TENDING THE FLOCK
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Geese mate in the fall. One gander will oblige up to four
geese, and if you're planning on roasters, bigamy is the
best course. Often, however, a gander selects a mate for
life. Don't break up the happy couple. But do keep them
away from other ganders during the mating season or some
nasty fights will ensue.
As to fights, ganders are naturally pugnacious and,
particularly during the rearing season, will often attack
anything that approaches a nest. This trait is an excellent
reason for selecting Embdens, since with Embdens you won't
have to pick up all those extra eggs that may well be
guarded by the gander long after the goose has given up on
the whole affair. You might think of gander s as only
birds, but a couple of good-sized ones can send you to the
hospital for a week if they really put their minds to it.
Use caution ... or stick to ducks.
If you're using a chicken hen to set on Toulouse eggs, she
may need watching. The eggs are apt to hatch unevenly, and
the hen will stroll off with the first thing that moves,
leaving the remaining eggs to rot. So take each gosling
from the nest as soon as it's born. If its mother rejects
it, or hasn't hatched her batch yet, keep the new gosling
in a flannel-lined box located in a warm corner. Keep the
box clean and dry.
Once the hen has hatched her five, if the goose rejects the
lot, use the same hen-confinement method as with ducks. At
three to four weeks, as long as they are fully feathered
out, the young goslings may be allowed to swim. Up to this
time, however, they must not be allowed to get wet. Don't
let them out on the grass until the dew is well burned off
for the day. A moist chill is often fatal to bare goslings.
Goslings are raised like ducks, except that they must have
fresh greens at all times. Provide plenty of fresh fountain
water in constant supply and feed four times a day, as much
as they'll take. Chopped, hard-boiled eggs, stale bread
soaked in milk just enough to get it moist, and chopped
alfalfa, clover, or vegetables with a teaspoon of cod liver
oil make a good mix for the first week. The second and
third weeks the feed should be a wet mash of cornmeal and
chicken growing mash in addition to pasturage. After that
the geese can be allowed to fend for themselves on the
range.
An acre will carry ten geese. They are destructive to
pasture, grazing close to the ground, so rotation is
essential. It's recommended that they be given a daily
supplemental feeding. A good feed is half cornmeal and half
wheat bran or oats, with another 10 percent meat scraps or
middlings (wheat germ). Soaking the meal in buttermilk or
sour milk to make wet mash is excellent. Water, oyster
shells or limestone, and grit should all be available on a
demand basis.
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