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OCR for page 101
7
Geese
Although geese (Anser spp.) were one of the first |l'
domesticated animals, they have yet to receive the n
level of commercial or industrial exploitation of chick-
ens or even ducks. Thus, their global potential is far
greater than is generally recognized today.
-
Domestic geese are easily managed and well suited
to small-farm production; they are among the fastest growing avian
species commonly raised for meat, and they have immediate application
in many developing countries.
These birds are especially appropriate for providing farmers a
supplemental income. With little extra work they supply nutritious
meat, huge eggs, and rich fat for cooking, as well as soft down and
feathers for bedding and clothing. Moreover, their strident voices
sound the alarm when strangers or predators approach. They are
especially well suited to aquatic areas and marshy lands and are
completely at home in warm shallow waterways. Nevertheless, they
can thrive away from water. In fact, wherever pasture is available
geese readily adapt to captivity.
Geese are grazers, and can be raised almost exclusively on pasture.
They are excellent foragers, and on succulent grass can find most or
all of their own food. With their powerful bills they pull up grasses
and underwater plants and probe soil and water for roots, bulbs, and
aquatic animals. Their long necks make them adept at gleaning weeds
from hard-to-reach places such as fence rows, ditches, and swampy
areas that baffle larger livestock. They will also feast on vegetable
trimmings, garden and table leftovers, canning refuse, and stale baked
goods. Like other poultry, they pick up shattered grains of rice, wheat,
barley, and other crops, which can reduce the bothersome problem of
weeds volunteering in subsequent years.
Geese are available worldwide. In most climates, they require little
or no housing. Given reasonable care and protection from predators,
mortality can be extremely low.
101
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102
AREA OF POTENTIAL USE
Worldwide.
APPEARANCE AND SIZE
MICROLIVESTOCK
Domestic geese come in an assortment of colors, sizes, and shapes.
There are two main types, however. Descendants of the wild greylag
goose (Anser anser) make up the domestic breeds common in North
America and Europe, including the Embden, Toulouse, Pilgrim, Amer-
ican Buff, Pomeranian, Sebastopol, and Tufted Roman breeds. These
are generally best suited to temperate climates. On the other hand,
descendants of the wild "swan goose" (Anser cygnoides) make up the
geese of Asia, including the Chinese and "African" types. These
breeds seem better suited to hot climates.
In addition to these, many European and Asian countries have their
own local breeds and types, and there are even several wild species
that show some potential for captive production.
With their long legs and webbed toes, geese are equally at home
walking or swimming. Avid walkers, they march long distances to find
forage, but return home at dusk. Accomplished and graceful swimmers,
geese are able to take to water soon after they hatch. Despite their
large size, some domestic breeds-especially the leaner ones have
retained the ability to fly.
DISTRIBUTION
Geese are found worldwide, but goose farming is nationally important
only in Asia and Central Europe.
STATUS
Domestic geese are not threatened, although much local variation
among the breeds is being lost.
HABITAT AND ENVIRONMENT
Most geese adapt well to hot climates-as long as some shade is
Opposite: Geese being fed on a poultry farm south of Bangkok, Thailand. (Y. Hadar,
World Bank)
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104
MICROLIVESTOCK
DOMESTIC^TII1G GEESE
(Temperate Zones)
Today's domestic geese are descended from two species:
the greylag (Anser anser) and the swan goose (Anser
cy~gnoides). These were domesticated in Europe and China,
respectively. Their domestication occurred in ancient times,
long before people knew about genetics, microorganisms,
veterinary science, or behavior modifications such as imprint-
ing. Today, armed with such knowledge, more geese may be
amenable to domestication. Most of the 15 other wild species
adapt to captivity. Compared to most birds, geese spend much
time walking and swimming and are less inconvenienced by
pinioning (removing the tip of the wing). Thus, they can be
kept outdoors rather than in cages.
Both of the ancestors of todays domestic geese are native
to the northern temperate zone. Two more wild species that
might make useful domesticates are:
· Canada goose (Branta QnaderLsis). Forth America. People
feeding these birds in city parks and wildlife refuges are causing
many local flocks to develop. These birds no longer migrate.
They are increasing in numbers each year and are well on the
way to de facto domestication.
