Breeding geese in many Russian regions is a profitable business. The bird is not as demanding on food as the same turkey or even chicken, its meat, in addition to being premature, is also tasty. But not every breed of geese will please its owner with good egg production, meatiness and vitality. Therefore, many farmers are asking a completely logical question: "And what is the best individual?"
For a good half of the villagers, the weight of poultry and the quality of meat are considered the most notable characteristics of geese breeds. In second place is egg production and survivability of the individual. Some farmers, on the contrary, as they say, take quantity. That is, choose light breeds of domestic geese. Yes, they hardly gain more or less acceptable weight, but they are distinguished by good survivability and unpretentiousness in the feed. So the definition of "best breeds of geese" in this case is very arbitrary, because each individual direction for breeding is, in fact, a two-edged sword.
The farmer himself will decide in which direction he is better off developing, and we will try to decide on the most remarkable goose individuals that can be found on Russian territory. They have both their pros and cons, so you need to approach the choice responsibly.
So, we present to your attention a review and description of the breeds of geese, the most popular among Russian poultry farmers. We will discuss their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the feasibility of breeding in a particular case.
Lindovian geese
Bird can be found throughout Europe, and in Russia this species makes up almost 50% of the total population of all geese. Most farmers consider the Lindovskaya breed of geese the best in all respects. The bird has a good weight, matures quickly and has good egg production.
A characteristic feature is a clearly protruding bump on the forehead, which appears in goslings at the age of 7 months, along with a pronounced white plumage.
Lindovskaya breed - meat. Geese weigh an average of around 8 kg. Some with proper care can reach 12 kilograms. In the tenth week, young growth weighs 4 kg and continues to grow rapidly.
Geese begin to sweep at about 6 months of age. During the laying period, the brood hen gives about 50 eggs with an average weight of 150 grams. Fertility and viability are also at a high level. In professional farming incubators, mortality does not exceed 10%, which is a very good indicator for poultry.
Breeding Features
As for feeding, then, unlike representatives of other meat breeds, the Lindovian geese are quite unpretentious. They gladly eat ordinary green grass, and young goslings (from 1.5 months of age) can be quietly released into water bodies, where they themselves will provide themselves with food. If there is no possibility of walking, young animals are transferred to regular compound feed, which is given to broilers. Minerals, salts and other vitamins in it are enough for the normal development of poultry. With proper care, beautiful, well-fed, large geese grow.
The Lindovskaya breed is one of the most popular also because the fluff and feather of these handsome men are in enviable demand.
Kholmogorsk geese
Kholmogorsk geese also belong to the category of meat. The individual takes the second place in popularity among Russian farmers due to its meatiness, vitality and unpretentiousness to feed. Kholmogorsky breed is considered one of the oldest among others. The progenitors of this branch are Chinese and Arzamas birds.
Males, when they reach puberty, can weigh up to 10 kg, but there are also champions who manage to gain all 13 kg. The indicators of the females are a little more modest, but they also inspire respect - about 9 kg before laying.
If the geese of the Lindovskaya breed were distinguished by a bump on the forehead, then the Kholmogorsky ones have a similar growth already on their beak, which begins to appear at the age of five months and reaches its peak in the fifth year of life.
The beak itself in a bird can be long, medium and short and depends on the line of the breed. Under it is a pronounced chin. Because of him, it seems that the neck of the goose of the Kholmogory breed is short. The chest of the bird is well developed, the body is massive, and the wings are long. Geese can be either pure white or gray or pinto. The last two color options are the most common.
Kholmogorsk females do not differ in good egg laying. One clutch accounts for about 30 eggs, or even less. Moreover, poultry puberty occurs only in the third year of life. As such, the “mothers” of the females are excellent: they look after and help, and protect their children, but, as a hen, alas, they are no good, because the goose’s physique is too large with all the ensuing consequences.
Breeding Features
As for nutrition, the representatives of the Kholmogorsk breed are not whimsical at all. In the warmer months, the bird quietly eats grass or algae in nearby ponds, and in the winter eats stocks of wheat or chicken feed.
Many farmers liked the Kholmogorsk breed due to the calm disposition of geese. The bird is attached to its yard, does not conflict with other inhabitants and is not at all prone to aggression. It is also worth noting the high life expectancy of the breed. If other individuals rarely live up to 6-7 years, then Kholmogorsk residents can live all 15, while continuing to hatch offspring.
Kuban geese
The Kuban breed was bred in the Krasnodar Territory thanks to the work of breeders with Chinese and Lindov individuals. A large physique, as well as weight, the bird does not differ, therefore, as such, meatiness is taken by the number of goals. But with this, the breed is just wonderful.
During the laying period, the female can lay up to 100 eggs weighing 150 grams each. The hatching rate is quite high - about 85%, and puberty comes in 7-8 months of life. The weight of an adult goose reaches 5-6 kilograms, and females - 4-5 kg. Two-month-old youngsters weigh about 3-4 kg, which is very good.
Kuban geese have a medium-length trunk and a large head with a pronounced frontal cone. The neck of the representatives of the breed is long, and the chest is round. The color of the bird, as a rule, is gray-brown with a specific dark strip on the neck. You can also find pure white lines of rocks, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Breeding Features
The bird is unpretentious in food and grazes calmly both on the homestead grass and in nearby reservoirs. The only thing worth clarifying is that geese feel great only in their climatic zone, that is, in the Kuban, while in cooler regions problems with weight gain and reproduction begin.
It should also be noted that the color of the skin of the bird and the plumage of the carcass does not look very attractive, so some disdain to breed Kuban. In addition, young growth is not as active in gaining weight as in other breeds, and a good half of individuals are unfriendly. They often hoarse at their neighbors in the yard and often make noise if they don't like something.
