Geese are some of the largest poultry in their own right. Most often they are bred for meat, so the larger breeds are the most cost effective. How to choose the right one - let's figure it out in this review.
Of course, every farmer who is focused on obtaining just meat pays attention first of all to heavyweight breeds. But there is an important point: do not forget to take into account the early maturity. For some, it is more profitable to get a bird weighing 5 kg in 4–5 months than 10 kg in a year and a half. In this article, we'll take a look at the largest goose breeds. You can decide which qualities - overall weight, simplicity, or speed of weight gain - are more beneficial for you.
Toulouse goose
These geese, according to experts, are the largest breed of geese. Toulouse geese grow very quickly: already at 50-60 days, geese gain 6 kg, and by the year males can weigh 10 kg. These poultry produce tender and very fatty meat. Another advantage is a tasty and large liver, up to 1 kg. Already at 2 months, the chicks form 1–2 fat folds on the belly, and a "purse" (double chin) begins to form under the beak.
An adult goose has a large, wide head, a heavy, powerful, rounded body. The belly is large, the chest is wide, the neck is thick and short. Males weigh up to 11-12 kg, females - 7-10 kg. The plumage is usually gray, the bill is orange.
Such geese are also called "Christmas" - they are very popular in European cities, and it is they who are most often chosen for serving on the Christmas table.
Females lay about 40 eggs per year (approximately 180-200 g), they have low fertility. Often, "tulips" are crossed to produce large offspring and, at the same time, offspring with good immunity.
These birds are excellent for commercial breeding - you can already profit from two-month-old birds. In addition, these birds are inactive, quickly gain weight, including in poultry farms. True, they assimilate roughage worse than other breeds. Poorly adapted to pasture grazing; cold and high humidity can harm them.
In the goose house, you need to maintain 20 degrees Celsius, carefully monitor so that there are no drafts. Fresh and clean bedding is essential: hay or sawdust can be used for this purpose, but sphagnum moss is best, since it has good moisture absorption properties.
It must be borne in mind that especially quickly they begin to gain weight at two months, and at this time they cannot be limited in the amount of feed. It is advisable to add pure oats in addition to greens and ordinary grain mixtures at this time - this will contribute to the special tenderness of the meat. Also in the diet you need juicy feed, wheat, corn, worms. Feeding twice a day can increase profitability, and these birds eat more at night than during the day.
Kholmogory goose
One of the oldest breeds - mentions of them can be found since 1885. You can recognize the Kholmogory goose by the characteristic growth on the forehead near the beak. Adult males of this breed are very large, weighing up to 8-10 kg, females - 7 kg. The colors can be piebald or white. The majestic Kholmogory goose has a wide convex chest, there are characteristic folds on the belly.
An important advantage of the breed: endurance, good adaptation to new conditions and relative unpretentiousness to both food and living conditions. Thanks to this, in Russia, they can be bred in almost all regions, including those with a rather harsh climate. This breed is quite disease resistant. Thanks to their calm nature, the Kholmogory coexists peacefully in large herds.
This breed produces tasty and healthy meat with dietary qualities.
Geese do not produce many eggs - up to 40 per year, but with the proper approach, this number can be doubled, in addition, females have excellent maternal instinct. Among other heavy species of geese, the Kholmogorskys are long-livers - they can live 15–20 years (compared to 4–6 years of others), which is important for breeders of breeding birds. True, and puberty occurs later in them - only after three years.
At the moment there are two lines of this breed: one with short beaks, others with long beaks. The former are descendants crossed with wild gray geese, the latter with the Tula breed.
These birds require a clean and dry goose bed with warm straw bedding. The room should be free of drafts, but it should be well ventilated. Each bird must have at least 1 sq. m. Also, this breed needs free range, it is very desirable - with access to a reservoir, and they can walk and swim in winter.
In addition to the standard compound feed, these geese can be fed with premixes and cabbage. Mineral feeding will not hurt either: you can leave containers with dry clay, sand and chalk. This will ensure good digestion for birds, and for eggs - a strong shell.
In the morning and in the evening, it is best to give succulent feed, and at night - grain. You can leave food with a margin, since the peak of hunger occurs at dawn.
Gorky goose
Adults Gorky gander reach 7-10 kg, geese - 6-8 kg. This breed of large geese ranks third in size. The eggs are smaller than those of other breeds (130–150 g), but the average egg production is slightly higher - 60 eggs per year; the hatching of goslings is 70–80%.
Most often these are white, gray or gray birds with a wide back, a small growth on the forehead and a pronounced goiter. The tail is raised.
