28o THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



such circumstances the stock birds, and the young ones 

 during great part of their growth, cost scarcely anything, as 

 they graze and forage about, especially on wheat stubbles. 

 They differ from ducks in being vegetable feeders, and will 

 not touch such garbage as ducks delight in ; and they keep 

 better together, so that a number can be herded. It is 

 unprofitable to turn them into really good pasture, however, 

 as they consume so much grass, which they bite even closer 

 than sheep. 



The house for a pen of geese need only be two or three 

 yards square. The floor must be dry and hard, littered 

 down with straw, or ferns, or leaves, renewed frequently, 

 and the soiled bedding used for manure. 



The wild goose is monogamous ; in domestication, the 

 number given to one gander varies from two to four, but 

 they are seldom so prolific in .the latter case. Prolificacy 

 also depends to a certain extent upon their having rather 

 deep water to mate in. They seldom lay till after a year 

 old, and purchased goslings often do not lay their first year. 

 A nest for each goose in a pen is required, as every bird lays 

 where her first egg is laid. The nests should be 2 feet 

 6 inches square. The time of incubation is thirty days. 



Geese generally commence laying in February, and lay 

 about fifteen eggs each, sometimes rather less or more. 

 The bird " feathers her nest " for sitting, and when she has 

 stayed on a day or two she is sometimes set upon thirteen 

 the first four or five are often set under a hen. She sits 

 very steadily as regards the Embden or White, but the 

 Toulouse is not a good sitter, and her eggs are often set 

 under large heavy hens, or even turkeys. Of late, in- 

 cubators have been largely used in the chief goose centres. 

 Goose eggs particularly require sprinkling. The goose 

 gives no trouble, neither does the gander, who will often 

 come and squat by his favourite wife for he usually has 



