How and how to feed goslings at home

To get high-quality meat and egg products, geese require a balanced diet from birth. Only in this case they will be able to please the owner with productivity, as well as good health. The main problems in feeding little goslings should be touched upon in detail, as well as what chicks should eat in the first days of life.

Types of feed for geese

The daily diet of geese has serious differences from other types of poultry. First of all, this is influenced not only by the physiological characteristics of their body, but also by behavioral habits. When breeding geese, it is imperative to remember that they spend a certain part of their lives on water bodies, and cannot do without fresh grass. At the same time, these birds are undemanding to the amount of grain, so they can successfully feed on other concentrated feeds.

Types of feed used in raising geese

Feed type
Description
Dry The most accessible and common feed among many farmers. It consists of all kinds of mixtures of millet, corn, wheat, barley, rye waste. Despite its nutritional value, such food does not contribute to instant weight gain, therefore, it is advisable only in unproductive periods, including during growing up. Moist Based on moistened dry food in combination with all kinds of specialized top dressings and finely chopped vegetables and herbs. Such a mixture must be abundantly moistened with water (1,5 liters of water are added for each kg), so it causes less irritation to the stomach and is absorbed much more efficiently than dry food. Combined It is a combination of dry and wet food. Such nutrition is more preferable for feeding geese, it allows you to provide their body with all the necessary substances and optimize the work of the bird’s digestive tract as a whole. Top dressing These include all kinds of vitamin and mineral premixes, as well as additives that improve the development of muscles and the skeletal system. Often they are introduced in small quantities in both dry and wet foods.

Norms and rules for feeding goslings

Geese can rightly be considered one of the most productive and fastest growing breeds of poultry, but for this, from birth, each chick requires a high-quality and balanced diet. To do this, any farmer, regardless of the size of the farm, must adhere to the following rules:

  • strictly observe the frequency of meals;
  • the daily diet of the bird must necessarily consist of both dry food and greens;
  • at night, chicks should eat concentrated feed, based on protein or cereal food;
  • the food of the younger generation should be moist or semi-moist, this helps to increase its digestibility;
  • Geese are waterfowl, so water in their diet should be in unlimited quantities.

How to make a diet for goslings at home

Creating a high-quality and balanced diet for goslings is easy. Due to the fact that the replenishment of the livestock most often occurs in the summer, almost every farmer manages to quite successfully provide goslings with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.

However, at the same time, many people forget that when compiling a diet, it is imperative to take into account in which system the young animals will be raised, with or without the use of reservoirs.

Did you know? Geese are considered one of the oldest farm animals. According to existing artifacts, their domestication took place about 3 thousand years ago, with the participation of the ancient Chinese, Romans and Germans.

newborns

Newly hatched chicks are fed immediately after they dry out. Goslings are happy to enjoy any food. Boiled and carefully chopped goose egg, richly moistened with water, is best suited for them at this time. Feed newborns at least 8 times a day with an interval of 2 hours.
Goose
As practice shows, this mode makes it possible to increase the survival rate of young animals up to 90-95%, so you should not neglect the attention to goslings on the first day. A newborn gosling should consume about 20 g of feed per day.

per diem

On the first day, an 8-time diet for goslings is still relevant, while the amount of food per day per individual should increase to 30–35 g. From this moment, young animals can be fed with all kinds of mashes based on chopped boiled eggs.

Important! In the first few days of life, fermented milk products are contraindicated for goslings, as they can cause digestive disorders.

As an additional top dressing, add to such mixtures:

  • corn grits;
  • bran;
  • ground millet;
  • bread soaked in water.

Goose
Water is one of the main conditions for the proper development of both day old and older chicks. A day after birth, young animals must be provided with unlimited access to fresh and clean water throughout the day. In addition, to prevent colds, the water must be warmed up to room temperature.

Three-day

3-day-old goslings are fed in the same way as daily ones, and in the same amount. The basis of their diet should be a mixture of eggs and fresh grass, as well as finely crushed carrots or peas. From day 3, it is advisable to replace the egg with fresh cottage cheese, which will help, like nothing else, to saturate their body with the right amount of easily digestible protein.

Did you know? Domestic geese are considered real long-lived birds; in optimal conditions, they can live for about 25 years.

From this point on, the frequency of feeding goslings can be reduced to 6-7 times. If the rearing of young animals is carried out in winter, carefully boiled root vegetables or vegetables are added to their diet instead of grass.

Mandatory at this time is unlimited access to goslings to fresh water. To improve their growth for drinking, you can use a 5% glucose solution, while the frequency of replacing such a liquid with a fresh one must be doubled.
Goose
For the prevention of various diseases at this time, it is important to use all kinds of antibiotic drugs (Baytril or analogues), which saturate drinking water. But, they are administered only under the supervision of a veterinarian.

Weekly

At the age of 7–10 days, young animals experience an active increase in body weight, therefore their body needs an additional source of protein compounds. The daily diet of one individual should include at least 40–45 g of food. Therefore, in addition to chopped herbs, goslings are given:

  • crushed boiled beans;
  • peas;
  • soya beans.

