Breeds of geese: description, characteristics, breeding features

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

Geese breeding 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, besides being early, is also tasty. But not every breed of geese will delight its owner with good egg production, fleshiness and vitality. Therefore, many farmers ask a completely logical question: “Which individual is the best?”

For a good half of the villagers, the most remarkable characteristics of goose breeds are the weight of the bird and the quality of the meat. In second place is the egg production and vitality of the individual. Some farmers, on the contrary, take what is called quantity. That is, they 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 feed. So the definition of "the best breeds of geese" in this case is very conditional, because each separate direction for breeding is, in fact, a double-edged sword.

The farmer himself will decide in which direction it is better for him to develop, and we will try to decide on the mostremarkable goose specimens that can be found on Russian territory. They have both their pluses and minuses, so the choice must be approached responsibly.

So, we present to your attention an overview 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 appropriateness of breeding in one case or another.

Linda geese

The bird can be found throughout Europe, and in Russia this species makes up almost 50% of the total population of all geese. Most of the farmers consider the Lindovskaya breed of geese to be the best in all aspects. The bird is of good weight, matures quickly and has good egg production.

A characteristic feature is a prominent forehead bump that appears on goslings at 7 months of age, along with a pronounced white plumage.

Lindovskaya breed - meat. Geese weigh an average of 8 kg. Some with proper care can reach 12 kilograms. At the tenth week, the young weigh 4 kg and continue to grow just as rapidly.

Gese begin to lay at about 6 months of age. During the laying period, the hen produces about 50 eggs with an average weight of 150 grams. The fertility of the individual and vitality are also at a high level. In professional farm incubators, mortality does not exceed 10%, which is a very good indicator for poultry.

Features of breeding

As for feeding, then, unlike representatives of other meat breeds, Lindowskie geese are quite unpretentious. They Withthey eat ordinary green grass with pleasure, and young goslings (from 1.5 months of age) can be safely released into water bodies, where they provide themselves with food. If there is no possibility of walking, the young animals are transferred to the usual compound feed, which is given to broilers. Minerals, s alts and other vitamins in it are enough for the normal development of the bird. With proper care, beautiful, well-fed, large geese grow up.

The Lindovskaya breed is one of the most sought after, also because the fluff and feathers of these beauties are in enviable demand.

Kholmogory geese

Geese of the Kholmogory breed also belong to the meat category. The individual takes the second place in popularity among Russian farmers due to its fleshiness, vitality and unpretentiousness to feed. The Kholmogory breed is considered one of the oldest among others. The progenitors of representatives of this branch are Chinese and Arzamas birds.

When males reach sexual maturity, they can weigh up to 10 kg, but there are also record holders who manage to gain all 13 kg. The indicators of females are a little more modest, but also inspire respect - about 9 kg before laying.

If the geese of the Lindovskaya breed had a bump on the forehead, the Kholmogory geese have a similar growth already on the beak, which begins to appear at the age of five months and reaches its climax in the fifth year of life.

The bird's beak itself can be long, medium and short, and depends on the breed line. Under it is a pronounced chin. Because of him, it seems that the neckthe 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 piebald. The last two color options are the most common.

Kholmogory females do not have good egg production. There are about 30 eggs per clutch, or even less. Moreover, puberty in a bird occurs only in the third year of life. As such, "mothers" from females are excellent: they look after, and help, and protect their children, but, alas, they are no good as a hen, because the physique of the goose is too large with all the ensuing consequences.

Features of breeding

As for nutrition, representatives of the Kholmogory breed are not at all capricious. In the warm months, the bird calmly feeds on grass or algae in nearby water bodies, and in the winter it eats stocks of wheat or chicken feed.

Many farmers liked the Kholmogory breed due to the calm disposition of geese. The bird is attached to its yard, does not conflict with other inhabitants and is not prone to aggression at all. It is also worth noting the high life expectancy of the breed. If other individuals rarely live up to 6-7 years, then Kholmogory can live all 15, and continue 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. The bird does not differ in large physique, as well as in weight, therefore, as such, meatiness is taken by the number of heads. But with thisbreeds are all just wonderful.

During the laying period, the female can lay up to 100 eggs weighing 150 grams each. The output of chicks is quite high - about 85%, and puberty comes at 7-8 months of life. The weight of an adult goose reaches 5-6 kilograms, and females - 4-5 kg. Two-month-old young animals weigh about 3-4 kg, which is very good.

Kuban geese have a body of medium length and a large head with a pronounced frontal bump. The neck of the representatives of the breed is long, and the chest is rounded. The color of the bird is usually gray-brown with a specific dark stripe on the neck. Pure white breed lines can also be found, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

Features of breeding

The bird is unpretentious in food and calmly grazes both on backyard grass and in nearby water bodies. The only thing worth clarifying is that geese feel great only in their own 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 bird's skin and plumage of the carcass do not look very attractive, so some disdain to breed Kuban. In addition, young animals are not gaining weight as actively as in other breeds, and a good half of the individuals are distinguished by an unfriendly character. They often hoot at their neighbors in the yard and often make noise if they do not like something.

