottom should not be soft and fall through, otherwise the birds may be injured and die.

Transportation of adults is carried out in special wire containers or cages. In no case should the Kholmoghirians' legs be tied and placed in a bag. It is necessary to give them water before transportation and give them a drink immediately upon arrival.

Kholmogory geese are unpretentious in their care and take their offspring responsibly. With proper care, you can grow healthy Kholmogory people with good weight and high level oviposity of geese.

Productivity and description of the Kholmogory breed of geese, breeding, maintenance and care

Geese, along with chickens, play an important role in poultry farming. Private poultry breeders and farmers breed many breeds of this bird. Among them there are also Kholmogory geese, which are considered quite popular and widespread. Breeders prefer them to many other breeds for their unpretentiousness and excellent productivity. Consider the characteristics inherent in the hills, the advantages and some disadvantages, as well as the rules of maintenance and care.

Origin

This is an old Russian breed of geese, bred back in the 19th century in the central regions of Russia. At the end of this century, it was first mentioned in official farm sources, but it was obviously obtained earlier and was improved for some time thanks to the selection work carried out by specialists. Kholmogory geese were bred on the basis of local white Arzamas and imported Chinese ones.

Description of the breed

Geese, belonging to this old Russian breed, have a strong constitution, a large body and a thick skin fold on the neck, which is also called a "wallet". On the abdomen, the skin is collected in 2 folds. Goslings belonging to the Kholmogory breed of geese have a beak with a pronounced hump and a convex cone on it. It begins to grow in goslings after they reach six months and ends its development when the bird turns 5 years old. These features are considered typical for Kholmogory and distinguish them from many other goose breeds.

The signs of a breed bird, according to the description of the standard, in geese of this breed are as follows:

the bird is very large, with a massive heavy body;
elongated rectangular head;
beak long or short, orange-yellow in white geese, with a horny bloom in gray birds and white-gray geese;
blue eyes (in whites) and dark brown in dark geese;
the neck is long, curving upward, similar to a swan;
the back is straight, flat and wide;
wide chest;
the belly is voluminous, with a double fold going down;
the wings are well developed, pressed to the body;
tibiae developed, metatarsus of moderate length, yellowish-reddish color;
short, slightly raised tail;
soft plumage, well adhering to the body, is located throughout the body.

Not allowed: light weight, weak body, unexpressed fold on the neck and under the belly, overdeveloped bump on the beak.

The color of geese of the Kholmogory breed can be white, gray and gray-piebald. In representatives of the first color, all feathers are white and blue eyes. Plaque of gray colors and dark blotches are not allowed. In gray geese, the plumage is, respectively, gray, but the feathers on the shoulders, legs, tail and flight feathers have a white border. The belly and tail are also white.

In gray-piebald Kholmogory geese, the head, quarter or half of the neck, shoulders, part of the back, tail feathers and tibia are gray or brownish, partially with white edging (on the shoulders, tibia and tail feathers). Unacceptable flaws: dark spots on white plumage, uneven pattern on the shoulders and gray part of the neck, whiteness at the top of the neck and head.

Productivity characteristics

Goslings grow quickly and weigh as much as 4-4.5 kg by 60 days of life. At this time, they can already be hammered. The maximum weight that pedigree geese can gain is much more and amounts to 8-12 kg for a goose and 7-9 kg for a goose.

Advantages and disadvantages of the breed

The Kholmogory breed of geese is happily chosen and raised in their yards by poultry farmers because of a number of qualities that are inherent in this variety. Kholmogorov is distinguished by:

a large body and the ability to quickly gain weight even on only one grass, without feeding with grain;
originality of appearance;
high meat productivity;
fast growth;
health, good immunity, disease resistance;
unpretentiousness to conditions of detention;
good adaptability to different climates.

The meat and fat of the Kholmogory are tasty, the meat is low-fat, high-quality down and feathers. The geese of the Kholmogory breed are distinguished by good maternal qualities and they themselves incubate eggs, and then raise the goslings. The character of these geese is calm, non-conflict, they get along well with representatives of other breeds of geese and other poultry.

Among the disadvantages: relatively low egg production, females are heavy and can crush the eggs on which they sit in the nest.

Features of the content

How and what to feed correctly

Excellent meat productivity of these geese cannot be achieved without high-quality complete feed. The diet must be balanced, the products must be varied, so you cannot feed the bird with the same feed all the time. From spring to autumn, these geese can graze and be content with one grass. Sometimes you can give them any grain, whole or crushed.

In winter, food should be more nutritious, so the diet can be something like this: grain, silage, kitchen waste, potatoes and other boiled vegetables, root vegetables mixed with water or whey. Chalk, salt, meat and bone meal, crushed egg shells can be added to the main food. Be sure to place dishes with gravel or coarse sand in the poultry house, as well as clean water, which must be changed daily, preferably warmed up in winter.

Breeding

For growing and independent breeding of geese of the Kholmogory breed at home, you can organize a small herd, in which geese and geese will be represented in a ratio of 1 to 2-3. A bird is left for the tribe without flaws in the exterior, with a greater live weight, well-developed plumage.

The shelf life of eggs suitable for hatching chicks is no more than 12 days from the date of laying. They must be intact, free from damage of the typical size and shape of the breed. They can be put in an incubator, or they can be left under a brood hen (no more than 9 pcs.) - Kholmogory geese sit well on eggs, and then they raise goslings on their own.

The best time to hatch is April and May. The temperature in the poultry house should be at least 11 - 12 ° C warm. The duration of incubation of eggs, as a rule, coincides with the time of incubation. The beginning of pecking occurs on the 28th day, the beginning of the withdrawal - on the 29th day, the end of the withdrawal - on the 31st day.

Growing goslings

After hatching goslings of the Kholmogorsk breed from eggs, they must be placed in a brooder or in a separate room on sawdust or straw. The temperature at this time should be at least 25-28 ° C, so that the chicks do not freeze and overheat. For heating above them, you need to install a red lamp at such a distance from the floor that the Kholmogory goslings feel comfortable. Accommodation density - 10 heads per 1 sq. m.

The first time you need to feed the goslings is after they are completely dry. In the first 3 days, the frequency of feeding should be at least 4-6 times. Menu - a mixture of finely chopped boiled eggs and cereal, water ad libitum.

First month of life

when the chicks are 4 days old, the lamp above them must be raised in order to lower the temperature first by 1 ° С, after 2 days - by another 2 ° С, and then gradually bring it to 18 ° С. Chicks for up to a month can feed on mash of grain, vegetables, garden herbs with the addition of vitamins, salt, premixes. You can give them compound feed.

After a month

At this age, young Kholmogory should receive a lot of vegetable protein. It is found in peas, beans, beans, legumes, nettles, oil cake, skim milk and milk, meat and fish meal. The frequency of feeding is 4 times a day. The density of young goslings is 2 heads per 1 sq. m.