The advantages of the breed include very rapid development and a set of muscle mass: already in 2 months, goslings usually gain 3 kg or more. Sexual maturity occurs as early as 6.5 months. This breed is recommended for those looking for quick results: although the weight is less than the leaders, the breed is very profitable due to the speed of weight gain, as well as good brood performance of goslings if you plan to breed them for sale. In addition to meat, the down of Gorky geese is also highly valued.
True, it is better for novice farmers to buy birds in proven nurseries - on the market, unscrupulous sellers can sell a Chinese goose together with Gorky (you can distinguish it by the protruding body).
The breed is resistant to diseases and has good immunity. Has a peaceful disposition and gets along well with other domestic animals.
The largest goose in the world
So, the largest geese of domestic geese are Toulouse; although the average weight of males ranges from 11–12 kg, with proper care some specimens gain 14–16 kg! Moreover, in addition to the weight of the common body, they are also famous for their special large gourmet liver. Therefore, if the most important indicator for you is precisely the maximum weight and size of the bird, we recommend that you focus on this particular breed.
Of the wild, the largest geese in the world are the bean goose: their weight reaches 4.5–5 kg, length is 90 cm, and their wingspan is 190 cm.
Video "Raising goslings"
In this video, you will learn how to raise goslings at home.
Geese are poultry that are found in almost every agriculture. They are among the largest poultry after and. However, there are individual breeds that are superior in weight to those domestic geese, which are most often seen on the farm. Let's figure out what the average weight of a domestic goose is, how it can vary depending on the breed and how you can help such a bird gain the maximum possible weight.
How much does it weigh
Geese are quite profitable to grow as birds, primarily due to the price-to-size ratio to which they can grow. There are several main factors on which the weight of a domestic goose depends, among them, of course, age.
Did you know?Geese are monogamous: if you let go for meata couple of goose, she will not look for a replacement for her lover for several years and will not give offspring. In the wild, there are even cases when, after the death of their pair, the gander is left alone for life.
Adult domestic goose
As soon as such a bird hatches, its weight is about 100–120 g, then it begins to grow rapidly and after 30 days it gains about 2 kg more. After 2 months, or rather at the age of 70 days, the mass of geese increases several times and is, depending on the breed, genetic component and feed, from 5 to 8 kg. Most often, domesticated individuals weigh 7–8 kg, but some individuals manage to gain even 12 kg.
Goose weight before and after slaughter: video
It is important to remember that the mass of a bird is not only meat, but also a considerable amount of down and feathers. Moreover, geese are the only poultry, of which down and feathers can be obtained during life.
It's no secret that such fluff, or rather a feather mixture, is used to make pillows, blankets, clothes, etc., therefore, for many, its quality and quantity is even more important than the quality and mass of meat that can be obtained as a result of the cultivation of such birds.
In this regard, an important factor is also the fact that geese are long-livers, and their down and feathers are renewed, therefore, such material can be obtained repeatedly from one individual during its five-seven-year life.
The down feather mixture itself will also serve for a long time: if products from duck down will last you 7-9 years, and from chicken - 3-5 years, then bedding or wardrobe items made of goose down can be used for up to 25 years.
You can pinch the down from these birds 2-3 times a year, thus obtaining from one goose (weighing 5-6 kg) for the entire period of its life about 4 kg of down feather mixture.
You can pluck a goose for the first time after juvenile molt, but even before the onset of cold weather. All subsequent plucking should be done at least 7 weeks before laying.
Important!To make the process of plucking less painful for birds, it is necessary to cause forced molt before the procedure itself using one of the following methods: completely change the diet of geese or make them starve for 1-2 days.
Goose at the age of 4-5 months
It is possible to slaughter such poultry already at the age of 2.5 months - there are breeds that are gaining their maximum weight by this period. However, in some cases it is better to wait until 4–5 months of age, when the goose weight reaches about 5 kg.
Video: the weight of goslings
Goose weight by breed
There are quite a number of different breeds of geese for home breeding, and, of course, each of them has its own characteristics, including weight.
- average weight - 8-10 kg;
- a distinctive feature is a bump on the beak and a massive chin;
- the body is large, the wings are long, distinguished by skin folds between the legs and a massive chest;
- reach puberty only by 3 years;
- live very long (up to 17 years), continuing to lay eggs even in old age;
- per year, laying can lay up to 30 eggs, on average - 15;
- unpretentious in nutrition;
- very calm, stay at home, do not show aggression.