Shadrinsk geese

Shadrinskaya breed was obtained by breeders more than three hundred years ago in the city of Shadrinsk, in the Perm province. The individual is no differentenviable indicators of fleshiness and egg production, but is an excellent breeding base. In the obvious advantages of the breed, you can write down a high rate of vitality.

The weight of sexually mature males reaches almost 7 kg, and females - 6 kg. Young growth, which has reached the age of six months, weighs almost five kilograms. Geese for one laying give 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 sensitively watching their every step.

Features of breeding

Geese of the Shadrinskaya breed are unpretentious in food, but, like all other species, they are very fond of grass and ponds with accompanying food. Under 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 raised on a special combined diet and, unlike other species, do not turn up their beak even after several months of a monotonous diet.

Geese of the Shadrin breed are enviably popular with 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 clayey breed were bred at the Pioneer large poultry farm in the Vladimir region. The breeders crossed the Kholmogory and Toulouse individuals, obtaining a bird with a clay feather color.

The geese turned out to be quite large, with a massive chest, paws andrelatively thick neck. At a mature age, males can gain weight up to 9 kg, and females up to 7. A four-month-old young growth weighs about 5 kg, which is very good for geese.

Females have a very good egg production rate. In the first year, the goose lays up to 50 eggs, and large ones - weighing almost 200 grams. Representatives of the Vladimir clayey breed are excellent hens, but the mortality of young animals, due to selection characteristics, sometimes reaches 50%. But if the chicks appear, then the mother shows miracles of care and brings the percentage of subsequent survival of the young to a full hundred.

Features of breeding

The breed is considered hardy, but in the Urals or in Siberia it does not feel very comfortable, and is not as productive as in the same Middle Volga or in the southern regions of Russia. In food, Vladimir clay geese are picky and can both pinch grass and consume compound feed.

The nature of the representatives of the breed is more or less calm, but if there are turkeys or another bird close to an exotic species in the yard, they can show aggression. An exception may be young animals that have grown up with other inhabitants.

Chinese geese

Today's pure Chinese geese are practically not bred, but for crossing individuals this is an ideal option. Representatives of the breed are distinguished by their lightness, precocity and fertility. In pluses, you can also write down a high egg production rate and a general quantitative and qualitative indicator.

One of the main distinguishingthe devil of a Chinese goose is the neck. The bird is strikingly different from its European counterparts in swan features and grace. Some farmers breed "Chinese" not so much for meat as 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 the useful indicators are the same as those of others. In Russia, mostly (and for unknown reasons) grays are bred - apparently because of the practicality of the color.

The weight of a male at a mature age can reach 6 kg, and females - up to 4. The young growth already two months after birth has a mass of 3 and a few kilograms. It should also be noted that the meat of the Chinese goose is lean and very tasty. Because of this feature alone, many farmers prefer this individual to other species.

Features of breeding

Egg production in females is very high. With proper 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 is persistent and constantly protecting their children geese.

As for feeding, everything is also excellent here: in the warm months, the bird nibbles grass well and swims in water bodies, and in winter it can eat compound feed intended for chickens for a long time. Perhaps the only serious drawback of Chinese geese isit's a bad character. The bird rarely gets along with other pets, constantly strives to jump out somewhere, make some noise and demonstrate its position.

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 hesitate to breed this remarkable bird.

Geese have a large build, thick neck and rich plumage of dark gray, and sometimes fawn. The presence of a classic purse 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.

Male at sexual maturity reach a weight of 9-10 kilograms, and females - 7-8 kg. Young growth after a couple of months is gaining a mass of 4 kg. The egg production rate is not the most enviable: in one laying period, the bird produces about 30 eggs weighing almost 200 grams. Toulouse geese hens are not the best and the hatching rate does not rise above 60%.

A good half of the farmers prefer to shift their eggs to other poultry in order to avoid such large losses, since mothers practically do not react to this. They can be called cuckoos only until the young appear. AfterAs a result, they turn into caring mothers and take care of their children in every possible way.

Features of breeding

Representatives of the Toulouse breed do not feel well on pastures familiar to local geese. The friability of the backbone and inactivity do not allow the "French" to properly gain weight on free bread. A good half of the farmers prefer to breed them purely in the poultry yard and keep them well fattened.

If you properly care for the bird and provide it with normal nutrition, it will gain its maximum weight in the shortest possible time and pay back the investment. The liver of a sexually mature individual alone, with proper fattening, can reach a mass of 500 grams.

It should also be noted that Toulouse geese do not like cold weather and high humidity. Therefore, in order to avoid living and financial losses, it is better to equip a reliable home for the bird in advance.