Arzamas geese: breed description, growing features

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

Recently, breeders have bred many new breeds of geese. For the most part, such a bird is characterized by unpretentious care and excellent productivity. However, there are several older breeds of geese that are also very popular with farmers. Such farm animals are often able to show simply outstanding results in terms of weight gain. For example, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Chuvashia and Mordovia, the old highly productive breed of Arzamas geese is quite widespread.

A bit of history

These geese were bred in the city of Arzamas back in the 17th century by the method of folk selection. Initially, the breed was used exclusively as a fighting dog. For goose competitions, the peasants specially selected the largest and most active individuals. Later, Arzamas geese were kept on farms mainly for meat. Since the 19th century in battles, such a bird was no longer used. By this time, the breed had become exclusively meat.

General description of Arzamas geese

What breeds were once parental for this bird,unfortunately not known for sure. No records of this have survived. However, judging by the exterior, these geese were most likely bred on the basis of the Tula breed. Such a bird in the old days was very popular among the peasants. Tula geese were bred on the territory of the present Nizhny Novgorod region everywhere. Like this parent breed, the Arzamas bird has three main types of exterior:

• with a slightly concave beak;
• direct;
• convex.

Also, the main features of this bird are:

• powerful meat physique;
• bulging chest;
• straight back;
• wide wings covering the lower back.

The head of these geese is short, the forehead is wide, and the beak is less powerful than that of the representatives of the Tula breed, but still quite thick. The legs of the Arzamas bird are short, yellow, with straight toes.

The plumage of the geese of this breed is dense and dense. The color of the Arzamas bird is most often white. However, the breed standards also allow gray and cream feathers.

Economic signs

Grow these geese and white, and gray, and cream is actually very large. At the same time, they do not consume too much feed. That is, this breed, among other things, is also very economical. Also, the advantages of this bird include, of course, precocity.

The weight of male geese of this breed can reach up to 5, and sometimes7 kg. The body weight of geese is slightly lower. Arzamas females weigh between 5-5.8 kg. The meat of representatives of this breed is very tasty, tender and juicy. At the same time, it is not too greasy and is great for both first and second courses.

Arzamas geese do not carry very many eggs - an average of about 20 pieces. for the season. But at the same time, the females of this breed are very good mothers. They hatch and nurse goslings on their own.

Among the advantages of the Arzamas poultry, farmers, among other things, include unpretentiousness in feed. In the summer, these geese are simply driven out to pasture for the whole day. The Arzamas bird shows good productivity results even with a small amount of concentrates in the diet. However, if you finish off more grains in the menu of such geese, they will begin to grow at an accelerated pace.

Reproduction

For beginners, breeding geese can, of course, be quite difficult. And for beginners, experienced farmers recommend starting the Arzamas bird at first. At the moment, this breed is one of the most unpretentious in the world. Caring for this bird is a completely simple procedure. And, most likely, a beginner breeding herd will not have to make any special efforts to replenish the herd.

Goose of this breed do not carry too many eggs, but their fertility is always good. In most cases, this figure reaches 85%. Considering that Arzamas females care for their offspring diligently,the herd of such geese on the farm is usually replenished very quickly. If desired, the egg of this bird, of course, can be incubated.

As male sires in the herd of Arzamas geese, individuals are selected whose weight is 10% higher than the average parameters in the livestock. At the same time, 2-3 females are left for one goose. The Arzamas bird was once bred as a fighting bird. But over time, her character became still not so aggressive. Arzamas goose families in the courtyard are allowed to be kept together. However, in the event that the males show aggression towards each other, they, along with the females, should still be seated in different compartments.

Ganders of this breed are usually used as producers for no longer than 4 years. Then the male is changed to a new one. It is impossible to keep the same producer on the farm for too long. This will necessarily lead to a decrease in the quality of the offspring and, accordingly, the productivity of the entire livestock.

Egg-laying

Arzamas gray, cream and white geese rush from the end of winter to the beginning of May. At this time, nests of at least 70x70 cm in size should be placed in the barn for such a bird. The number of the latter should be chosen at the rate of 1 pc. for 2-3 females. To install nests for geese of this breed, like any other, you need in a dark, warm place.

Feeding Features

In the summer, as already mentioned, Arzamas geese are usually driven out to pastures. Also during this period they are given some concentrates, vegetables, fruits. A very good help in the economy in terms offeeding such a bird will be a nearby pond. If desired, on the site you can make a small artificial pond with your own hands. In any case, aquatic vegetation is very useful food for geese.

In winter, such a bird is fed with alfalfa and clover hay mowed during the flowering period. Also, boiled corn and potatoes are introduced into the diet of geese in the cold season. In addition, in winter, the Arzamas bird can be fed with wheat and bran. Very often, various kinds of berry crops are included in the diet of such geese - mountain ash, wild rose, viburnum.

What should the room be like

A barn for Arzamas geese, like for any other, should be built in such a way that it turns out to be light, dry and warm. Before starting the young stock, the poultry house must be prepared by treating it with lime mortar. Thus, the barn is disinfected from various pathogens and parasites.

Litter for Arzamas geese in a poultry house can be used from sawdust, straw or sunflower husks. The shed itself should be built in such a way that one adult individual in it has at least 1 m22 area.

Of course, the house for Arzamas geese should be insulated. This bird is practically not afraid of cold. However, it is still impossible to allow the air temperature in the barn for such geese to drop below 0 ° C in the winter season. Next to the poultry house, among other things, it is worth equipping a spacious paddock. Winter geese in the afternoonmust be let out from time to time.

The barn itself for this bird should be built in such a way that drafts do not form inside it. Otherwise, the geese of the Arzamas breed, despite the fact that they are distinguished by endurance, will certainly begin to catch a cold. As a result, the herd may even increase the drop rate.

Slaughter time

Growing geese as a business is usually quite profitable. Farmers keep such a bird, of course, mainly for meat. And representatives of the precocious Arzamas breed can bring their owner in this regard, of course, a very good income. Even on the most inexpensive feed, such a bird grows very quickly.

Arzamas geese are gaining weight very quickly. Their body weight by two months is already about 3.4 kg. This bird is usually slaughtered at the age of 2.5-4 months. It is not recommended to keep such geese, as well as representatives of many other breeds, for longer. After 3-4 months, this bird dramatically reduces its weight gain. At the same time, geese begin to consume more feed. In addition, the carcasses of a young Arzamas bird look more accurate than those of an old one. Of course, the meat of 3-month-old goslings will be more tender and juicy than, for example, 6-9-month-old ones.