Chinese geese are one of the most prolific and unpretentious breeds. These small, strong and hardy geese, leaning on green food, are prolific, they are distinguished by high-quality meat, tasty and tender. We will learn how to breed and maintain a Chinese breed, how to breed and feed goslings?
History of origin
The ancestors of the Chinese geese are waterfowl from the duck family, called suckers. The latter were domesticated in Manchuria. These birds were brought from China to Europe and Russia.
In order to borrow the best qualities of the “Chinese,” our breeders actively used them to create new breeds. With the participation of Chinese geese, the famous Kholmogorsk breed, Pereyaslavskaya, Kuban, Gorkovskaya were bred.
Description of the Chinese breed
Chinese geese are stately and slender. Characteristic features of the breed:
- The average size of the body, slightly elongated in length. The front is slightly raised.
- The neck is long, strongly curving - similar to the neck of a swan.
- The head is elongated. There is a bump on the forehead - this characteristic feature makes it easy to distinguish the breed.
- The rib cage is rounded, smoothly into a powerful belly.
- The beak is small. The color is bright orange or dark brown, sometimes almost black.
- The tail is short.
- The paws are strong, set apart.
- The plumage is thick and dense.
Some birds may have a small leather pouch above their beaks. Voice - sonorous, high.
Vices
Defects in the breed are rare. Possible birth defects:
- neck is too thick;
- underdeveloped lump;
- sagging abdominal folds.
Subspecies
According to the color, Chinese geese are divided into two subspecies - gray and white.The body standards for white and gray Chinese geese are the same, the body, paws, beak, neck and other parts of the body correspond to the above characteristics.
White chinese geese
The white subspecies of the Chinese geese appeared due to the domestication of a lumpy Chinese goose. White "Chinese" were bred for a long time back in the days of the USSR, they are popular even now. The description of the white subspecies coincides with the general exterior features of the Chinese geese. The only distinguishing feature is the white plumage. The color of the beak, paws, frontal cone and metatarsus is bright orange.
White subspecies attract farmers with good reproduction rates - 70-80%, and goslings with high vitality - up to 99%. The disadvantage of white "Chinese" is the aggressive behavior that is observed in these geese at certain periods.
Gray chinese geese
The gray subspecies have the same ancestors as the white. Gray “Chinese” have been actively bred in Russia since the 18th century, and are actively bred with other breeds in order to improve their meat characteristics.
The difference between the gray subspecies, like white, is only in the color of the plumage:
- The birds are generally gray-brown in color.
- There is a white stripe along the edges of the wings, shoulder and shins.
- Thoracic coloration is pale brown.
- On the upper part of the neck - from head to shoulders, there is a dark stripe.
- Beak and frontal bump are black.
Specifications
Chinese geese are popular with farmers and small private farms due to their excellent characteristics. This breed is tenacious, unpretentious, productive and reproduces well.
Climate and distribution
Chinese geese come from the northeastern regions of China. They are undemanding to the conditions of detention, but they may not always adapt to severe cold. The breed is widespread everywhere, but it is most comfortable for it in regions where there are no extreme conditions - severe frosts and abnormal heat.
They thrive in temperate climates. The main thing is to provide them with a warm house for the period of severe frosts.
Productivity
The breed is not large, it is grown for the sake of eggs and meat. Goslings gain weight quickly, at 9 weeks they weigh 3 kg. Goose laying, starting in December, lasts six months. Key performance indicators in table 1.
Table 1
Productivity indicator | Value |
Goose weight, kg | 4-4,5 |
Gander weight, kg | 5-6 |
Maximum number of eggs per year, pieces | 120 |
Number of eggs per egg-laying in white / gray geese, pieces | 65-70/45-60 |
Weight at 2.5 months, kg | 3-3,5 |
Sexual maturity in males and females occurs at 9-10 months of age.
Maternal instinct
In geese, maternal instinct and incubation instinct are poorly developed. Adult birds - geese and ganders often, not recognizing a brood, do not protect it from predators and dangers. The farmer has to take care of the safety of the goslings himself.
