Geese

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Geese

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wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 17 7:49 am Post subject: Geese

Now that I have an electric fence anyway, I'm thinking of running an extension off it and putting some geese in the orchard. Ideally, I'd like to hatch them in August, and slaughter in November (I understand you need to slaughter before they get a nightmare to pluck at about 13 weeks. I'm going to outsource that part anyway)

Can you get table geese that late in the year?
Can I mix them with ducks? (in for a penny)
What sort of accommodation works well for them?
Will an old bathtub work for as a 'pond' for them?
I prefer not to feed pelleted food if possible (other than a small amount to ensure various vitamins and minerals are adequate). What do people feed?
Which are the calmer varieties? Do they all bite you in the bum?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Mon May 01, 17 6:49 pm Post subject:
You maybe getting confused with table ducks, which can be killed at 8 or 9 weeks. I've never heard of geese being killed so early. They're usually kept on grass from late spring/ early summer through to the autumn and then brought indoors and fed on grain and vegetables before being bumped off for Christmas,

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Mon May 01, 17 6:52 pm Post subject:
Isn't easter til Christmas the traditional keeping time?

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4611
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Mon May 01, 17 9:26 pm Post subject:
Michaelmas goose off the grass a lot less fatty than he Christmas fattened goose. It`s duck`s that are a bugger to pluck when older.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon May 01, 17 10:33 pm Post subject:

https://www.chickens.allotment-garden.org/keeping-geese/rearing-geese-table-starting-geese/

https://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/eggs-meat/raising-geese-for-meat-holiday/

https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/raising-geese-zmaz70mazglo?pageid=1#PageContent1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/599117/anyone-raise-geese-for-meat

My sources. It's basically the top results when you google 'geese for the table' and all of them suggest slaughter at around 3-4 months. Seems quite popular Stateside at least. And I've had Michaelmas goose, for sure. It would seem that an earlier hatch would be better, though, for better grass. Prolly too late this year then. I could practice on ducks, though. The remaining questions still stand (especially the biting. I can't really have any aggressive animals about the place)

I'm hoping to gift them to my extensive family for Christmas. A goose each should keep them all quiet for a bit.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue May 02, 17 6:43 am Post subject:
I can pluck two or three turkeys in the time it takes to do one goose.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue May 02, 17 8:44 am Post subject:

A friend of mine shoots, and takes them to his game dealer for plucking and dressing. I think he charges a fiver for a goose (it's three pounds for a chicken, but he wouldn't let me pay for the two I managed to raise last year)

I don't like turkey. Or turkeys (is that the right plural? Turkies doesn't look right). The meat or the birds, anyhow.

I have a lot of grass to look after. Grazers would suit me better. And I like goose (geese, not so much if they bite. But I'd still prefer to have them around the place than turkeys, whether they are attack turkeys or not)

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