PO UL TR F- CRA FT. 255 



(1). Feeding Breeding Geese. (WILBUR). Turn out on pasture from June until 

 fall; feed no grain while grass is available, then feed lightly of oats and whole corn. 

 After February i, give full ration : a mixture of corn meal, shorts, beef scraps, boiled 

 potatoes or turnips in the morning ; whole grain in the afternoon. 



(2). Feeding Breeding Geese. (NEWMAN). They must have a pasture where 

 from early spring they will live almost exclusively on green rye, clover or grass, needing 

 but little grain, and thriving well. Do not feed much corn in winter, as it is apt to get 

 them too fat for breeders. Oats and barley are better. The way I feed is this : I take 

 some boxes about eight inches deep, and put the grain in them. These are placed in the 

 pasture away from other fowls. One need not be careful in feeding them as in feeding 

 other poultry. You cannot spoil their appetites, and by putting boxes of grain in the 

 runs, thev get a good run, and a light feed, and are in no danger of overfeeding. Give 

 corn only in the hardest weather when it is storming, or there is so much snow they 

 cannot go foraging. 



(3). Feeding Breeding Geese. (RUDD). Adult geese can be turned out to 

 pasture precisely the same as cattle, and in this latitude (Massachusetts) will obtain their 

 own living more than six months of the year, during which the cost of keeping them is 

 simply the value of the grass consumed. Through the laying and breeding season, in 

 addition to grass they should be fed twice a day with shorts and Indian meal, equal parts, 

 thoroughly moistened with cold water, but not too wet, lest it produce diarrhoea ; the mass 

 should be dry enough to crumble. (If stale bread can be had at reasonable prices, soak 

 it and use instead of shorts). Add ten per cent of beef scraps or its equivalent. Feed all 

 they will immediately eat up clean. Supply shell liberally, and abundance of water to 

 drink. 



389. Hatching Goslings. As geese lay so few eggs, breeders usually 

 keep the geese laying as long as possible, and hatch most of the eggs with 

 hens. So far, hatching goose eggs in incubators has not been satisfactory. 

 The hens are given five, six, or seven eggs each, according to size. After 

 five or six days the eggs can be tested, and infertiles removed. The period of 

 incubation is usually thirty days. It may be a little longer. When the eggs 

 are hatching the hens should be closely watched to prevent the goslings being 

 trampled upon or killed by hens that will not own them. The goslings, as 

 hatched, should be given to quiet, gentle hens, or wrapped in flannel and kept 

 in a warm place. 



When geese are used to hatch the eggs, they may be given about fifteen 

 each. Usually they must be set where they have been laying. They will 

 bear little interference when incubating. 



390. Rearing Goslings. The goslings should be allowed to remain 

 warm and quiet for at least twenty-four hours after hatching, and for the first 

 few days every precaution must be taken to prevent their being chilled. By 

 the time they are a week old they need no artificial heat if the weather is at 

 all moderate. They do not require much care. Until strong enough to have 

 full liberty they should be confined to small movable pens, which can be 

 moved to new grass each day. With each pen some sort of shelter must be 



