122 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 
raising geese, for they require more room than 
ducks and chafe at confinement. Geese are grazing 
creatures like cattle and need pasture. Meadows 
and marshes are ideal for them, if they also have 
access to land which is high and dry. They are 
very easy to raise, cost almost nothing to keep and 
bring a satisfactory price when marketed. Many 
people miss an excellent opportunity to add to their 
incomes by not keeping a few geese. 
Geese live from twenty to fifty years if given the 
opportunity. Indeed, instances of geese living to 
be a hundred are not rare. Ganders, however, are 
likely to become vicious after they reach the age of 
six years and usually are disposed of when com- 
paratively young, for they have powerful wings and 
are able to seriously injure women and children. 
It is not a sign of cowardice to run from an enraged 
gander. 
Often three settings may be secured if the eggs 
are removed from the nest. Hens may be allowed 
to hatch the first lots, the eggs laid last being given 
the goose to incubate. Goose eggs require from 28 
to 31 days to hatch, those under geese often hatch- 
ing quicker than those under hens. As geese do not 
begin laying until late Winter or early Spring, the 
