Geese are hardy creatures, and the only shelter they will
need is a small house, insulated in the coldest areas, with
an open entrance and a floor to keep out the dampness. In
the South you really don't need to shelter them at all
except to provide shade, either artifical or natural. As an
extra plus, the much-neglected goose is very disease- and
parasite-resistant.
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BREEDS
The geese available in the United States are Toulouse,
Embden, African, Chinese, Pilgrim, Sebastopol, Canadian,
and Egyptian. The first four are the most common in the
United States, and the apprentice farmer should limit his
choice to the Toulouse or the Embden. All the others are
much smaller, except for the African, and that one is very
noisy. The honking might be appealing in the beginning, but
you'd soon have more than enough of it. If the Pilgrim is
available in your region (which it isn't often), some
thought may be given to keeping this breed. Although it
matures to little more than half the size of a Toulouse,
the male and female have different-colored plumage, which
is handy when you're just starting out to breed since it
prevents you from accidentally slaughtering the only gander
in your flock.
A mature Toulouse weighs between twenty and twenty-five
pounds. It is a gray goose with white abdomen sweeping up
to the tail. The female will lay an average of twenty-five
eggs a year over a period of about a month. However, she
can't set on that many. Fifteen will be plenty for the
goose. Farm out the rest at the rate of five per broody
chicken hen. The number of eggs per hen should not exceed
five ... you'll see why after checking out the egg size. In
fact, a hen is unable to turn the egg, which is necessary,
so you'll have to do it for her once a day. Start the
chickens setting first, before the goose. In other words,
set the first five eggs laid under a hen, the second five
under another hen. Then let the goose set on whatever else
she lays. Incubation time is about thirty days. When the
goose's eggs are hatched, slip the hen-hatched goslings
into the nest at night to ensure adoption. Make sure she's
taken them in before you leave them on their own. If she
hasn't, you'll have to give them back to the hen.
Embden geese are smaller than Toulouse, averaging fifteen
to twenty pounds. They are pure white, and thus more
popular when feathers are wanted. Although their egg
production is lower than that of the Toulouse (about
fifteen eggs per goose per year), they will usually do
their own setting and they make good mothers.
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