POULTRY 



667 



hot water and then hardening them in 

 ice water, in which they are left until 

 ready for packing. By this treatment 

 they are given a full, round form. They 

 are packed either in boxes or barrels in 

 practically the same manner as recom- 

 mended for chickens. A satisfactory 

 package for dressed ducks is a box 30 

 x20 inches, and about 10 inches deep. 

 Two or three layers of birds can be put 

 in such a box; the top layer is placed 

 with the breast up. The prices received 



Fig. 422 — DRESSED DUCKS 



will largely depend upon the cleanliness 

 and inviting appearance of the birds 

 when put on the market. Too much 

 pains, therefore, cannot be taken in pre- 

 paring them for exhibition and sale. 



GEESE 



The nature of geese limits the extent 

 to which they may be raised to a much 

 greater degree than ducks. They are 

 more nearly monogamous than any other 

 fowl, except pigeons, the gander seldom 

 mating with more than two or three, or 

 rarely four birds, and often with only 

 one. They produce from 20 to 50 eggs 

 a year. In their feeding habits they 

 very much resemble ruminants, since 

 they require an abundance of pasture 

 and may be grazed without other feed 

 in the same manner as animals. They 

 are the hardiest and least subject to dis- 

 ease of any form of poultry and a loss 

 of goslings greater than 5 per cent of 

 the eggs hatched seldom occurs. There 

 is a large industry in marketing green 

 geese or young geese, ranging from 8 

 to 10 pounds in weight. 



Geese require no shelter in the coldest 

 weather other than a dry shed, which 

 may be entirely open to the south. The 

 birds may live 40 to 50 years and rec- 



ords of geese 100 years old have been 

 reported. During all this time they 

 remain productive. Like ducks, geese 

 have practically no crop, and, conse- 

 quently, feed at frequent intervals, and 

 in warm weather often eat more at night 

 than during the day. Geese become 

 greatly attached to each other and to 

 their home surroundings. 



BREEDS OE GEESE 



There are five common breeds of 

 geese in the United States: the Tou- 

 louse, Embden, African, Chinese and 

 Wild or Canadian goose. 



Toulouse_The Toulouse is one of the 

 most popular breeds, especially valuable 

 for the Christmas trade, since they ma- 

 ture at about this time. They are a 

 compact gray bird, becoming white on 

 the belly. The gander weighs at ma- 

 turity about 20 pounds and the goose 18 

 pounds. 



Embden — These are snowwhite birds, 

 fully as popular as the Toulouse, though 

 not so prolific. Like the Toulouse, the 

 ganders weigh about 20 pounds at ma- 

 turity and the goose about 18 pounds. 

 The carriage of the Embdens is rather 

 more erect than that of the Toulouse. 



Gray African — By ma ny growers this 

 is considered the most profitable of all 

 geese raised, since they mature more 



Fig. 423 — toulouse geese 



rapidly than any of the other breeds. 

 At 10 weeks of age they can be marketed 

 as green geese at a weight of 8 to 10 

 pounds each. They are good layers and 

 the flesh is considered especially satis- 

 factory for the table. Besides the gray 

 color, the geese are characterized by a 

 large knob on the head and a heavy 



