Breeding geese is a fairly profitable event. Young individuals gain about 4 kg in 2 months. These birds are mainly raised for meat use. But there are several breeds that are well carried. Also, by special technology, geese are fed to obtain a large liver.
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It is believed that due to the good down cover, this species of birds is not afraid of frost. This is only partially true. Indeed, geese can tolerate frosts well up to -10 o C. With good care they -30 o C nothing. But there is a very important nuance - they do not tolerate dampness.
If the humidity is very high, the feathers instantly become dirty and stick together. In this case, the down layer does not fulfill its functions. The litter in the sheds quickly gets wet and gets dirty, as a result - the legs of the bird freeze. This is a very dangerous condition for geese, and they begin to hurt and even die.
Winter geese at home
Before the cold weather comes, you need to prepare a room for the wintering of the bird. This does not have to be a perfect barn. It can be built from old boards. If cracks form in it, then they can always be covered with straw or modern sealants.
Thus, geese will be protected from wind and damp, and this is worse for them than frost. The floor in the barn should be made of planks. Ground flooring or cement is not suitable - the bird’s feet will freeze.
Litter from available raw materials is laid on the floor. It could be:
The flooring should be at least half a meter in height. In this case, the bird will not only not freeze, but will also feel comfortable. Keeping geese in the winter at home requires frequent cleaning of the top layer of the flooring. Thus, moisture will not spread throughout the room.
In place of the removed layer of dirty raw materials, the same new one is put. Experienced poultry farmers have come up with a little trick so that there is no smell of ammonia in the barn. To do this, once every 7-10 days, you need to sprinkle the top layer of the flooring with superphosphate. 400 g of substance is spent on 1 m 2 .
The maintenance of geese in the winter at home (photo in the article) does not require their constant stay in the barn. The bird needs to be released for a walk. Even in severe frosts, geese can stay in the open air for about 1-2 hours. The main thing is to remove snow on the walking platform so that their feet do not freeze.
What to build a room for wintering
A warm and comfortable room is the key to success and the hassle-free keeping of geese in the winter at home. For beginners, below will be presented several ways of arranging a home for birds.
Winter geese can calmly in a wooden room. It can be a ready-made shed or shot down from boards specially. Also, recently, breeders have been practicing keeping geese in winter in polycarbonate greenhouses.
Such a room transmits light, and under the snow it becomes even warmer. In the greenhouses there are absolutely no drafts, which is very important for the proper wintering of birds. Some farmers send geese to hibernate in film greenhouses. This option is also possible subject to the proper arrangement of this zone.
Wintering in greenhouses
This option is now quite popular among the owners of poultry. Keeping geese in the greenhouse in winter gives good results. Individuals continue to develop, rush and increase body weight.
To properly equip a place for wintering, you need to follow a number of rules:
- the greenhouse should sometimes be heated in severe frosts;
- strengthen the greenhouse for stability during snow and wind;
- make lighting.
These points of the plan will ensure the quality maintenance of geese in the winter. Before settling, the birds must be carefully cleaned there. In dust and debris, individuals will begin to hurt. It is also necessary to provide ventilation.
The polycarbonate greenhouse will be warmer. This material has the ability to heat up quickly. It is also necessary to make high flooring on the floor. The top layer must be removed on time.
Winter geese in the greenhouse: reviews
Farmers and owners of private estates are pleased with the opportunity to arrange places for wintering birds in greenhouses. Many believe that this can save on fertilizer. Geese love to bury their excrement in the ground. Thus, fertilizer will be ready by spring.
In connection with the downtime of greenhouses in the winter, occupying them with poultry is a great idea. Most often, heating and lighting have already been carried out here. Thus, it remains to equip the nests and arrange the flooring.
The owners note that it is much more convenient to take care of geese in greenhouses. During cleaning and feeding, people do not freeze and feel comfortable. Also in the daytime you can do without additional lighting, because the walls transmit light well.
Walking need
In the cold season, even in cold weather, you need to release geese for walks. They should last at least an hour. In this way, the birds develop their paws and make it possible to digest the feed well.
If geese lead a sedentary lifestyle, then all their reserves are stored in fat, and not in muscle. Also, thick birds cease to lay eggs, and then it is almost impossible to establish this process.
In winter, geese can be allowed to swim in shallow ponds. So they will develop their muscles, and the meat will become very tasty. At this time, the owner can safely clean the room and ventilate it.
How to equip a caterpillar
To build a barn or to drive birds into a greenhouse is insufficient care. Crankster should be equipped according to the rules. The equipment consists of:
These three elements must be located in the room of the trackman. Sockets can have standard sizes. Height and width - 50 cm, and length - 60 cm. They can be made from boards, boxes or plywood.
Between the nests there should be partitions, and in front you need to form a step of 10 cm. The bottom needs to be built of wood. Geese bury eggs in the floor. If the floor is made concrete or iron, the eggs will freeze. Such nests should be already in the 15-20th of January.
If possible, perches are best done in a separate room. This can be realized with the help of a partition. Thus, the remaining individuals will not be able to prevent the geese from laying eggs. Birds often fight among themselves and drive others out of nests.