Important! After feeding the birds, it is imperative to clean the feeders, because stagnation of food (especially wet food) causes the development of pathogenic microorganisms in them, which is fraught with poisoning for young animals.

In addition to such products, meat and bone meal is included, which is not only a source of protein, but also calcium. From this moment on, the use of eggs in the diet is limited, and the number of all kinds of cereals (corn, wheat, etc.) gradually increases.

Additionally, goslings include chopped root vegetables and other vegetables. Their body also responds well to millet or cereals, which can be replaced with complex compound feed for young animals.
Goose
In addition, many veterinarians advise including fish oil and complex vitamin and mineral preparations in their food at this time. A week after birth, goslings are transferred to 4–5 meals a day, while water is also provided in plenty.

Fortnightly

2-week-old goslings are fed in the same way as at a week of age, but it is necessary to increase portions at least 1,5-2 times to 80 g / day / individual. 2 weeks after birth, the bird begins a sharp increase in body weight, so you should not neglect the amount of food. The basis of the diet should be wet mash, while allowing an excessively viscous consistency of the feed is not worth it, as this can cause indigestion in young animals.

Did you know? In the US, geese are used for weeding cotton plantations. This bird does not feed on cotton, but willingly clears its plantings of any weeds. Thanks to this, you can not only increase the environmental friendliness of your products, but also eliminate the cost of expensive herbicides.

Three-week

Three-week-old chicks eat almost the same food as 1-2 week old chicks. Their diet is based on green grass and chopped vegetables, which are enriched with cereals and bran. But, such food should provide one individual with at least 120–170 g of food.
Goose
As an additional source of energy, it is advisable to use sunflower cake (no more than 25 g/day/individual), which, in moderate amounts, has a positive effect on the weight gain of young animals. Water is given to the bird in plenty, while the number of feedings per day should not exceed 4–5.

monthly

At the age of 1 month, one individual needs approximately 300-350 g of food per day, distributed between 3 servings. Such a diet is based exclusively on fresh grass and vegetables, and the share of other grain top dressings should not exceed 70 g per day. This is due to the fact that at this age the bird has a sharp jump in weight gain and a change in metabolism, so excessively high-calorie nutrition can cause obesity in geese.

In addition, at this time, goslings become capable of independent walks, so many farmers release them to the reservoir. Although this is not a mandatory measure in their cultivation, the reservoir provides an opportunity to improve the quality of meat, as well as help the bird achieve optimal vitality.
Goose
Near an open reservoir, geese independently obtain food, which cannot but affect their diet. In this case, they remove green grass from their diet, replacing it with chopped vegetables, and also increase the amount of grain crops to make up for calorie losses.

Features of feeding different groups

The division of maturing livestock into separate groups begins at about the age of 2-3 weeks. At this time, their diet should also be adjusted. Otherwise, poultry farming can become irrational and lead to significant losses.

Fattening for meat

If livestock is grown for meat, then its diet must necessarily be based on an intensive feeding system. This means that when feeding a bird, great attention should be paid to saturated cereals, the amount of which should be equal to herbal and other plant foods. In addition, with such a diet, it is imperative to increase portions by an average of 25%, which by two weeks of age will give a bird weighing about 4–4,5 kg.
Goose

Parent stock nutrition

When grown for a tribe, the diet of geese is somewhat different. In this case, extensive feeding is used, which ensures the development of full-fledged and healthy animals, ready to give high-quality offspring. Such individuals are fed greens and vegetables throughout the day, and the amount of grain feeding is often reduced by 15–20%. Grain and other high-calorie foods are given to such geese exclusively in the evening or at night.

Important! To ensure a balanced diet for small goslings, a third of the concentrated feed should be based on boiled potatoes instead of grain.

Care and feeding of weak chicks

Unfortunately, in modern poultry farming it is not possible to avoid weakened or overly passive young animals. Under natural conditions, such animals often die, but with artificial cultivation, each farmer tries to get the benefit of every viable individual. For these purposes, in the first few days of life, livestock are sorted, and weak chicks are provided with double attention.

During the first week, such goslings must be kept at a temperature of +28 ° C, which by the age of one week is gradually reduced to +23 ° C. And then they keep it in this mode until the weak chicks get stronger. Also, weakened individuals must be transplanted to a separate place, providing comfort and complete peace. To improve survival, weakened goslings are shown all kinds of supportive drugs. The most common among them are:

  • Baitril;Baitril
  • Furazolidone;Furazolidone
  • Metronidazole.Metrics

Apply them on the basis of the manufacturer’s recommendations, until the state of the body improves completely.

Also, weakened chicks should also have a balanced diet. For their nursing, bait from:

  • 1 yolk;
  • 0,5 tsp Sahara;
  • penicillin or biomycin at a concentration of 50 thousand units. per 1 kg of animal weight.

Weak chicks are fed with such a mixture once a day, for 1-1 weeks.

Caring for small goslings is a simple, but quite responsible task that requires appropriate attention from the farmer. Despite the fact that the bird is considered unpretentious, in the first weeks of life it requires a special diet. Otherwise, irrational feeding can lead not only to a deterioration in the growth rate of young animals, but also to damage to future poultry products.

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Anna Evans

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