73tf Lice Stock* Poultry Geefe Management of, 



by letting them be well fed with oats, grains, or fome fuch kinds of food at the pe 

 riod. The goo fe generally lays from eight to twelve eggs. It may be known 

 u hen geefe are about to lay, from draw being frequently picked up and carried 

 about by them. The length of time of fitting is about thirty days. When geefe are in 

 clined to ik, they generally (lie wit by remaining on their neft after laying a confiderabie 

 time. In this cafe, a proper quantity of eggs, as from ten to twelve,(hould beplaced in 

 the ncfts, and fomething put before them, fo as to prevent the geefe from being much 

 fecn. 7 hey mould alfo haveplenty of food, fund and water near them, inorder that 

 they may not have to remain long off the nefts,and in that way let the eggs be too much 

 cooled. The ganders mould be left with them as guards. When the weather is warm 

 they generally .hatch rather fooner thanwhen it is cold. After the goflings are hatched, 

 the bcft method is to let them remain with the goofe, efpecially where they are 

 ftrong, in fome warm funny place, that is well fecurcd againft the entrance of rats, 

 and all other forts of vermin, and which is properly fupplied with water; being 

 well fed with the crumbs of bread, grits, wheat, and fome chopped clivers. They 

 mould remain in this confinement until they are grown ftrong and capable of fol 

 lowing the goofe with eafe ; they may then be put into a fmall field, or paddock, 

 -where the grafs is fhort, till they are fit to be turned out with the geefe. When 

 they are weakly it is cuftomary to feed them in the houfe, with bread foaked in 

 milk, or a little barley-meal, &c. Where this is done, they mould however always 

 be put under the goofe again immediately after fuch feeding and handled as little 

 as poflible, warmth in this flage being the moft effential article in rearing them. 

 They fhould never be fuffered while very young to go into the water, as the cold 

 Ibon deftroys them. 



Where the railing of thefe birds is an object, care mud always be taken to have 

 good ganders, which are neither too young nor too old, and that the eggs when laid 

 be turned occasionally, and carefully kept in a dry and rather warm place. The 

 number of geefe to a gander mould not be too great ; three or four are quite 

 fufficient. 



The practice in Lincolnshire, where vaft numbers of thefe birds are annually 

 produced, is for their nefts to be made for them of llraw, and confined fo as that 

 the eggs cannot roll out when the geefe turn them, which they do every day. When 

 near hatching, the fhell is broken a little againft the beak or nib of the gofling, to 

 give air, or to enable it to receive flrength to throw off the fhell at a proper time. 



The time of plucking them is about the beginning of April ; when the fine fea. 