It is better to collect eggs early. Birds lay eggs at night or in the early morning. By lunchtime, they may already be frozen. The room needs to be cleaned often. Strong gas contamination affects the number of eggs received from one individual.
If the hen sat on a nest to receive offspring, she needs to arrange additional care. She may not even get up to eat. Thus, it is necessary not to aggressively drive it away and pour fresh food and pour water.
In the opposite case, when the bird leaves the nest for a long time, it is necessary to take care of heating the eggs. It is better to feed the brood hen with coarse and solid food so that it does not stain the eggs.
Forming feeders
The content of geese at home (photo of wintering options in the article) is accompanied by the arrangement of good feeders. The best option is two boards, knocked down at an angle. At the top on the sides you need to make additional slats that will not allow the bird to climb inside.
Shields should be nailed along, which will prevent the geese from scattering food. The feeder should be large, or several should be made so that the birds ate at the same time and no additives were required, otherwise it would be difficult to follow the correct diet. This threatens an excessive set of fat.
The upper limit of the feeder should not be lower than the back of the bird. Periodically, the feeders are washed and dried in order to avoid rotting. Separate small troughs can be built for hens.
Drinking mode
With insufficient water or untimely replacement of the old one, the bird can get sick. Also, geese will stop laying eggs. This process depends largely on the conditions of keeping individuals.
So that the litter is not wet, the container with water is installed on a wooden grate or a metal sheet. In this way, excessive humidity in the room is avoided. As containers, you can use large buckets or any trough.
You can hold a hose from a water barrel to the drinker. Thus, fresh water will flow. The pressure should be minimized. If the bird does not drink for more than 2 days, then it completely ceases to rush.
You can drink geese with melt snow water. It contains many minerals. Some owners put buckets of snow in the room.
How to feed geese during cold weather
The number of feeds per day depends on the month of the season and the bird's life mode. Keeping geese in winter requires a specific feeding schedule. Until January, the bird is better to give food twice a day. The first feeding should be mixers, and in the evening - coarse grain.
To cook a mash, you need to mix food waste and a small amount of porridge. It is best to use oat grains. This is geese’s favorite porridge. This mixture is added fishmeal and carrots, processed on a grater.
In January, the number of feeds increases up to three times. At this time, the bird spends a lot of energy - preparation for oviposition takes place. In this period, grain is given in the morning and in the evening, and a mash is given at lunchtime. With the preparation for the breeding season, the amount of feed should be increased and not be afraid of poultry obesity. In February, it is worth adding beets and carrots in large quantities to the diet of geese to arouse appetite.
At this time, there is an active feeding of gander. They lose a lot of energy on the mating process. For this, feeders are hung on the walls to a height of 90 cm. In this case, the geese will not get food. Or, before additional feeding, the whole bird, except for gander, is taken for a walk.
If the farm does not have enough grain, then you can partially replace it with potatoes. This vegetable is not so high-calorie, and it will need 3 times more. Coarse food must be present in the diet. Hay can be given dry or steamed with the addition of oatmeal and vegetables.
Winter bird keeping in Siberia
Some owners experiment and keep the bird in the cold outside. Scientists have proven that geese can withstand temperatures below -60 ° C. For a successful wintering in the open, you need to make a very high flooring from straw on the site so that the geese can dig into it.
The content of geese in the winter on the street suggests an increased in quantity and calorie intake. Thus, geese gain fat mass and can safely endure severe frosts. On the street it is also necessary to equip nests and places for feeding.
Some owners on the street simply put three partitions without a roof so that the bird can hide from the wind. So that the paws do not freeze, they can be greased with fat. It is proved that severe frosts are better tolerated by large geese.
Keeping geese in winter in Siberia requires additional costs for food and care. So it’s more advisable to put together at least a small barn from the boards without additional heating.
The nuances of lighting indoors
If you use light bulbs until January-February, then you can speed up the process of laying and hatching new offspring. Lighting creates additional heating, and the bird stray from the correct development cycle. During this period it is better to turn on the light, observing the daylight hours. You can even reduce the lighting time of sheds by 2-3 hours.
Since mid-January, bulbs can be used as a catalyst to accelerate masonry and a good process for hatching offspring. At this time, the light is turned on for 12 hours or more.
Winter geese tricks
For the winter, only healthy and strong individuals are left without visible pathologies. Feeders and drinking bowls should be cleaned daily so that frozen food is not kept at the bottom.
Top dressing should always hang on the walls to enhance the immunity of the bird:
- a piece of chalk;
- shellfish;
- eggshell.
It is necessary to arrange access of sunlight to the barn. Then the bird will easily survive the wintering with the help of good immunity. Feeding geese can be done in the winter on the street.
Eggs need to be collected very early and monitor the regime when the geese carry them. This is especially important when keeping geese in the winter in Siberia in the open. Because at the wrong time, the eggs collected in the frost crack very quickly. Drinking water changes at least 3 times a day. It is impossible to drink geese with one snow, otherwise they will not get drunk, and this threatens to disturb the blood circulation. Then the geese become too noisy or, conversely, weak and sleepy.
Keeping geese in the winter without a barn is a more complex process that requires a lot of knowledge and additional physical work.