THE BREEDING GEESE AND THE GOSLINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 36

THE BREEDING GEESE AND THE GOSLINGS.

In most places geese will now be laying, or about to lay— that is. those geese that have been on the same land for some months. Those who are keeping geese for the first time must not be disappointed, when their stock are young birds, to find but few eggs. Geese in their first season do not lay as well as they "do in their second and subsequent seasons. They will prove prolific and fertile for many years, though the best results are to be expected from a gander between four and eight years old, and geese a little younger. One gander should be mated to three geese. The gee-ac usually to be -seen are crossbred. Pure Toulouse geese lay a number of eggs, but they are- not such good sitters as the Embden. The finest goslings are produced by crossing an Embden gander with Toulouse geese. As the geese will generally endeavour to lay all their eggs in the place where they deposit the first of the batch, it is advisable to have comfortable nests ready for them. A separate nest box should be provided for each goose, in which some hay or wellbroken straw is placed. The goose will complete the nest with feathers from her own body. A good size for the nest boxes is 2ft 6in square. The goose will come off the nest and feed of her own accord when sitting, and return to the eggs again without it being necessary to remove her daily; as is done with most hens. She. will cover tlio

eggs with hay and feathers \Uiile feeding. Some grain should be given her, such as oats.

The period of incubation is 30 days. The shells of goose eggs are tough, so if the eggs are incubated by an ordinary hen, or if the goose cannot have access to a pond at this time, t"he eggs should occasionally be sprinkled with luke-warm water. Five or six goose eggs are enough to place undei an average-sized fowl ; a goose will cover from 13 to 16 eggs.

Goslings are very hardy, and are little trouble to rear. They should not be disturbed for 24- hours after they are hatched, and then they should be put with their mother in a coop near some short grass. Water to drink must be supplied in a shallow vessel; but the goslings must not be allowed to swim, before they are a fortnight old; neither should they be permitted to run in long, wet grass. They will scarcely | eat anything at first, except grass and a little i oatmeal thrown into the drinking water. Some breeders give the goslings bread 1 citambs or the first two days, and t\jen ground oats mixed with the breadcrumbs and moistened with milk. At the end of a week barley meal is given with some oats, wheat, barley, or cracked maize of an evening. - Another mode of feeding is "to give a mixture of barley meal, sopped .bread, boiled rice, chopped bard-boiled egg, turnip tops, and young , nettles. At the cx 7 piration of a fortnight the coop cari be removed, and the goslings will grow at a great pace. Until the goslings are fledged the' only special care required,, is to keep. ■them out of heavy rain arid not allow them to sleep on a damp floor. ", Treating on the same subject, another

writei says: — It takes from 30 to 31 days to hatch geese eggs. From the time that they come out of the shell, goslings do noc require muoh attention, as they are very hardy. At first they scarcely touch anything given to them, but just suck tender blades of grass. A small quantity of oalmeal thrown into a shallow drinking vessel of pond water will be all that they need have during the first week, some food, mixed according to directions that have been given for ducklings, may also be supplied. If cooped at all, the~ mother can be safely turned loose aften 10 days, and the rapid growth of the young stock will soon assure their owners of their health and contentment. If goslings get a good start, they will not "look behind them." The only dangers they require to be sheltered from are heavy rains and a damp floor. On no account should the youngsters be allowed to go into watei for some days after they are hatched, or' into long wet grass. Growing goslings should have a meal of roft food in the morning, and of oats, wheat, or barley at night ; the old birds will be quite consent with the latter, save in severe weather. This, of course, is supposing them to have a good grass range, as '"it is hardly possible to breed geese profitably otherwise; it is their natural baby^s food. I would strongly dissuade anyone from keeping geese without a free run, for the amount of green 'food they consume is surprising. ■ In a confined poultry yard they are'tniserable and generally troublesome. Debarred from their natural food, they become- greedy, anil chase the fowls about. In winter, t geese will do well in a farmyard or on a nicely-sheltered paddock. They require 'a roomy shed in whic-h to sleep at nights, and the floor should be covered in places with straw.