Avian disposition
All geese are mobile and energetic, and Chinese can behave aggressively. That is why the "Chinese" are kept separate from other birds and breeds of geese. Particularly aggressive birds during egg laying. Chinese geese are loud and often demonstrate their vocal abilities.
Pros and cons
The advantages of the Chinese breed:
- high egg production;
- rapid growth of young animals;
- undemanding to care and nutrition;
- good meat taste;
- high-quality fluff;
- excellent incubation characteristics of eggs;
- high survival rate of chicks;
- disease resistance.
Disadvantages:
- inferior to other types by carcass weight;
- problems of survival in a harsh climate;
- poorly developed parental instinct in males and females - few geese are able to hatch eggs.
Features of the content
Undemanding to the conditions of detention is one of the key advantages of the breed. Caring for the Chinese geese comes down to standard activities that even a beginner poultry breeder can handle. The main thing is to provide birds with a good poultry house, a spacious range and good nutrition.
Room requirements
Chinese geese definitely need an aviary. Without an insulated room they can not survive the winter. If there is severe frost in the yard, then it is not recommended to remove the birds at all - paws can frostbite. During the entire cold season, geese are kept in the poultry house, and in good weather they are allowed to walk in the fresh air.
House requirements:
- The room is warm and dry, without drafts, but with effective ventilation, preferably with supply and exhaust.
- Building height - from 2 m.
- The area is calculated on the basis of the number of birds and the maintenance rate - 2 sq. m per goose.
- Lighting is natural and artificial. The minimum daylight hours are 14 hours.
- The optimum humidity in the room is 70%.
- On the floor of the barn is a bedding of hay, straw or sawdust. It is periodically updated.
- In the poultry house, nests are equipped, at the rate of 2-3 geese per nest.
Geese gain weight well and eat with appetite at + 16 ° C. It is recommended to hang a thermometer to monitor the temperature in the house.
Drinking bowls, feeders and other equipment
Birds should have 24/7 access to water and food. Drinking bowls and feeders are regularly cleaned and washed, removing residual feed and debris entering them.
In the poultry house and on the run, two feeders are installed. In one they put food, in the other - river sand, shell rock, gravel. They make feeders from boards, plywood, and other materials. Installation height - 20 cm from the floor surface.
Above the main feeders - 10 cm higher, hang feeders with additional food for ganders.
Drinking bowls should be comfortable, they are made by hand or bought ready-made. There are special drinkers for poultry that do not get litter. Each individual should have a 15 cm drinker. In winter, the drinking bowls are heated so that the water does not freeze.
Walking
Goose need walking for good growth and development. On the fenced area, the bird grazes, nibbles the grass, just walks in the fresh air. Here, as in the poultry house, drinkers and feeders are installed. The passage through which the birds will go out is made from the south or southeast side.
The walk is fenced off with a 1.3 m high netting. A canopy is mounted so that the geese do not get wet during rains and do not suffer from the scorching sun. On a walk, Chinese geese can graze until the very frost. The longer geese graze, the more fat the birds will build up by winter, and the more feed will be saved.
If there is a body of water nearby, geese can search for food there. In addition, swimming positively affects the growth and health status of waterfowl, which include geese.
Feeding
The diet of geese is somewhat different from that of other poultry. Geese have the ability to gain mass without eating grain feed - it is usually used as a supplement to greenery.
The diet
The main ingredient in the diet of Chinese geese is greens. If a bird regularly grazes on a walk, feeds in a reservoir, then they grow strong and healthy. But in winter, the bird will need additional food.
What are Chinese geese fed with:
- In winter, the following are introduced into the diet of geese:
- mash - they are steamed from potatoes, carrots, beets;
- whole grain - wheat, barley, oats;
- mineral and vitamin components - they are mixed into the feed;
- fish and bone meal;
- salt and chalk.
- Chinese geese must be given root crops, garden tops, grain mixtures with bone meal, vitamin and mineral supplements.
- In summer, geese eat plant foods, they like plantain, clover, yarrow, dandelion and other plants. In a pond, they are happy to eat cattail and reeds.
