Italian geese: breed description and characteristics, breeding rules

In our country, not only domestic goose breeds are successfully grown, but also promising foreign varieties. They are valued for their excellent performance. Consider the description, advantages and disadvantages of Italian geese, breeding technology, feeding, growing conditions and care. And also what diseases geese can get and how to treat them.

History of the breed

The breed of Italian geese was bred in the 20th century. At first they were bred in Italy itself and neighboring countries, but then they began to spread further. They began to be transported to the territory of the Union in 1975.The Italian breed is considered promising, the purpose of breeding is to obtain tender meat and liver, the weight of which is greater than that of birds of other breeds. Italian geese were used to breed new domestic breeds.

Description and main characteristics

The body of the Italian geese is compact, horizontally set. The neck is short, thick, the head is medium in size. Geese may have a crest and a small fold under their heads, but they are not characteristic of the bulk of the breed. The legs and beak are short, orange in color. The feather is white, but sometimes there are inclusions of gray feathers, which are considered a defect, but acceptable.

Italian ganders weigh 6-7 kg in adulthood, geese - 6 kg. At 2 months of age, goslings weigh 3 kg. Females lay 4-5 dozen white-shelled eggs per season.

Pros and cons of Italian geese

Pros and consgoslings are growing fast;high quality carcasses;can be grown to produce a large liver;birds left for breeding can withstand long-term operation (more than 5 years);can do without water.aggressive character;incubation instinct.

The breed was bred in a warm country, but despite this, the geese were able to adapt to the cold climate of Russia.

Maintenance and care requirements

Italian geese are mobile and active, kept apart from birds of other breeds. They are aggressive towards strangers, therefore it is impossible to graze and keep them with other representatives of the bird family.

The rules for keeping and caring for geese of the Italian breed do not differ from the rules for other breeds.They should live in a goose coop, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich should be sufficient so that the birds do not feel uncomfortable. PER 1 adult goose of the Italian breed should account for at least 1 sq. m.

But the breed is not suitable for permanent keeping only in a poultry house. Next to it, you need to equip a walking area, where to drive the birds out during the day so that they actively move and breathe fresh air. It is worth releasing even in winter, if it is not cold and there is no wind. Due to their adaptation to cold climates, geese can tolerate low temperatures. Walking has a positive effect on the he alth of geese, both physical and mental, egg production increases.

The rules of care concern the cleanliness of the room where the bird lives and the walking area. There should be a bedding on the floor that will absorb moisture and droppings. You need to change it as soon as it gets dirty. Materials suitable for bedding are straw, old hay, dry old peat.You need to change it as it gets dirty or 2 times a year - in spring and autumn. In this case, a thin layer of clean straw is poured over the dirty layer.

Inventory, feeders and drinkers need to be washed and disinfected, at least scalded with boiling water. The remains of uneaten food must be removed from them before the distribution of a new portion.

In the goose house you need to arrange ventilation, conduct lighting, turn on the light when the day becomes short. This is necessary so that the geese feel comfortable, and the geese lay eggs. If there is no additional lighting, the birds will not feel comfortable.

Food for "Italians"

Italian goose food consists of fresh grass and wet mash. Birds can find grass on pasture, so if there is a meadow nearby, you can graze there. A pond is also suitable - like waterfowl, geese can feed on aquatic vegetation and living creatures. On the pond, they can find so much food that they do not need to be fed at home.

If there is no grazing or a reservoir nearby, Italians need to mow the grass, prepare wet mash from grain chips. Add juicy feed - root crops and vegetables, vitamins and mineral supplements - s alt, chalk, bone and fish meal. Distribute food 2 or 3 times a day. Goslings up to 2 months to feed up to 5 times a day.

In addition to food, geese should always have fresh clean water. Birds can also be fed on complete poultry feed. The use of ready-made combined mixtures is economically beneficial and convenient. Dry granules are stored for a long time, do not take up as much space as simple feed, birds willingly eat compound feed.

During the period preceding the egg-laying period, geese need to be fed additionally. Most of the diet should be green grass, synthetic vitamins should be given to the bird a week before laying.

Birds that are fattened for slaughter are fed a diet that is half green and succulent feed, half grain. Grain is recommended to cook, so it is better absorbed. On such a nutritious diet, goslings accumulate mass in 2.5 months.

Breeding

Italian geese reach puberty at 8 months. The female lays 4 or 5 dozen eggs. The percentage of fertility for the breed is 70-90%, for this you need to make families of 1 gander and 5 geese. To obtain thoroughbred goslings, you need to select only purebred parents. When crossed with other breeds, offspring are obtained that inherit the characteristics of both breeds.

Since Italian geese do not tend to incubate eggs, home incubators are used to breed goslings. After hatching, the chicks are grown in a brooder. A month later, they are transferred to the poultry house.

Diseases and prevention

Geese bred by Italians do not get sick if the rules of keeping are observed. But if the rules are violated, they can suffer from digestive disorders and infections. Infectious diseases can cause significant harm, sick birds not only reduce productivity, but can also die.

Geese cannot be treated without a diagnosis by a veterinarian. Only a doctor can correctly determine the cause of the disorder and prescribe treatment. Antibiotics are used to treat infections. Dietary nutrition is used to treat digestive disorders. In order not to cause digestive disorders, you can not feed the birds with old, unusable or moldy food.

Italian geese are suitable for both industrial and domestic keeping and rearing. They are large, fast feeding birds. It is not difficult to grow them, they are not demanding either for food or for conditions of detention.

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