Chicken goose: description, content and photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In nature, the combination of absolutely incongruous has become quite common. The name sounds strange - chicken goose. What kind of bird? What a miracle Maybe the breeders messed up something and crossed two different species. It turns out that this miracle was created by nature itself. Definitely a chicken goose in the photo - so handsome!

Origin

Chicken goose is very rare in nature. It is unique and listed in the Red Book. Belongs to the duck family, anseriformes order.

South Australia is the birthplace of this big beautiful goose. The researchers found such an amazing bird on Cape Island. The remains of flightless geese of the genus Cnemiornis were found on the island of New Zealand.

There is an assumption that these are the remains of the ancestors of the modern chicken goose. Therefore, at first it was called the "New Zealand-Cape Barren goose." However, this opinion was erroneous. Then the mistake was corrected and they were described as a subspecies, Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea B. They got their name from a group of islands called the Rechersh archipelago.

Descriptionchicken goose

The appearance of this bird is quite impressive. She has a powerful physique. Has a large torso and he althy, strong legs. Height reaches 100 cm.

Plumage with a beautiful ash shade. Has numerous black and white blotches. The head is small, the neck is short and thick. The legs have short toes and long claws. On the red paws, the membranes are black. A very interesting beak is visible: high, short, slightly convex at the base with a dark sharp tip. Something like a chicken. Chicken goose meat has high palatability.

Weight of about 3-6 kg does not prevent the bird from running fast. Chicken goose moves quite easily. Its gait is different from that of a common goose.

Bird habitats

Chicken geese live in small flocks. You can find them near the coast. Chicken geese do not like to swim; they rarely and reluctantly enter the water. Birds don't swim well. Even at the moment of danger, they will not go into the water. They lead a life of a land bird, not aquatic.

During the breeding season, chicken geese are on the banks of the river, on small islands. Food is obtained along the coast. After the nesting period, they choose meadows and lakes with fresh and brackish water. Basically, chicken geese live on small islands.

Reproduction conditions

For the most part, the chicken goose prefers land and walking rather than flying or swimming. A negative attitude towards water bodies does not prevent the bird from breeding chicks near the water. When this crucial moment comes, the geese of theira couple are secluded. The rest of the time they live with everyone in the pack. They feed on lush grass where they graze.

Before mating occurs, the male performs a beautiful mating dance. The nest is built directly on the grass or in an open area, or in the rocks. The nest inside is lined with soft down and feathers. The female lays 4-5 eggs. The shell of the eggs is smooth, whitish-yellowish in color. Married couples are formed once and for life. But if for some reason misfortune occurs and one of the spouses dies, then the remaining one again forms a family with a single bird.

The incubation period for eggs lasts approximately 5 weeks. From the moment of birth, chicks are always near their mother. Dad during this period diligently protects his family. Shows excessive aggressiveness towards others.

Can geese live in captivity

As you know, these wonderful birds appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. They were presented to the King of England by Lord Derby. Since then, in any European zoo you can see at least one pair of these beautiful birds.

The following conditions must be created for keeping chicken geese:

• Be sure to fence off the common paddock with pasture and lush grass.
• For reproduction and procreation, a reservoir is needed. You can artificially create a small pond or pool.
• If the breeding of the younger generation is not included in the plans of the zoo, then you can use one enclosure with an area of at least 200 square meters. m.
• So that the geese can hide from the weather, onterritory you need to have a poultry house.

In cold climatic zones, birds are kept in heated rooms, although they can tolerate temperatures down to -15 ° С.

• The area of the poultry house is calculated based on 1 sq. m per adult goose. In winter, the house must be insulated.
• The floor is covered with fresh hay in a thick layer. The bedding needs to be changed periodically. It takes about 40 kg of dry straw.
• Food for birds is herbs. You can add to it: pellets for waterfowl, wheat grains and chicken feed. If there is not enough grass in the place where the geese graze, then it is necessary to mow fresh and bring it. In winter, you can feed chopped vegetables, cabbage and salads are considered the best dish. Birds do not miss the opportunity to treat themselves to worms, clams and insects.

Ground geese do well in captivity and even breed when properly maintained. Life expectancy in a zoo can be up to 25 years.