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THE AMERICAN FAEMER. 



Breeding geese should be kept rather thin in flesh, and have a free grass range. When 

 broody, the goose will remain upon her nest after laying. She should have a deep nest, oval 

 in form, and from thirteen to fifteen eggs to sit upon. She will hatch in from twenty-eight 

 to thirty days, according to the warmth of the season, and should be left unmolested, 

 except that she should have food and water near her nest, for if left to gather her own food, 

 she will be liable to leave the nest toolong and allow the eggs to become chilled. The season 

 for hatching is from April to July, although goslings hatched as late as September will win 

 ter fairly well. Newly hatched goslings, like ducks and chickens, do not require food for 

 the first twenty-four hours. They should be fed with hard boiled eggs, chopped fine, for a 

 few days, together with stale bread, soaked in milk, scalded meal, boiled potatoes, tender 

 grass and lettuce, etc. They should be kept away from the water for two weeks, and when 

 hatched early in the season should be housed in a dry, warm place, until they are strong 

 enough to run about well. 



They should not be allowed access to a body of water until two or three weeks old, the 

 down on their bodies, when first hatched, not being a sufficient protection from the chill that 



&quot;ONE WAY OF PLAYING THE OLD GAME OF FOX AND GEESE. 



would be thus occasioned. They should be regularly housed at night, and be fed for several 

 days at morning and night with soft food, like scalded meal and bran, or mashed boiled 

 potatoes. Young goslings should be well protected from the rain, and never allowed to wan 

 der in the wet grass. Geese are great foragers, besides, where they can obtain an abundance 

 of grass this will form more than half of their food during the summer and early autumn. 

 They require grass as much as cattle, and should have this in abundance. 



Most breeds are apt to be rather noisy, and hence it is best to confine them in a fenced 

 field or pasture that contains a marsh or stream of water. They will pick up considerable 

 food from such ground. Old geese are apt to be very pugnacious when they have goslings, 

 and will often destroy young ducks, chickens, or turkeys, with a stroke of their strong bill. 

 They should therefore have quarters removed from other poultry, to obviate such danger. 

 Geese are peculiarly inquisitive birds, a trait which the above cut well represents. Rats 

 will devour young goslings or other young poultry, if they have the opportunity and are 

 plentiful in the immediate vicinity of the goose-pen. The fox is also an enemy to the goose 

 tribe, as well as the skunk, weasel, and musk rat, and will be attracted from a long distance 

 in the night to quarters where they are kept. The building where geese are sheltered at 

 night, or sit, should therefore be well protected against their intrusion. 