- Geese should get plenty of water. The bird is able to drink up to 2 liters per day. Water deficiency leads to a critical drop in egg production, which is difficult to recover.
In the autumn-winter period and during the end of egg-laying, the geese are given grain. If the bird is losing weight, the grain rates are increased, and meal and cake, soybean or sunflower are added to wheat, corn and barley.
Feeding rates
In summer, the bird grazes on the run, eating food as needed. In winter, geese are fed 2 times a day - at the same time. Feeding rates for adult Chinese geese are shown in table 2.
table 2
Feed | Weight, g |
Carrot | 100 |
Boiled potatoes | 100 |
Cabbage | 50 |
Cereal mix | 50 |
Salt | 0,5 |
a piece of chalk | 5 |
Recommended feeding regimen for two meals a day:
- in the morning - a mishmash;
- at night - cereals.
Breeding
When breeding "Chinese", the breed is crossed with heavier geese - for the sake of getting more meat. For breeding, usually used large meat breeds - Kholmogorsk or Toulouse. As a result of selection, geese are obtained with a high meat yield and a moderate amount of fat.
Crosses and crossbreeds obtained by crossing Chinese geese with meat breeds are in high demand among farmers. They are bred on a domestic and industrial scale.
Breeding chicks
The Chinese geese of both subspecies are extremely prolific, but do not seek to incubate. Because of this, goslings are often bred in an incubator. About 80% of the eggs laid in an incubator produce viable offspring.
Natural incubation
A goose ready for masonry behaves uneasily. Features of natural incubation:
- Females perch on their eggs from February to May, usually somewhere in early April.
- One goose incubates up to 13 eggs, it is difficult for her to warm more.
- The nest is equipped away from the herd, it should be dry and quiet, temperature - 15 ° C.
- If there are several hens at once, they are separated from each other by partitions.
- Hens are fed with the best grain.
- Duration of incubation is 28-30 days.
After the specified period, the eggs are placed in a box and illuminated with a lamp. When the chicks begin to hatch, they are returned to the goose. The best option is to leave the goslings with the goose. If it does not work out, the chicks are placed in a separate enclosure, warm and dry.
If one of the eggs breaks during incubation, it is removed from the nest, and the rest of the eggs are wiped off.
It happens that a goose, having left the nest, does not return for more than 20 minutes, in this case it is forced to return - probably its instinct for incubation is poorly developed.
Through an incubator
With insufficient maternal instinct, when geese refuse to incubate eggs, an artificial method of hatching chicks has to be used.
For artificial breeding goslings you will need:
- incubator;
- brooder is a device for heating chicks;
- ovoscope - a device for transillumination of eggs.
A good hatching result for the incubator is 70%, but it can also be higher.
Stages of incubation:
- Eggs are taken. The maximum “age” of eggs is 10 days. They choose even, healthy-looking, the shape must be perfect. They are not washed, only sprayed with potassium permanganate - to kill germs.
- 4 hours before laying eggs, the incubator is heated to 39 ° C. Humidity is maintained at 60-65%.
- The eggs are laid in an incubator and the temperature is set at 38 ° C for 4-5 hours. Then it is reduced to 37.8 ° C, and 2 days before the eggs are removed from the incubator, the temperature is lowered to 37.5 ° C.
- If the incubator does not have automatic turning, the eggs are turned by hand up to 8 times a day to ensure even heating.
- 15 days after the start of the process, the incubator is periodically ventilated. Airing time - 10 minutes.
- On the 11th and 27th day, the eggs are examined, if there is no embryo spot, they are discarded. If during the 2nd inspection a continuous dark clot is visible, the embryo is dead.
Offspring
Goslings from the first days of life need proper care - at this time their immunity is formed and further development depends.
Goose conditions
In the enclosure, which contain goslings, they maintain heat, dryness and cleanliness. Conditions of detention:
- Temperature. In the room where the brood is located, the temperature is maintained at 28-30 ° C. If the goslings are uncomfortable, they lose activity:
- overheating, chicks open their beaks and often drink;
- having frozen, the goslings huddle together and practically do not eat.
