1921.] 



The Breeding of Geese. 



701 



As in the case of ducks, geese require a greater pro- 

 portion of animal food in their mash than fowls. Bran, 

 raiddlings, maize meal, Sussex ground oats and fish meal in 

 equal parts make a good, serviceable mash for the breeding 

 season, while a grain feed consisting of equal parts of sound 

 oats and kibbled maize fed in troughs in their drinking water 

 is recommended. Grit and oyster shell should also always be 

 available for them in their drinking water. 



For the Christmas trade geese require fattening to bring them 

 into proper condition. For this purpose they should be shut up 

 in an open-fronted shed and given all the food they will con- 

 sume. This should be mainly a mash composed of maize meal, 

 Sussex ground oats, barley meal, and if available some boiled 

 potatoes may be mashed up with the meals; about 10 per cent, 

 of fish meal or meat meal may be added with, advantage. White 

 oats of good quality, which should be steeped in cold water 

 for some hours before feeding, also form an excellent food to 

 produce fine quality flesh. Food may he given two or three times a 

 day when fattening, but any food left over should be removed 

 from the troughs after they have finished feeding; if left over 

 until the next meal there is a danger of them going off their 

 feed. Grit and fresh clean water should always be available, 

 but the geese should not be allowed swimming water whilst 

 fattening. 



The shed in which they are confined should be kept well 

 littered down with clean straw and the birds let out for a good 

 swim before being killed, in order to cleanse their feathers. 



Hatching and Rearing. — The chief trouble in hatching geese 

 is the fact that they commence to lay freely early in the season 

 at a time when there is usually a great dearth of broody hens. 

 Whilst by force of circumstances the writer has had to resort 

 to artificial methods of incubation, he cannot say that this 

 method of hatching has even given what may be considered 

 sufficiently satisfactory results, and does not therefore recom- 

 mend hatching the eggs in incubators if broody hens are 

 available. To overcome the difficulty the writer determined 

 two years ago to produce broody hens for the purpose, and 

 mated some Silkie cockerels with White Wyandotte, Ehode 

 Island Eed and Buff Orpington hens. The produce of any of 

 these first crosses make ideal broody hens for hatching pheas- 

 ants, ducks or geese. They are small but wonderful sitters and 

 mothers, and after laying a few eggs will invariably go broody, 

 and may rear several broods during the season. 



