POULTRY 



669 



Embden, 19; African, 17. The eggs of 

 these breeds varied in weight from about 

 5V£ ounces each for the White and 

 Brown Chinese, to 6V£ for the African, 

 Embdens and Toulouse breeds. 



Nesting, laying and hatching — The 

 laying season begins usually about Feb- 

 ruary 1. Barrels or boxes partially filled 

 with straw or chaif should be provided 

 for the nests. The goose covers up her 

 eggs after laying. In winter the eggs 

 should be gathered frequently to prevent 

 chilling and be kept in an even temper- 

 ature of 50 to 60°, turning them each 

 day until used for hatching. At the 

 Rhode Island station, the average per- 

 centage of goslings obtained with eggs 

 of the different breeds was as follows : 

 African, 38 per cent; Toulouse, 32 per 

 cent; Embden, 30 per cent; Brown 

 Chinas, 29 per cent; White China, 11 

 per cent. 



The goose usually lays about 15 or 20 

 eggs before becoming broody. If she is 

 shut up at this time for five or six days 

 and then released, she will again begin 

 laying, this time producing 12 or 15 

 eggs before desiring to set. It is usual 

 to take all of these eggs away from her 

 and break her up again, after which she 

 will lay a third batch of 10 or 12 eggs, 

 which she is usually allowed to hatch 

 out. The eggs of the first and second 

 batch may be hatched in an incubator 

 or under hens. The use of hens is most 

 common, using the Brahmas or other 

 large breeds for this purpose, and put- 

 ting four or five eggs under each hen. 

 If hatched in a brooder, the same tem- 

 perature is required as for chicks, name- 

 ly, 103° E. 



It takes from 28 to 30 days for the 

 eggs to hatch and if they are frequently 

 cooled off, they may be 34 or even 40 

 days in hatching. After about the fifth 

 or sixth day of incubation, they should 

 be examined and all the sterile eggs re- 

 moved. During the last week of incuba- 

 tion, the eggs should be sprinkled with 

 warm water, or may be dipped once in 

 water, heated to 104° F, for about one 

 minute. 



If hens are used to incubate the eggs, 

 they may get a little nervous when the 

 goslings begin to hatch out. In such 

 cases, the goslings should be removed 

 and kept covered in a warmly lined bas- 

 ket in the kitchen until all the eggs are 

 hatched, after which the goslings may 

 be given to a more quiet hen or put in 



the brooder. In the brooder, the temper- 

 ature of the hover should be kept at 90 

 to 92° F for a day or so, after which it 

 should be rapidly reduced, and at the 

 end of a week need not be above 75° F. 

 Feeding goslings— It is usually 

 planned to have the goslings come about 

 the time grass appears, as it is much 

 less difficult to raise them at such time 

 than earlier in the season. If hatched 

 before grass comes, they should be pro- 



IIS 





Fig. 425 — YOUNG BROWN CHINA GEESE 



vided with such green feed as chopped 

 cabbage, or lettuce. No food should be 

 given for the first 24 to 36 hours, after 

 which finely cracked Indian corn mixed 

 with meal or bran and scalded with 

 water and made into a dough having a 

 crumbly consistency may be given in 

 small amounts with plenty of grazing. 

 Water for drinking should be provided, 

 as well as gravel, sand and pieces of 

 charcoal. 



The goslings should not be allowed in 

 the water until well feathered out, be- 

 cause they easily become chilled and 

 many deaths occur. They require feed- 

 ing three or four times a day, but must 

 not be overfed. Pens made of three 

 boards about 12 feet long and a foot 

 wide may be used to confine them on 

 grass for the first few days. After five 

 days they will have no further need of 

 the hen. They must be kept under cover 

 during storms and in hot weather be 



