Breeds of geese: which are better to breed at home

There are many goose breeds, and all are divided into several directions. Geese are grown not only for meat and eggs, there are decorative and fighting breeds, which have a specific purpose. Consider examples of geese breeds of different directions, which are considered the best for home breeding, their features, external and productive characteristics.

Meat geese

For growing meat breeds are selected, the main characteristics of which are precocity, rapid weight gain, large size and disease resistance.

The following breeds can be bred in the household:

1. A white-fronted goose at 3 months weighs 3.6-4 kg, birds have strong immunity, do not require special care. However, white-fronted geese are not yet very common, so it is difficult to find its purebred representatives.
2. Kuban breed at 2 months weighs 4 kg, at 2.5 - 5 kg and more. Geese begin to rush at 8-9 months, they lay 8.5 dozen eggs per year. Representatives of the Kuban type adapt well to difficult weather conditions and are disease resistant.
3. Tula geese weigh impressively: gander - 9 kg, goose - 7-8 kg. These are early maturing birds, by the 55th day of life they can weigh 5-6 kg, and fattening is carried out on standard feed. Resistant to cold and disease. However, few eggs are laid - only 2.5 dozen per season. The survival rate of goslings is 90%.
4. Demidov's geese grow rapidly, by 8-9 months they gain weight of 7-8 kg, but by 2.5 months they can weigh 4-5 kg, at this age they can be slaughtered.
5. Toulouse breed is considered promising for home breeding. Goose meat is delicious, an adult bird weighs 9-10 kg. But by the age of 2 months, the goslings are gaining a mass of 5.5-6 kg. Representatives of this goose variety are used as improvers.

Meat and broiler geese are fed with nutritious mash or compound feed and kept in the minimum allowable area. Because of this, they quickly gain weight.

Types of egg direction

There are not so many egg-laying gooses, mainly selection is carried out in the meat direction. Geese do not give eggs all year round, but seasonally, which is considered normal. But some varieties are still bred to obtain goose eggs, which are not inferior in taste and nutritional value to chicken eggs.

Kuban geese can lay up to 80 eggs, Chinese - 70 pcs. Lindowskie geese begin to rush at 5-6 months and carry 5 dozen eggs during the laying period. Geese of large gray breed can give 40 pcs.medium weight eggs. Females of the Italian breed lay 4-5 dozen eggs, egg-laying begins at 8 months of age.

Egg-laying varieties of geese are grown under the same conditions as meat ones. Of course, goose egg production cannot be compared with chicken, but nevertheless, bright representatives of this direction can be kept in the household for egg production.

Decorative birds

There are also decorative varieties of geese, which have an unusual and attractive appearance. Decorative effect is achieved due to the bright color of the plumage or its special structure. For example, curly geese are standard white in color, but have curly feathers, which is why the breed got its name.

Ornamental geese look elegant, they have a soft feather and a calm character, which is why they are bred to decorate the site. But nothing prevents you from getting meat and eggs from them. Bird size and egg production are average.

Egyptian geese have an interesting color - brown in different shades. They are bred for decorative purposes. Although adult birds are equal in weight to representatives of medium meat-and-egg breeds.

When breeding decorative geese, it is important to observe the conditions of detention - the room, bedding and walking must be clean so that the birds' feathers also remain clean. Only with neat, well-groomed feathers will decorative birds look attractive.

Fighting Geese

In Russia, breeds have been bred, the males of which are used for goose fights. Representatives of the breeds have a large body, strong wings, a special beak shape that allows you to capture the wings of an opponent. Ganders have an aggressive, pugnacious nature.Fighting geese are hardy, unpretentious in maintenance, resistant to disease, can walk in the fresh air even in the cold season.

The most famous of the fighting breeds is the Tula. The addition of birds is well suited for fighting, but they grow slowly, development ends only by 2 years, weight reaches 5-6 kg. According to the shape of the beak, Tula geese are divided into 3 intrabreed types: rogal (with a concave beak), straight-nosed and steep-nosed. Pure lines are popular in the breed, which give elite breeding material and young stock.

Among other fighting breeds, Arzamas and Gorky can be distinguished. They have a different origin than the Tula ones, but they are similar in combat characteristics. These birds can also be raised for meat, and not just kept for their intended purpose.

Best breeds for home breeding

Geese breeders are best in species whose representatives have a large body, grow rapidly.They can be raised like broilers. Goslings of the main meat breeds after 2 months can weigh almost 4 kg, which is considered sufficient weight for slaughter. But if the stock is left to grow further, the birds will get bigger and fatter. Adults are larger and more massive than young ones. But in the household, only breeding ganders and geese survive to adulthood.

Meat varieties are characterized by low feed conversion, that is, a small amount of food is spent per 1 kg of gain.

In the group of meat varieties, light and heavy breeds are distinguished. Among the light ones, one can note Romny, Chinese, among the heavy ones - Toulouse and Kholmogory, Adler and Rhine. Those who want to get not only meat, but also eggs from geese should pay attention to meat-and-egg breeds. For home cultivation, we can recommend Kuban, large gray, Rhine, Landes.

But there are other breeds that are suitable for keeping and breeding in private farms.When choosing, you need to pay attention to resistance to common diseases, climatic conditions of the area. After all, a lot depends on how the birds will feel, on the state of he alth.

Geese are not difficult to grow, they eat plant foods, mostly grass. This significantly reduces the cost of feeding them and makes the products profitable. You need to spend money only on the purchase of grain, feed, root crops and vegetables.

Geese breeds differ in characteristics, performance and appearance. You can choose any of them for home breeding, the characteristics of which are most liked by the poultry breeder. If you need to get meat, then you need to choose from meat varieties, if you want to get more eggs, you should opt for the meat and egg direction.

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