Geese breeding is the most profitable branch of poultry farming. Birds grow quickly, carcasses have significant weight. Before breeding goslings in your own backyard, you should choose a suitable breed, because the profitability of the business and the amount of required initial investment depend on this. Detailed information about Hungarian geese, their advantages and disadvantages, and the distinctive features of this type of bird will help you make your choice.
Historical reference
The breed was bred through the efforts of Hungarian breeders in the 2nd half of the 20th century.It was officially recognized and given its name in 1969. Hungarian geese were obtained by crossing Pomeranian and Emdem geese with local breeds. As a result of the work, universal individuals appeared with high-quality taste characteristics of liver and meat, excellent fluff and average egg production.
In 1989, Hungarian geese were brought to the Soviet Union. The breed is in the register of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "State Varietation Commission". They spread throughout the entire territory of the former USSR.
Characteristics and description of Hungarian geese
These are beautiful large birds with a muscular body and white plumage. Sometimes gray or colored individuals are found. The breed is suitable for farm breeding and private farms. Distinctive features of the breed:
- belongs to the heavy type of goose representatives, the goose is a giant weighing up to 7-8 kilograms, the goose - up to 6 kilograms;
- the body is powerful, muscular, proportional, with a wide back;
- the beak and paws are painted bright orange;
- birds have a long flexible neck and a medium-sized head, females have a shorter neck than males;
- owners of short strong legs and wings.
Geese of this breed have a lively, fighting character; high crowding of birds can cause skirmishes.
A balanced diet and comfortable living conditions ensure rapid growth of the livestock. The weight of the liver of Hungarians reaches 0.5 kilograms, and fluff is obtained from them 3-4 times a year. The meat is tasty and nutritious; goose fat is used in cosmetology, cooking, and folk medicine.
The main advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Geese are easy to care for; they are popular in rural farmsteads due to the following factors:
- the birds quickly gain weight, the carcasses are large, with high taste characteristics of the meat;
- high-quality down and feathers provide the owner with additional income;
- Geese of this breed are also kept for liver production.
It is necessary to provide birds with free range and access to a body of water, this makes their maintenance cheaper and easier. The disadvantages of the breed include:
- the appearance of problems with high humidity in the goose barn;
- Geese lay an average number of eggs.
There are significantly more advantages than disadvantages; even with a small number of birds, it is possible to provide the family table with quality products; with a significant number of birds, they provide a stable profit.
Conditions of detention and care
Geese are kept in the poultry house during the cold season; from April to October they spend the entire day walking, returning to the barn to spend the night. To make the birds comfortable, the goose house provides good ventilation, protects them from drafts, and provides additional lighting.
Geese are large birds; in order to prevent quarrels between them due to crowding, each individual should have 1 square meter of room area. The height of the poultry house must be at least 2 meters; in order to save on electricity, windows should be installed in it. The walls inside are plastered and whitewashed with slaked lime. This treatment protects them from mold and mildew.
The room is divided into compartments using a grid. This is done to isolate the adult population from the young and create comfortable conditions for the geese hatching their chicks. The floor can be made of wood or dirt and covered with straw or sawdust.The bedding in the goose coop must be dry; the birds can tolerate the cold, but suffer from high humidity in the room.
In addition to the barn, geese need a spacious walking area. A flat area is selected for it, which is surrounded by a fence or covered with mesh around the perimeter. The net is dug into the ground at the bottom so that the geese cannot get out of the pen. Drinkers, feeders, ash baths and a canopy are installed on the site so that the geese can hide under it from the rain.
Diet planning
Adult geese are able to digest roughage. They build up their mass using grain production waste and are given wet mash of vegetables - pumpkin, sugar beets, potatoes.
Important: vegetables must be clean without traces of rot or mold.
To increase nutritional value, birds are given a little feed. During the period of laying eggs, bone meal, chalk, and crushed shells are introduced into the geese's diet. The birds are fed 3 times a day. In the morning, geese are given 1/3 of the daily amount of grain and feed. For lunch, the birds receive raw or boiled vegetables, hay and also 1/3 of feed and grain. Evening feeding - the remaining third of the feed, silage, oats.
In summer, birds are given feed and grain 2 times a day, morning and evening. During the day, geese independently find green grass or bring it to the pasture at the rate of 2 kilograms of green mass for each adult bird.
Breeding rules
Geese begin to lay eggs after 9 months of age.Individual nests or houses for 2-3 individuals are equipped for them. Geese of the Hungarian breed are excellent mothers. The eggs hatch for 28-30 days. To hatch goslings, you can also use an incubator or buy already hatched chicks. After their appearance, they are divided into 2 groups, the weaker ones are separated from the stronger individuals.
The hatched babies are kept under a lamp. In the first days they are given a mash of eggs and boiled crushed oats. After the first week, cottage cheese is included in the diet, and small nettle brooms are hung in the room so that the goslings can reach them. They need fresh water. Babies are allowed outside from 3 weeks of age if the temperature has risen to +20 °C.
Diseases and their treatment
Adult geese are given anthelmintics and anti-mite medications. For treatment, use “Alben” in accordance with the instructions, or other drugs. Viral enteritis and salmonellosis, which often affect goslings, are dangerous. Diseases are treated with antibiotics as prescribed by a veterinarian.
Aspergillosis is a fungal infection, so for treatment they use antimycotin drugs or fumigate the room with iodine monochloride. Rickets occurs when there is a deficiency of vitamins and microelements in the bird’s body. In the poultry house they put chalk, crushed shells, and give the birds bone meal. Cannibalism occurs when there is high humidity and crowding of birds indoors. They begin to preen the feathers, tearing them out and leaving wounds on the body.
Most problems can be eliminated by putting things in order in the gooseneck. Cleaning and airing, replacing bedding and eliminating moisture - these simple measures are disease prevention. Good poultry care, quality nutrition and responsibility make it possible to raise geese with no experience at all.Most farmers started with a dozen goslings, and then the activity became captivating and began to make a profit.
