Tula Geese: description of the fighting breed, how much they weigh and breeding rules

Among the variety of goose breeds, the breed of fighting geese stands out. Geese of the Tula breed were bred with the intention of using ganders for goose fighting. This is the main feature of the variety, but it also has other distinctive characteristics. Consider the description of the Tula geese, the pros and cons, features. And also how to properly grow, feed, maintain and breed a bird.

Description of the breed, its advantages and disadvantages

There is no exact data on who and when the Tula geese were bred. But there is an assumption that the breed was bred in the 17th century for rich people who were fond of goose fights.The best representatives were selected according to several criteria, the main ones being a large body and pugnacity.

The body of the Tula geese is massive, but compact, the build of the body is strong. The back and chest are broad and muscular. Short, widely spaced legs, strong wings. Thick short neck. Large head with a short thick beak. The feather is gray or clay colored, as well as white. Gray birds are similar in color to wild relatives.

Inside the breed, 3 types are distinguished, differing in the structure of the beak. In straight-nosed geese, the upper line of the beak is straight, in flat-nosed geese it is concave, in steep-nosed geese it is convex.

Characteristics of Tula geese

Since the main characteristics of the breed are fighting, productive qualities are not at a high level. An adult male weighs 5-6.5 kg, the maximum weight reaches 8 kg. The goose weighs 5.2-5.5 kg, the maximum weight is 7 kg. Goose egg production - 10-30 pcs. The average weight of an egg is 180 g. Hook-nosed Tula geese are distinguished by the instinct of incubation, so females can be trusted to incubate goslings.Young animals already at 9 weeks of age reach a mass of 3.9 kg.

Pros and conslarge body;resilience;unpretentiousness to feeding and conditions of detention.tolerate cold well;endurance;strong immunity;tasty, not fatty meat.full physical maturation ends only by 2 years;low egg production.

Because of their pugnacious nature, Tula geese do not get along with geese of other breeds or with other poultry.

Maintenance and care requirements

The breed is unpretentious, the birds do not need to organize special conditions of detention. They can live in an ordinary poultry house, but it should be of such an area that there is enough space - at least 0.5 square meters should fall on 1 adult bird.m. Goose house must be equipped with ventilation and lighting. The length of daylight hours in winter should also be at least 10-12 hours.

Be sure to take care of the bedding in the goose. Birds should live on clean and dry bedding. It can be arranged by pouring a layer of sawdust, straw chaff, dry old peat on the floor. The thickness should be at least 10-15 cm. In winter, the bedding will warm the paws of the geese.

Geese cannot live locked up, so it is impossible to keep them constantly in the house, without walking. To organize exercise for birds, you need to arrange a walking area next to the goose. You need to drive geese into the corral daily, even in winter, if it is not very cold. Birds can spend the whole day on the run. You can also graze on a pond if it is nearby. Then in the summer you won't have to feed the geese at all.

Diet

The main food of geese is fresh soft grass, so if you can graze the birds, you can keep them on the pasture.If there is no way to graze, you need to mow the grass and give it to the geese. In addition to greens, feed with mashes of finely chopped grain, and the grain must be of a different type so that the feed is complete. Grated root vegetables and vegetables are added to it.

In order for the fighting geese to receive vitamins and mineral elements, the mixers are enriched with premixes and vitamin preparations, fish and meat and bone meal.

You need to feed the bird 2 or 3 times a day, goslings up to a month - 4-5 times, grown up - 3 times a day. For one adult bird, it is necessary to give at least 200-300 g of grain per day. Tula geese do not differ in rapid growth, accumulation of muscle mass, therefore, for industrial cultivation for meat, you need to choose another breed. But these common medium sized geese are well suited for keeping in the household.

Bird Breeding

Tula fighting geese hatch goslings themselves. Few eggs are laid, but even from such a quantity you can choose material for breeding. Egg-laying begins in February, with young females starting to lay a few weeks later.

The breeding herd must be formed from males and females in a ratio of 1 to 5. To guarantee the transfer of breed characteristics to offspring, only purebred representatives should be selected.

Up to 12 eggs can be placed under one goose. Female goslings incubate conscientiously and then carefully grow them up. Until the age of one month, Tula goslings live with their mother. At this time, the goose with offspring must be kept separately from the rest, so that the goslings do not accidentally trample. When the chicks are 1.5 months old, you can release the brood into a common flock.

Possible diseases

Despite strong immunity and cold resistance, Tula geese can suffer from infectious diseases.The bird gets sick when it is crowded or if it lives in a dirty, damp, dark room. Infection prevention is regular house cleaning, especially changing bedding and cleaning feeders and drinkers. Disinfection should be carried out at least 2 times a year.

With improper, irrational feeding, geese of the Tula breed affect diseases of the digestive tract and metabolism. To prevent them, you need to make the right, balanced diet. Give wet mixers, not dry, plenty of clean water. In case of hypovitaminosis, add vitamin preparations to regular food, which can be purchased at veterinary stores.

Description of the goose fight

This is a fighting breed, that's why goose fights are still held. According to the rules, the birds do not fight until they bleed, so they are not aggressive and harmless. Geese can only use wings, you can grab the wing with their beak. You can not touch the head and paws.Those who break the rules will be disqualified. The battle time is 20-40 minutes, but everything ends earlier if the enemy runs away. During the fight, the fighting ganders are supported not only by the owners, but also by the geese. The strongest fighters are males who are already 4-6 years old.

Tula fighting geese - an old breed that was bred for fighting. But this is not the only purpose. You can keep a bird, like other breeds, - for meat. Birds are unpretentious, with caring care they do not get sick, but they also demonstrate shortcomings - a pugnacious nature and poor egg production. However, for those poultry farmers for whom these shortcomings are not critical, the Tula breed will be a good option when you need to choose a breed for keeping in a private household.

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