Keeping Geese: Breeds and Management

453 Pages·2015·41.27 MB·English

by  Chris Ashton

Keeping Geese
BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT

Keeping Geese
BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT
Chris Ashton
THE CROWOOD PRESS
First published in 2012 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury,
Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR
www.crowood.com
This e-book first published in 2015
© Chris Ashton 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue
record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 78500 056 0
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
Part I: History and Origins
1. The Origins of the Domestic Goose
Part II: Setting Up
2. Why Keep Geese?
3. How to Start
Part III: Understanding Geese
4. Goose Anatomy
5. The Life Cycle and Care of Feathers
6. Goose Diet and Digestion
Part IV: The Breeds of Geese
7. Introduction to the Breeds
8. Asiatic Geese
9. White Geese
10. Sebastopol Geese
11. Auto-Sexing Geese
12. Pied Geese
13. Toulouse Geese
14. Buff Breeds
15. Fighting Geese
Part V: Keeping Adult Geese
16. Management of Adult Stock
17. Goose Behaviour
Part VI: Breeding and Rearing Geese
18. Eggs and Natural Incubation
19. Incubators
20. Rearing Goslings
21. Commercial Geese – Table Birds
Part VII: Keeping Geese Healthy
22. Ailments and Diseases
Appendix: Punnet Squares
References
Useful Contacts
Index
Preface
We encountered goose keeping by accident; nothing was planned. The hobby
just grew from a present of two small goslings for my daughter’s birthday. Our
geese were never considered for the table, yet in general they do have many
values and uses. This is what the book is primarily about.
One reputation was quickly dispelled. They are not the farmyard tyrants of
myth and memory. We found them to be intelligent, responsive, sociable and
highly absorbing, especially if reared from goslings. They offer a real window
into the ‘wisdom of birds’: close contact with geese really does open up a new
perspective on avian intelligence. This book tries to put the record straight.
From a purely practical point of view, geese are the ideal food converters in a
large garden, excellent lawnmowers and fascinating pets. They do well on a diet
consisting largely of grass, and are cheaper to keep than other poultry which
need a higher proportion of grain in their diet – an important consideration in an
overcrowded world.
Acknowledgements
Limited written information was available in the UK about keeping and rearing
geese when we first acquired these birds. This book and Domestic Geese (1999)
were the result of shared experiences with other goose keepers over the last
thirty years. Keeping, breeding and exhibiting these birds has led to an
accumulation of information which I hope other keepers will find useful.
Special thanks are due to John Hall for his help and advice on the breeds, and
to Tom Bartlett for his expertise and sheer enthusiasm for waterfowl at Folly
Farm in the Cotswolds in the late 1900s. When we started with geese, these
experts led the way.
Other goose breeders in the UK and abroad have also contributed to the
experiences, knowledge and photographs in this book: Peter van den Bunder,
Bart Poulmans, Sonja Sauwens and Gerard Lambrighs of the Flemish Waterfowl
Association; Andrea Heesters and Peter Jacobs, Hans Ringnalda and Sigrid van
Dort, plus Kenneth Broekman of Holland; Michael Peel, Hamish Russell and Dr
Harry Cooper (Australia’s favourite vet); Bob Hawes from the USA for his
continued support and detailed knowledge of the history and genetics of
domestic geese; also Lori Waters, who has a real eye for photography, with her
Runners and Sebastopols, and a passion for the birds.
Visiting shows in Germany and judging in France, Holland and Australia has
also provided me with an insight into how the goose breeds have travelled the
world, and how they continue to fascinate as a hobby bird and subject for
photography. I am also grateful to Paul-Erwin Oswald, Mark Hoppe and Helene
Towers for helping with translations and queries regarding the long history of
geese in Germany.
Last, but most of all, I am grateful for the involvement with the geese over the
years from both my daughter, Tig, and husband, Mike Ashton, who also looked
over the manuscript. Without family involvement, keeping a multiplicity of birds
is almost impossible. These birds have been part of the family for such a long
time, and have brought us into contact with so many like-minded friends.