Shadrinsky geese
The Shadrinsk breed was obtained by breeders more than three hundred years ago in the city of Shadrinsk, in the Perm province. The individual does not differ in enviable indicators of meatiness and egg production, but is an excellent breeding base. In the obvious advantages of the breed, you can record a high survivability index.
The weight of sexually mature males reaches almost 7 kg, and females - 6 kg. Young growth, reaching six months of age, weighs almost five kilograms. Geese per clutch produce about 30 eggs with an average weight of 150 grams. Females showed themselves well in incubation and as educators. Young goslings are obedient, and mothers are literally watching literally every step they take.
Breeding Features
Geese of the Shadrinsk breed are unpretentious in food, but, like all other species, they love grass and ponds with accompanying food. In ideal conditions, the bird quickly gains weight, and the females begin to rush. If climatic conditions do not allow frequent walking, then geese are quietly grown on a special combined diet and, unlike other species, will not bend the beak even after several months of a uniform diet.
Geese of the Shadrinsk breed are enviable among farmers in Siberia and the Urals. Unpretentiousness in food and high survival rate allow you to quickly grow a bird and get meat.
Vladimir clay geese
Geese of the Vladimir clay breed were bred at the large Pioneer poultry farm in the Vladimir Region. Breeders crossed the Kholmogorsky and Toulouse individuals, getting a bird with clay feather color.
The geese turned out to be quite large, with massive breasts, paws and a relatively thick neck. At adulthood, males can gain weight up to 9 kg, and females - up to 7. Four-month-old young animals weigh about 5 kg, which is very good for geese.
Females have a very good egg production. In the first year, the goose lays up to 50 eggs, and large - weighing almost 200 grams. Representatives of the Vladimir clay breed are excellent hens, but the mortality of young animals, due to breeding characteristics, sometimes reaches 50%. But if the chicks appear, then the mother shows miracles of caring and brings the percentage of subsequent survival of the young to a hundred.
Breeding Features
The breed is considered hardy, but in the Urals or Siberia, it does not feel very comfortable, and is not as productive as on the same Middle Volga or in the southern regions of Russia. In food, Vladimir clay geese are not picky and can both pinch grass and consume animal feed.
The representatives of the breed have a more or less calm character, but if there are turkeys or another bird close to an exotic species in the yard, they can be aggressive. An exception may be young growth along with other inhabitants.
Chinese geese
Today's Chinese geese in their pure form are practically not bred, but for breeding individuals this is ideal. Representatives of the breed are distinguished by their lightness, precocity and fertility. In the pros, you can also record a high rate of egg production and an overall quantitative and qualitative indicator.
One of the main distinguishing features of the Chinese goose is its neck. The bird is very different from its European counterparts with swan features and grace. Some farmers breed "Chinese" not only for meat, but for decorative purposes. The bird is really beautiful and does not look like an ordinary inhabitant of the yard.
In total, you can find two varieties of Chinese geese - white and gray. They differ from each other only in color, and useful indicators are the same as those of others. In Russia, mainly gray grays are bred (and for unknown reasons) - apparently, due to the practicality of color.
The weight of a male at puberty can reach 6 kg, and females - up to 4. Young growth two months after birth has a mass of 3 with a small kilogram. It should also be noted that the meat of the Chinese goose is lean and very tasty. Only because of this feature, many farmers prefer this individual to other species.
Breeding Features
Egg production in females has a very high rate. With the right feed and care, the number of eggs can reach up to 100 pieces in one laying period, with a weight of 120 grams each. Hatchability is also at a fairly high level - about 80%, and young goslings survive in almost 100% of cases. Far from the last merit in this persistent and constantly guarding their kids geese.
As for feeding, everything is also fine here: in the warmer months, the bird nibbles well and swims in ponds, and in winter it can eat mixed feed intended for hens for a long time. Perhaps the only serious drawback of the Chinese geese is its bad character. The bird rarely gets along with other domestic animals, constantly striving to jump out somewhere, make noise and demonstrate its worth.
Toulouse Geese
Another breed that has a very long breeding history. The bird was bred near the city of Toulouse, in France, by domesticating wild waterfowl gray geese. Despite some difficulties in keeping, Toulouse geese are extremely popular with North American farmers and Europeans. Domestic breeders also do not disdain breeding this remarkable bird.
Geese have a large physique, a thick neck and rich plumage of dark gray, and sometimes fawn. The presence of a classic wallet under the chin, as well as fat folds on the belly, is not a prerequisite for determining the breed. Individual representatives are not always identical, so small differences are not critical.
Males at puberty reach a weight of 9-10 kilograms, and females - 7-8 kg. After a couple of months, young growth is gaining mass of 4 kg. The egg production rate is not the most enviable: for one period of egg laying, the bird gives about 30 eggs weighing almost 200 grams. Mother hens from Toulouse geese are not the best, and the rate of hatching of chicks does not rise above 60%.
A good half of farmers prefer to lay eggs under another poultry in order to avoid such large losses, since mothers practically do not react to this. They can be called cuckoos only until young growth appears. After that, they turn into caring mothers and take care of their children in every possible way.
Breeding Features
Representatives of the Toulouse breed feel bad on the pastures familiar to local geese. Looseness of the skeleton and lack of mobility do not allow the “French” to properly gain weight on free breads. A good half of farmers prefer to breed them purely in the poultry yard and keep them on good fattening.
If you take good care of the bird and provide it with normal nutrition, it will gain its maximum weight in the shortest possible time and pay back the investment. Only the liver of a sexually mature individual with proper fattening can reach a mass of 500 grams.
It should also be noted that Toulouse geese do not like cold and high humidity. Therefore, in order to avoid living and financial losses, it is better to arrange in advance a reliable housing for the bird.