· American swan goose (Coscoroba coscoroba). Southern
South America. Although most closely allied to swans in shape
and physiology, this bird resembles a muscovy (see page 124)
in size and behavior. Its calm disposition, as well as its attractive
red feet and bill that accent its white plumage, have made it
much sought as an ornament for parks.
available. Their waterproof feathers help them adapt well to high-
rainfall regions. They also tolerate extreme cold. (For instance, in
Canada, geese are wintered outdoors in subfreezing temperatures, with
merely a simple shelter from wind.)
For tropical developing countries, the Chinese type, which is widely
kept in Southeast Asia, is especially promising. Smaller than most
geese (although ganders can weigh over 5 kg), they are the best layers,
the most active foragers (making them economical and useful as
weeders), the most alert and "talkative," and they produce the leanest
meat. Some European breeds, such as Embden and Toulouse, have
also been used in the tropics with notable success.
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GEESE
BIOLOGY
105
In its diet, the goose utilizes large quantities of tender forage. It can
break down plant-cell walls and digest the contents. Although it has
no crop for storing food, there is an enlargement at the end of the
gullet that serves as a temporary storage organ. Sand and small gravel
are swallowed to aid the gizzard in grinding hard seeds and fibrous
grasses. Research has shown that geese can digest 15-20 percent of
the fiber in their diet, which is 3 - times the amount that other poultry
species can digest.
The natural diet consists of grasses, seeds, roots, bulbs, berries,
and fruits, normally supplemented with a little animal matter (mainly
insects and snails) picked up incidentally. Most feeding takes place on
land. They characteristically feed for prolonged periods, even at night.
Females may lay for 10 years or more. It is generally believed that
reproduction is best in the second year and that it remains good until
the fifth year. Geese outlive other types of poultry; life spans of 15-
20 years are common.
The eggs incubate in 27-31 days. The incubation time is more
variable than in most poultry species, perhaps because geese have not
been subjected to the selection pressure that is imposed by artificial
incubators.
BEHAVIOR
One of the most intelligent birds, the goose has a good memory and
does not quickly forget people, animals, or situations that have
frightened it. While personalities and habits vary among individual
specimens, there are common behavioral patterns, such as the pecking
order, that allow individuals to live peaceably together.
Unless conditions are crowded or there are too many males, geese
normally live harmoniously both with themselves and with other
creatures. The bond between male and female is strong. Changing
mates is difficult, although most geese will eventually accept a new
mate after a period of "mourning."
Geese nest on the ground and prefer the water's edge, but they
adapt readily to man-made nesting boxes. The gander usually stands
guard while the goose incubates the eggs. He then assists in rearing
the goslings. Most geese become irritated if intruders approach their
nest or goslings, and will even attack people and large dogs.
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106
USES
MICROLIVESTOCK
As previously noted, these birds provide meat, eggs, fat, and down.
The meat is lean, flavorful, and of outstanding quality. The fat
accumulates between the skin and the flesh and can be rendered into
a long-lasting oil. The eggs are large and taste much like chicken eggs.
The "down" (the small, fluffy feathers that lie next to the body of
adult birds) is the finest natural insulating material for clothing and
bedding, and can fetch a premium price. Worldwide markets exist for
both down and other goose feathers. In France, in particular, some
geese are raised for their livers (foie gras).
Geese can control many types of aquatic weeds in shallow water as
well as grass and some types of palatable broad-leaf weeds on the
banks of lakes, ponds, and canals. They can also be used as "lawn
mowers" and "weeders" among cotton, fruit trees, and other crops
(see sidebar).
Elongated necks not only allow geese to reach many different foods,
they also help them keep a watchful eye on the surroundings. With
their exceptional eyesight they can see great distances, and the position
of the eyes gives them a wide field of vision. Geese are among the
most alert of all animals, and strangers cannot calm them into silence.
In the high Andes, in Southeast Asia, and in many other locations,
they replace guard dogs. In Europe, they are used to guard whiskey
warehouses and sensitive military installations (see page 1111.
HUSBANDRY
Methods of caring for adult geese vary according to climate, breed,
and people's experiences and needs. Overall, however, the birds cause
little trouble and require little expense. They range freely without
restriction, feeding themselves and returning home of their own accord.
They have strong flocking instincts and can readily be herded from
one area to another.
Like all young poultry, goslings are fragile. The highest mortality is
caused by predators. Until the goslings are ~10 weeks old, it is
prudent to confine the parents and their young at night in a secure pen
or building.
