How long do geese live at home: life expectancy and what affects

It is important for a farmer or owner who decides to breed a bird to know how many different breeds of geese live at home. After all, then you can understand how long their productive period can last, when the goose lays full-fledged eggs, and the gander contributes to the appearance of he althy offspring. At the same time, the young bird does not lose weight, but is ready to intensively gain weight if necessary.

Life span of a domestic goose

A bird that lives peacefully on farms or in household plots, descended from a wild gray goose. This naturally occurring relative lives an average of 20 years.Although he is in danger from birds of prey and animals, as well as hunters. The domestic goose is in a more relaxed environment, at night it can completely relax. Therefore, breeders call a life expectancy of 30 years quite real.

What can affect the deadline?

Because the goose is completely dependent on humans, its future is largely in the hands of the owner. Discarding the intervention of fate, we can identify several main reasons that determine the lifespan of this bird.

Proper nutrition

The goose's diet should include the components required by the body in the process of growth, tissue repair and normal life. Taking care of their pets, the owner must feed them fully and at the same time.

The best option is to send adult geese to pasture for the entire warm period of the year. There they eat a variety of herbs, which are the main source of vitamins.Sometimes they get insects. If the meadow is adjacent to a reservoir, birds have the opportunity to consume duckweed, sedge and other aquatic plants. They find shells at the bottom, catch fry. On a wet shore, geese can find worms and many insects. This dramatically improves the diet. The owner can only spend a light evening feeding the geese with high-calorie food so that the herd itself returns home.

If it is not possible to enrich the menu of pets with protein by sending animals to a pond, they add to complementary foods:

shell rock;
bone meal;
dairy waste;
compound feed with additives.

This way of life is not suitable for goslings. They require enhanced controlled nutrition. In addition, left unattended in the meadow, they can become a victim of a kite.Only by taking care of the safety and proper feeding of goslings, you can find out how long geese live at home.

Containment conditions

Baby goslings need to be protected from infections even before birth. To do this, make sure that the eggs intended for hatching are clean. They are thoroughly washed and disinfected with 1% formalin solution or 0.3% potassium permanganate. Daily goslings are given a pale solution of potassium permanganate as a drink.

For the prevention of diseases, it is recommended to drink with water or add the following drugs to the feed:

"Kormogrizin"0.4 g per 1 kg of feed13-14 days 15-40 days

Chick age	Drug name	Dosage
11-12 days
"Biovit 120"	0.4 g per 1 kg of body weight
Sodium Selenite	0.1 mg/kg body weight

These drugs are sold in large packs designed for farms. Sick geese are removed from the rest or slaughtered for meat. When diseases are detected, everything that is possible is disinfected (room, containers).

Grass wet with dew often provokes infection with enteritis, from which goslings most often die 1-2 weeks of life. Having been ill, even after going through treatment, the bird remains a carrier of this virus for 3-4 years, infecting everyone with excrement. In such a herd, one should not expect centenarians.

Any disease more or less shortens the life of a goose. Therefore, it is very important to adhere to sanitary standards and keep the bird in normal conditions. It is good if the barn in which the geese spend the night is shaded by trees. This protects it from excessive heat in summer. At this time of the year, bedding can be minimal, provided that the premises are cleaned of manure daily. If there is an earthen floor, its top layer is gradually removed along with the dirt. When an uncomfortable depression is formed, clean soil is poured from the street and rammed.

For the winter:

close up gaps in the walls of the barn;
lay out the bedding in a layer of 30 cm;
keep temperatures above -5°C;
arrange water heating;
don't let straw or sawdust get wet to the top layer.

With a large number of herds, the premises are divided into cages, each of which contains up to 20 heads. Watching the interests of geese, you can, in the end, personally find out how long they live at home.

Breed

Among amateur poultry farmers, about 25 breeds of geese are common. Geese are centenarians:

Tula due to resistance to low temperatures and diseases;
Kholmogory because of their deep ancestral roots, high consumer qualities and majestic appearance, which have found respect among the people, expressed in improved care;
grey, due to genetic hardiness.

Breeders are working towards improving the egg production of birds, accelerating weight gain. Crossbreeding the best specimens of different long-lived breeds will result in the birth of geese with a longer lifespan. As producers, the bred offspring are not used.

The goal of poultry farmers

Since farmers breed poultry for profit from the sale of meat, eggs or young animals, geese live on their farm for as long as it is profitable for the business. Bird meat is slaughtered at 2.5-5 months. The peak productivity of selected specimens is 3-5 years, after which they are slaughtered for meat. Therefore, geese intended for human consumption survive longer than these periods only in small farms, where the favorite is left to live to old age.

The least violent death threatens ornamental breeds. They are cared for like flowers in a garden. Age does not interfere with the function of decoration.

Can it be extended?

The productive age of the goose is extended by careful selection of the best individuals in the required ratio. Observations are carried out from the first days of life. Frisky, with a shiny and thick plumage, babies are marked with paint. Next comes the dropout due to illness, injury, and success compared to competitors from a select circle. Having safely reached the best age (3 years), these birds may not worsen the results of 7 and even 10 years.

Records of centenarian geese

The Guinness Book of World Records inscribed a goose who lived 49 years and 8 months. He died in 1976. In Ukraine, in 2022-2023, a goose was found that lived for 31 years. He is declared the main old-timer of the country among relatives. It is noteworthy that the bird is still alive and well.