RAISING GEESE PROFITABLE 115 



is talking about and I know of one California breeder who raises the 

 African geese to perfection. 



The Brown China geese are also a valuable addition to the list of 

 varieties, but are not very well known on this Coast. 



Mating and Caring for the Breeders. Whatever variety your 

 fancy may choose, you can learn from the breeder of it how many 

 females to put to one male, for breeds differ in this respect. The 

 male should be longer in leg than the female, as length of leg gives 

 him activity; he should not be -burdened with an abundance of fat, 

 yet be in fair flesh; his eye should be clear and bright and if he easily 

 takes to the warpath, as indicated by his stretching his neck and 

 hissing at objects or people, you may know he will make a good 

 breeder. 



If there is no water, that is, running water, there must be a trough 

 or artificial pond of some sort some contrivance for them to get in 

 to mate. Dig a hole in the ground and build in a shallow cement 

 basin, say 2x3 feet for a small flock. This basin or pond must have 

 a pipe hole in for a J^-inch pipe at least; the pipe need not be very 

 long, just so that it carries the dirty water away. When water is 

 needed in the basin a plug or cork can t>e inserted in the pipe hole. 

 If the water is only a foot deep it will answer the purpose, but two 

 feet would be better. 



Near the water should be built the shed in which the geese are 

 expected to lay, sleep and hatch their young. Almost anything in the 

 form of a shelter is good enough, so that the nest is in the dry for 

 winter, and a little shade from the sun for summer. The quieter a 

 place for nesting, the better the goose will like it, and if the rays of 

 the sun strike it a part of the day it will be kept sweeter. 



Feed. The laying geese do better on grain such as barley, oats 

 and wheat. Corn to too heating and fattening. If the weather is cold, 

 give a mash of ground oats, bran and rolled barley. Boil cabbage, 

 beets, turnips, or potatoes and mash, then mix in the ground grain. 

 When cool, feed to the geese in reasonable proportion to the number 

 but do not get them too fat. 



Some take the first eggs away, but this hinders the goose from 

 sitting and causes her to keep on laying. So if early goslings are 

 desired, it is best to leave the eggs and furnish the goose with some 

 loose straw for her to cover up her nest when she leaves it. 



Hatching. Sometimes hens of the large breeds, such as Orping- 

 tons, Langshans, Rocks and Cochins, are used to hatch goose eggs, 

 but they must be in good condition or they cannot stand the strain. 



It takes thirty days to hatch goslings and then sometimes the 

 little fellows are slow. I have seen it take thirty-two days. But it is 

 best not to hurry matters, except that a little hot water may be 