- considered the best breed in the world;
- in Russia, they account for 50% of all reared geese;
- grow rapidly;
- have a long large body, gain quite a lot of weight (the average weight is 8 kg, sometimes individuals grow up to 12 kg);
- oviposition begins at 4 months of age, in a year one individual can lay about 50 eggs, each weighing an average of 155 g;
- a distinctive feature is a bump on the beak;
- unpretentious in nutrition.
Did you know?The dough cooked on goose eggs turns out to be much fluffier and softer than the dough, in the preparation of which chicken eggs were used.
Large gray
- there are two types of such geese: Ukrainian - Borkovsky, and Russian - Stepnoy Tambovsky;
- medium-heavy, weight - about 6 kg (sometimes they grow up to 9 kg);
- They are distinguished by a thick neck of medium length, a small head with a tuft, have a deep chest, folds between the legs, massive wings;
- the distinguishing feature is a scaly gray pattern on the back.
How much does a large gray goose weigh: video
- grow to small sizes, but gain weight rather quickly;
- have good immunity to common avian diseases;
- tolerate cold well;
- average weight - 3.5 kg;
- require minimal care, are unpretentious in terms of feeding;
- meat - dietary, considered the most delicious of all breeds;
- disadvantage - breeding specimens are not easy to find, moreover, they are expensive.
- average weight - 8 kg;
- during the laying period, they lay about 30 eggs, 170-190 g each;
- females are bad hens;
- have a large body, thick neck, gray color;
- a distinctive feature - a "wallet" under the beak, fat folds on the belly;
- not suitable for pasture keeping;
- gourmets who like to eat goose liver very often grow this breed, since its representatives quickly gain fat mass;
- do not like wet, cold weather.
- widespread in Ukraine and Moldova;
- average weight - 5 kg;
- females are bad hens;
- sexual maturity is reached in 240 days;
- gain weight slowly;
- per year, laying can lay about 50 eggs weighing 150 g;
- small body, large head with a bump on the forehead, long neck;
- distinctive features - a gray-brown stripe on the neck and head, gray legs;
- adapt well to any growing conditions;
- disadvantages - not very attractive appearance, bad character.
Did you know?In order for the goose liver to reach its maximum size and such a popular delicacy as foie gras could be prepared from it, a hose is pushed into the bird's throat, through which food is forcibly poured into it.
Gorkovsky
- have high productivity;
- large, have a "wallet" under the beak, a raised body, a fold on the abdomen;
- reach puberty at 240 days of age;
- average weight - 7 kg;
- they lay about 50 eggs per year, weighing 150 g each.
Adler
- have a short neck, wide convex chest, strong short legs;
- average weight - 7 kg;
- egg production - about 30 eggs, 160–170 g each;
- puberty occurs at 9 months;
- tolerate heat well.
Italian
- the liver of these geese is most often used to make foie gras;
- are distinguished by their beauty, similarity to swans;
- average weight - 6 kg;
- have a small body, small neck, short strong beak;
- puberty - at 240 days;
- per year, they lay about 50 eggs weighing about 165 g each;
- very independent, keep to their flock.
What to feed
Often it is enough to feed the geese with grass or mixed feed, but if you want the birds to gain weight faster, you need to know about the intricacies of the nutrition that you need to provide them. Since geese are quite voracious birds, it is not so difficult to get them to gain additional mass - you just need to use intensive feeding technology, the essence of which is as follows:
- from the age of 25 days, birds should not be released into the pasture;
- up to 70 days of age, they must be given food and greens in large quantities (for the entire time of feeding, 15 kg of compound feed and about 25 kg of greens should go away);
- fresh herbs should be given in the morning and evening;
- the soaked forage mash should be given in such an amount that the individuals eat a portion in 30 minutes, and the food does not sour. When the portion is finished, it is necessary to immediately renew it.
Important!Regularly replace the water in the drinking bowl with clean and fresh water, be sure to provide the birds with walks by the reservoir.
So, the diet of one individual should look like this:- Day 1-10: 20 g of compound feed, 50 g of greens;
- 11–20 days: 50 g of compound feed, 100 g of greens;
- Day 21-30: 100 g of compound feed, 200 g of greens;
- 31-75 days: every 10 days, you need to increase the portions of compound feed by 20 g and the amount of greens by 100 g.
Raising geese is quite a profitable business, since these birds can carry a large number of eggs, they make good meat from them with a small amount of feed. Geese weight may vary depending on housing conditions, feed quality or breed. Part of the bulk of such poultry is feathers and down, which can last a long time.
For a long time there has been a good attitude towards geese not only in Russia, but also in many other countries of the world. A wide variety of fairy tales and counting rhymes were written about them, which found their place in the literature of almost all peoples of the world. Of course, geese are primarily appreciated for their incredibly tasty and rich meat. That is why the weight of the goose is so important to farmers.