- Humidity. Should not exceed 75%. With excessive dampness, the incidence of the livestock increases. The situation is aggravated by a rare litter replacement and poor ventilation.
- Airing. It is necessary from the first days of goslings' life. In the warm season, round-the-clock ventilation is desirable.
- Litter. Thickness - 3-5 cm. Renewal - every other day.
- Lighting. For the first 7 days, the dwelling of the chicks should be illuminated around the clock - the development, health and rate of weight gain in goslings depend on the length of daylight hours. But the separation of day and night should still be - at night the light is muted. After a week, daylight hours are reduced to 16-17 hours. This is done gradually, reducing the “day” by 30-40 minutes every day.
From the moment of hatching to full plumage of goslings - 75-80 days.
Feeding goslings
Goslings need a balanced diet - then the birds will grow large and healthy. At each moment of time - your diet:
- The first 5-7 days give the yolks of boiled eggs. Greens are added to them - finely chopped onion feathers. The first 2 days, goslings are fed 7-8 times a day.
- Various herbs are gradually introduced into the diet - in addition to onions, the goslings are fed with clover and alfalfa. You cannot give a lot of greens at once.
- After 10 days, feed compound feed or mash is given. The first mash is made from eggs, crushed corn, wheat and barley groats, a little semolina is added - for friability. Tricalcium phosphate is added to the mash - it prevents "falling to the feet."
- After 5 days, instead of eggs, cottage cheese, crushed boiled potatoes, sunflower cake and greens are introduced into the mash.
Vitamins "Tetravit" and "Chiktonik" are introduced into the food of goslings. They are added to the water. Feeders with fine gravel or crushed shell are placed in the access zone. Sand is not given to young animals.
After 20 minutes after feeding, the remnants of the mash are removed so that the perishable components do not begin to decompose and lead to poisoning of the chicks.
Diseases and prevention
Chinese geese are resistant to disease and rarely get sick, especially if you do not violate the conditions of detention. Key Disease Prevention Measures:
- keeping the house clean;
- routine vaccination;
- compliance with area norms.
Before settling the young in the poultry house, they must be disinfected. The poultry house is also treated:
- the walls are whitewashed;
- litter is changed;
- goslings are given a weak solution of potassium permanganate and glucose (on the second day of life) - to strengthen immunity;
- for the prevention of salmonellosis give the drug "Tilan".
Geese suffer from infectious diseases - viral enteritis, salmonellosis, and non-infectious. The former are associated with a violation of sanitary standards, the latter are usually provoked by a violation of the rules of keeping and feeding.
Nurseries and prices for geese
Prices for white and gray Chinese geese are from 1,100 and 1,500 rubles, respectively. You can buy breeding geese, young animals and hatching eggs both from private owners and in nurseries, poultry farms.
So, Chinese geese are offered by the Moscow farm "Ecofazenda". And hatching eggs can be bought on the UPFERM.RU website (Moscow, Ivana Franko st., 46, building 3) or by calling +7 (965) 196-29-39.
Reviews of the Chinese breed
Anatoly N., 56 years old, amateur poultry farmer, Murom. I’ve been doing geese for a long time, mainly I bred Kholmogorsky and Linda. Chinese geese are definitely inferior to them in weight, there is no such meat yield. But they are ideal for selling young animals - they are very prolific. Another plus is tender and lean meat.
Roman G., 47 years old, amateur poultry farmer, Kovrov. I have been keeping the "Chinese" for eight years. Safely crossed them with a large gray breed. Hatchability is 95%. The weight of geese is from 6 to 10 kg. Over time, he switched to some Chinese ones. Geese are very active, even with a 1: 7 ratio with geese. From one gander and 7 females last spring there were 78 goslings. It's true that the ganders are evil.
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The main advantages of Chinese geese are ease of care and maintenance. Goslings grow by leaps and bounds and do not require expensive feed. The bird, having a small body weight, compensates for minus excellent egg production and excellent meat taste.
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