Geese are the only domestic fowl that can live and reproduce on a
diet of grass. They cannot remain healthy on coarse dry fodder, but
when grass is succulent they need little else other than drinking water.
Many legumes also make excellent goose forage.
In the tropics, eggs can be laid year-round. The production seldom
exceeds 40 eggs per year, although with feed supplement and simple
OCR for page 107
GEESE
107
management, the Chinese breed may yield more than 100 eggs. Geese
go broody quickly. To break up broodiness, the goose can be confined
for 4 6 days away from, but in sight of, the ganders.
DOMESTICATIIYG GEESE
(Tropics)
Geese of the tropics have seldom if ever been considered
for domestication, but they might provide poultry of consid-
erable value. Presumably they are more heat tolerant and lack
the layers of subcutaneous fat (which the ancestors of today's
geese needed for warmth in the Arctic). They might thus
produce lean birds that would fetch premium prices because
excessive fat is the major drawback of today's commercial
geese. Examples of tropical species that might be domesticable
are:
· Egyptian goose ('AIopochen aegyptiacus). Found through-
out the African tropics, this bird is already partly domesticated.
However, it is bad tempered and quarrelsome and, so far, this
has limited its utility. It has therefore been kept only under
semidomestication, without intensive breeding.
· [gene (Branta sandvicensis). A native of the Ilawaiian
Islands, this is one of the most endangered species on earth.
So few specimens are in existence that farming enterprises
cannot now be envisaged. Yet, should this bird prove amenable
and suitable, the possibility of an economic future could boost
efforts to build up its now meager populations.
· Bar-headed goose (Anser indices). India and Central Asia.
These smallish geese are handsome, dainty, and have a musical
horn-like call. They have distinct black bars across the nape,
which gives them their popular name. Land-reared specimens
breed well in captivity. Despite heavy hunting they are still
abundant.
· Northem spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis
gambensis). Tropical Africa (Senegal to Zimbabwe). This large
bird is a ground nester, but it has long bony spurs on the
wings that enable it to easily protect its eggs and young from
predators.
· Semipalmated (magpie) goose (`Anseranas semipalmata).
Australia and New Guinea. One of the most aberrant and
primitive of all waterfowl, this long-legged, sturdy-billed bird
has only partially webbed feet. It perches high in trees and has
a loud, ungooselike whistling call.
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GEESE
109
THE WADDLING WOW FORCE
Because geese relish grasses and shun most broad-leafed
plants, some enterprising U.S. farmers in the 1950s began
using them to rid cotton fields of grassy weeds, which are
difficult to kill with herbicides. The geese were put into the
fields as soon as the crop came up. A brace of birds kept an
acre of cotton weeded; a gaggle of 12 would gobble as many
weeds as a hard-working man could clear with a hoe.
This method of clearing fields was so effective that by 1960
more than 175, 000 geese honked their way across the carefully
tended farmland, mainly in the Southwest. Seven days a week,
rain or shine, the feathered field hands slaved uncomplainingly
from daybreak to dusk, even putting in overtime on moonlit
nights. Many toiled so diligently that they worked themselves
out of a job.
The geese cleared the fields more cheaply than hoe hands.
They left the crop untouched and ate only the succulent young
weeds. They did not damage crop roots (as hoes or tractors
can), and they were safe and selective, unlike many herbicides.
On top of all that they spread fertilizer for the farmer, and
ultimately provided him meat for the market.
Eventually, farmers found that geese could be used to weed
nearly all broad-leafed crops: asparagus, potatoes, berry fruits,
tobacco, mint, grapes, beets, beans, hops, onions, and straw-
berries, for example. Geese were used in vineyards and fruit
orchards to eat both weeds and the fallen fruits that could
otherwise harbor damaging insects. They were employed in
fields producing trees for the forest industry and flowers for
florists shops. Some growers turned goslings loose in corn-
fields to consume the "suckers" (corn, after all, is a grass) as
well as the grain left on the ground. This eliminated the
problem of corn as a weed when different crops were later
planted in those fields.
In the 1970s when cotton acreage dropped and herbicides
selective for the troublesome grasses were developed, the use
of geese declined. But today, some organic farmers are re-
turning to the practice. From February to June in the Pacific
Northwest, fields are resounding once more to the old-fash-
ioned racket of White Chinese geese.