Of course, depending on the breed, on the genetic component, as well as on the diet, the weight of a goose can be very diverse. But the main component on which the weight of the animal depends is, of course, age. Some geese breeds, which feed easily and quickly, can reach a weight of 4 kilograms already a month after birth. Such breeds include, for example: Adler, Kholmogorskaya, Vladimirskaya breeds, as well as some others. Next, we will talk about how to feed geese.
It is very important to remember that after slaughtering a goose, you need to pluck its carcass as soon as possible. Then, after the internal organs have been removed from the goose, it must be washed with cold water, and only then either fry its meat and eat, or send the goose for storage.
Most often they start feeding geese at the end of summer - in August. Usually, before the goose begins to feed, its weight already reaches 3-4 kilograms. During fattening, the bird is fed very often (3-4 times a day) with steamed grains. Usually geese are killed half a month after the start of fattening, although sometimes, depending on the breed or external factors, fattening a goose can last up to 25 days. After fattening, the slaughter of animals inevitably occurs. Therefore, usually before slaughter, the weight of a domestic goose reaches 4 kilograms. The average weight of a goose, again, depends on the breed of the animal and on external factors. Usually the average weight is 5-8 kilograms. However, there were times when, with very dense feeding, farmers managed to achieve incredible masses for their geese. Canadian farmers have managed to feed their animals up to 2.5 kilograms. On the contrary, as a result of poor feeding, as well as external environmental factors and poor habitat, some geese may not gain even 4 kilograms. Such individuals are very weak. This problem is often transmitted at the genetic level. There are times when the goose lives in excellent places to live, it is fed in the most appropriate way, but it still does not begin to gain weight. In such situations, you need to consult a veterinarian, perhaps the goose may have some kind of infection that can adversely affect its other relatives living with it.
Gourmets, in addition to goose meat, also use its liver or stomach for food. In Russia, fried goose with apples is a guest of almost all feasts. This dish has appeared in Russia for a very long time. In other countries of the world, for example in America, this dish is also very popular, although they use turkey instead of a goose.
The weight of an adult goose, as already mentioned, depends on the breed. Sometimes it can weigh 5 kilograms, more often 7-8 kilograms, and some record-holders manage to gain 12 kilograms of weight. To achieve good results, farmers advise feeding geese with whole grains, or with pre-chopped completely dry hay of legumes and root crops, such as potatoes or carrots. Also, some professionals advise giving sauerkraut to geese in winter.
The weight of a goose is directly related to its breed, however, with proper feeding, as well as with good habitats, almost any goose can reach 8 kilograms of weight. To improve digestion, which is also necessary when gaining weight, you should put chalk in the goose feeder. If you follow the basic rules during the feeding period, then the goose is very likely to gain good weight.
Geese are one of the largest poultry in the world. In their size they are inferior, perhaps, only to turkeys and ostriches. And this does not apply to individual modern breeds, which can weigh twice as much as usual. I wonder how much does a domestic goose weigh and how to achieve the maximum indicators of its mass? Find out the answer to this question right now.
How much should you weigh?
Despite the fact that not every farmer is engaged in raising geese today, it is still a very popular and profitable poultry. Already at birth, babies weigh about 100-120 grams, and by a month they gain weight up to 2 kilograms. But what is most surprising and sometimes even incredible - by the age of 70, the goslings increase their weight 40 times! Yes, it sounds unrealistic, but it is.
Then, after a two-month milestone, the birds begin to shed and lose weight a little. As a rule, young animals are slaughtered to obtain meat by this period. It is important to note that geese have a long lifespan, so many breeders keep them for a long time as well. Especially if the bird is bred.
How to achieve good mass gain?
As you probably understand, weight gain and mass gain in geese is more dependent on nutrition. In general, the diet of poultry differs little from the wild diet, since it is based on greens. In household plots, they are also found throughout the warm period mainly on pasture green fodder. One bird can eat up to two kilograms of fresh grass and other greens per day. This amount of food is quite enough for her life, but for intensive growth and high weight, as you understand, this is not enough.
To increase growth, geese need to be fed nutritious food. Basically, good grain, compound feed, animal products such as cottage cheese, eggs are used for this. It is imperative that a bird for good development and growth should receive minerals (chalk, calcium) and vitamins (vegetable and deciduous feeding). As practice shows, a very big plus in gaining the mass of geese is the presence of a clean reservoir nearby. In it, birds collect duckweed, aquatic vegetation, small aquatic inhabitants.
