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 