Opposite: Geese keep an Australian citrus orchard free of weeds and
of rotting fruits that can attract pests. (Queensland Department of
Agriculture)
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110
MICROLIVESTOCK
Goslings grow rapidly and can reach market size as early as 1~12
weeks; most geese, however, are marketed at 2~30 weeks of age,
when they may weigh from 5 to 7 kg, depending on type and breed.
Some young birds (also called green or junior geese), force-fed for
rapid growth, are marketed at 4 6 kg when they are ~10 weeks old.
If fed a good diet to maximize growth and if slaughtered at, say, 10
weeks, the Embden, Chinese, or African will have a carcass low in
fat. However, the carcass normally has much more fat than other
poultry.
Geese must have a constant supply of reasonably clean drinking
water during daylight hours. Although swimming water is not neces-
sary, it promotes cleaner and healthier birds because they find it easier
to care for their plumage.
ADVANTAGES
Mature geese are independent creatures. When kept in small flocks
and allowed to roam the farmyard or field, they require less attention
than any other domestic bird with the possible exception of guinea
fowl. In areas where grass is green for much of the year, they can be
raised on less grain or concentrated feed than any other domestic fowl.
Durability is one of their most attractive features. Along with ducks,
geese seem to be the most resistant of all poultry to disease, parasites,
and cold or wet weather. They also do well in hot climates as long as
drinking water and deep shade are available.
Growth is not only rapid, it is also efficient. If managed properly,
goslings can produce 1 kg of body weight for every 2.25-3.5 kg of
concentrated feed consumed.
Geese are not usually thought of as prolific layers. However, as
noted, some strains of the Chinese breed will yield well over 100 eggs
per goose per year. At 14(}170 g per egg, that compares favorably
with the output of laying chickens.
Opposite: Geese make good "watchdogs." They once saved ancient Rome from the
attacking Gauls, and today they help guard modern missiles on military bases in Europe.
At the Ballantine bonded warehouses near Glasgow, Scotland, more than 100 geese
zealously protect 240 million liters of maturing whiskeys. No matter what the weather
or time of day, some of the flock remain awake and alert. Keener of ear and sharper of
eye than any dog, they cannot be duped by any blandishments. Since this feathered
force was formed in 1959 there has never been a theft at the warehouses. Also, the
birds keep the grounds weed free and the grass clipped. And they seem to like being
Scotch guards because they are free to fly away at any time. ( Pierre Boulat/Cosmos)
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112
fit
my'
~10 ~
O~ )
MICROLIVESTOCK
,~
The native origins of geese. The arrows show the probable places where the two main
types were domesticated.
LIMITATIONS
These birds are messy and their loud trumpeting is often irritating.
However, unless they have been teased or mistreated or if they are
nesting or brooding young, they are not aggressive. But kilo for kilo,
they are stronger than most animals, and a harassed or angry adult
can express its displeasure effectively with powerful bill and pounding
wings.
Excessive concentrations of geese on ponds or along creeks en-
courages unsanitary conditions, muddies water, hastens bank erosion,
and destroys plant life. Where sanitation is poor, salmonellosis can
devastate geese and be transmitted, via meat and eggs, to humans.
Coccidiosis and gizzard worm are other infections.
Defeathering geese is more difficult than plucking chickens because
there are two coats (feathers and down) to remove.
In some situations, geese may need a diet supplement (such as grain)
if they are grazing vegetation exclusively. A balance must be struck:
too much supplement and they will quit foraging and become too fat;
too little and they grow slowly and may suffer malnutrition.
Geese are not fully mature until two years of age. Their overall
reproductive rate, therefore, is lower than that of other poultry.
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GEESE
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION NEEDS
113
Poultry researchers worldwide should begin studies to clarify the
role that geese could play in helping to feed Third World nations.
Studies might include:
· Management practices for tropical areas;
· Breeding and management for increased egg production;
· Incubation techniques;
· Nutrition supplementation (for example, vitamins, minerals, en-
ergy, specific amino acids) needed by grazing geese;
· Physiology of digestion and reproduction;
· Clarifying the inheritance of various traits;
· Genetic selection for specific meat, eggs, growth factors, or disease
resistance;
· Comparative studies of the relative efficiency (especially of feed
utilization) of the various types and breeds for specific climates in
underdeveloped countries;
· Weeding tropical crops with geese; and
· Studying diseases and cross-infection with other birds
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
drinking water