Poultry feeding
You should start feeding your geese in late summer, around August. As a rule, the bird should already weigh about 3-4 kilograms. But if you want to get a real meat giant, the diet needs to be increased up to four times. It is best to give not dry, but steamed grain in small portions during this period. The entire feeding period can last from 15 to 25 days depending on the desired weight. By this time, with intensive fattening, the weight of the bird increases to 5-8 kilograms, but some breeds are distinguished by even greater indicators of weight gain - up to 7-9 kilograms.
We all know well that in addition to the meat of this poultry, the liver and stomach are very highly valued. In Russia, for example, both before and today, a goose with apples is a very respected "guest" of feasts and feasts, and the liver is a favorite dish of gourmets. However, in order for these products to be tasty and have the highest gastronomic performance, the poultry must be well-fed and well-fed. It is from these offal that one can understand how well the farmer looked after the geese.
In order to achieve the best results, experts advise feeding the bird with whole grains, and giving dry hay of legumes with root crops as a top dressing. Geese are very fond of potatoes and carrots. In winter, to maintain the health of poultry, it is advised to add sauerkraut to the menu. Are you surprised? But this product helps to assimilate well all micro and macro elements.
To improve digestion, which is directly related to weight gain, chalk should be regularly in the goose feeder. Do not forget about compound feed during the growth and development of young animals. Just in the first months, babies lay the foundations for a future good weight.
Video "Presentation of geese at the Kuban fair"
It is practiced in small and large farms in our country. This unpretentious bird with tasty meat is able to gain weight almost without using purchased feed.
In the presence of grazing and a reservoir, in a few months it is realistic to get 3-5 kg of meat from the head with practically no capital investment.
Basic rules for preparing poultry for slaughter
The bird is not fed before slaughter for about 12 hours. During this period, the goiter and the digestive tract of the goose are freed from feed. This makes gutting and cutting the carcass easier.
Important! If it is necessary to get down and feathers from the bird, a few days before slaughtering the geese are transferred to a clean bedding.
They put a large basin, a bathing trough on the walk, drive the herd to the pond.
In the old days, they began to cut geese after the snow fell. Geese and geese are not afraid of the cold, the bird is happy to bathe in clean snow, peeling feathers.
When to cut geese?
To obtain meat, goose is chopped from the age of 4 months. The exact time depends on the breed of the bird, the way it is fed.
The unit can be made at home from an old washing machine.
Feather and down processing
Collected down and feathers are sorted out, removing dirt. A wet feather is dried at a temperature of up to +70 degrees for 40-50 hours, spreading it out in a thin layer on grates or coarse fabric.
Can be dried at room temperature, but the process will take longer. From time to time fluff, feathers are turned up.
Freezing of the fluff is practiced if the slaughter was carried out in winter. Raw materials in gauze bags are hung out on the street, under a canopy. Excess moisture from the feather is frozen out.
Before storage, the down is separated from the large feather. Store products in rag bags in dry rooms.
Scorching
To remove all small hairs and fluff from goose bumps, the carcass must be singed. This is done over a fire, a gas stove or with a manual gas burner.
The carcass is brought close to the fire at such a distance that it shrinks from the heat, but does not bubble. After spending a couple of times the goose over the fire, the charred hairs are wiped from the skin with a clean cloth.
To give the carcass a presentation, lightly sprinkle with flour, then wipe with a dry cloth.
Butchering a carcass
Cutting begins by removing the rope from the bird's neck and squeezing out the remaining blood from it.
Next steps:
- The paws are cut with a knife at the joint. The wings are trimmed with scissors for cutting the poultry at the elbow.
- From the cloaca upwards, an incision is made in the skin and abdominal wall with a sharp knife. The length of the incision is up to 10 cm. Care must be taken not to snag the intestines.
- The hand is inserted into the incision and, passing it in a circle, the internal organs are separated from the carcass. The cloaca is cut out in a circular motion with a knife.
- Grasping the stomach, carefully remove the entrails through an incision in the abdomen. Remove the lungs and gagging pipe from the carcass if it remains in the neck.
- The heart and liver are separated from the entrails, not forgetting to separate and discard the bile.
- The inside of the carcass is soaked with clean rags and put away for a day or two in a cool place (temperature about +3 degrees) for ripening. Then the goose can be frozen.
Attention! Meat must not be washed with water before storage!
Conclusion
Breeding geese is a profitable activity for farmers and owners of personal subsidiary plots. Geese at minimal cost can provide a family with useful meat and eggs.
The cultivation and maintenance of this bird is within the power of even novice poultry breeders.