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Unlike the domesticated duck, which has only one species of wild ancestors in its progenitors, the geese have two ancestors: the gray goose and the swan goose. Sukhonosa Chinese selection has changed very much. It is impossible to confuse it with today’s domestic geese. But the gray goose in the photo without scale can easily be confused with a domestic breed.
Gray wild goose
At least require documents to prove that you are wild. Live, the differences are clearly visible. The weight of a wild gray goose is in the range from 2 to 4,5 kg. Due to its low weight, this bird flies very well, which causes envy among domestic geese, when flyers (crossbreeds with a wild goose) do not hobble a few hundred meters to the pond, but rise to the wing and reach the reservoir in a few seconds.
Sukhonos
You can no longer confuse Sukhonos with his domestic descendant. If the Chinese goose has a bump above its head, and the beak seems to be artificially attached to the skull cut off in a straight line, then the shape of the head of the swan goose is streamlined, and the beak naturally continues the line of the forehead. The weight of this bird is almost the same as that of the gray wild goose: 2,8 – 4,5 kg.
There are suggestions that not only swan goose and gray goose, but also other representatives of geese took part in the formation of domestic geese.
White-throated.
Goose.
Piskulka
Mountain.
There is even an assumption that the mute swan took part in the process. But this is already too much. Considering the free interbreeding of breeds of domestic geese with obtaining fertile offspring, it will be necessary to admit that either all geese plus the swan belong to the same species, and the differences are just phenotypic differences between subspecies; or the ancients mastered the techniques of genetic modification at the DNA level.
Geese may actually be subspecies, since the same goose occupies an area in the north of all Eurasia from Greenland to the Far East, intersecting with other geese.
But now the swan is already too much. If the goose had the opportunity to interbreed with the swan, the farms would have hybrids of swans and geese, like mulards – hybrids of mallard and musky duck or hybrids of guinea fowl and chicken. But so far, only the Lindovskaya (Gorky) breed is recorded in the swan-goose hybrids. Apparently, based on the letter “l” in the title.
It is most likely that the real ancestors of domestic geese were at most two wild species, which may indeed be subspecies.
Geese were domesticated more than 3 thousand years ago. If we recall the rapid spread of chickens from Southeast Asia to the west, we can assume that the goose went through a similar path.
Domestic breeds of geese with photos and descriptions
The main direction of selection in the domestication of the goose was to increase body weight in order to obtain a large amount of tasty and almost free meat.
All breeds of geese today are divided into three groups:
- small;
- average;
- large.
Small breeds have a decorative function and it is almost impossible to find them.
Medium at higher egg production also ceased to be in demand with the advent of portable home incubators and the development of industrial egg crosses in chickens. If earlier goose eggs were valued when added to the dough, today you can simply add more cheap chicken eggs. Therefore, egg-laying geese are also beginning to become a thing of the past, although it is the medium breeds of geese that are best suited for home breeding. Only meat breeds of geese remain.
One of the medium breeds of geese, which is often not bred pure today, but is used for crossing with other heavier breeds, is the Chinese goose.
Colors of Chinese geese with a photo
Chinese geese are medium-sized birds, one of the few breeds belonging to this group that are still widespread in Our Country. In this breed, there are two color options: white and brown, repeating the color of the wild swan.
Even the white stripe that separates the skull from the beak has been preserved.
The white Chinese goose, most likely, split off from the brown one after a gene mutation.
“Chinese” are distinguished by good egg production. Individual geese can lay up to 100 eggs per season, although usually the number of eggs ranges from 45 to 70 per season. When laying eggs in the incubator, about 75% of goslings hatch. Goslings grow quickly, already at the age of two months reaching a weight of 3 kg with an adult weight of 4 – 5 kg. Puberty in Chinese geese occurs at 9 months. Thus, goslings hatched in May will begin to lay eggs in February next year.
But on the territory of Our Country, domestic large breeds of geese intended for growing for meat are more common. Many of these breeds were bred in Our Country, some, for example, Toulouse, were imported from abroad.
Meat breeds of geese with photos and descriptions
For the production of meat in Our Country, the best breeds are Kuban, Gorky (Lindovskaya), large gray, Rhine, Kuban and some other breeds.
Kuban breed
This is not the largest breed of meat geese. Therefore, today they are working with her to increase body weight. The “Kubans” have two populations. The first was created by backcrossing a Lindow breed with a Chinese brown variety of goose. The birds of this population look very similar to Chinese ones.
They also have similar weight and egg production.
The second population has a white color and was bred by crossing white Lindows with Emden, large gray and few today Vishtines. Outwardly, it is just a white variation of the brown Kuban goose with a light beak and paws.
The weight of the goose of the Kuban breed is 5 – 5,5 kg, the geese – 4,5 – 5 kg. Geese during the season carry 75 – 90 eggs weighing 150 g.
With the spread of incubators, this is even a plus for them, as it allows you to get the maximum number of eggs per season. The hatchability of goslings in incubators is about 80%. By 2 months, goslings gain 3,5 kg of live weight.
Puberty in this breed occurs at the 9th month of life.
Large gray breed
Two types are distinguished in the breed, which is associated with a rather large age of the breed, which began to be bred even before the Second World War. The breeding of the breed began in Ukraine, from where the goose population had to be evacuated to Tambov during the advance of German troops.
When creating the Ukrainian (Borkovo) type, Roman geese were crossed with Toulouse ganders. Further, crossbreeds were bred “in themselves”, keeping on pasture in pastures. Borkovsky geese are relatively late-ripening, but at the same time their egg production increases until the fifth year of life, after which it begins to decline.
To breed the steppe Tambov type of large gray goose, a similar crossing of the Romensky and Toulouse breeds was carried out, followed by breeding “in itself”. The difference is that in Tambov geese were bred when kept on waterless pastures. The goal was to develop a breed group adapted to low-water steppe areas.
Gander breed large gray weigh 6-7 kg. When fattening for slaughter, they can reach 9,5 kg. Geese 6 – 6,5 kg. Or 9 kg.
Therefore, you should not rejoice if the weight of large gray geese in the courtyard exceeds 7 kg. It is difficult for large birds to mate. The largest goslings from the brood should go for meat.
Egg production in gray large is relatively low, a maximum of 60 eggs if there were two laying cycles. With one cycle, from 35 to 45 eggs weighing 175 g. The hatchability of goslings is also not up to par: 60%.
But the advantage of this breed is its endurance and undemanding to the conditions of detention and the presence of reservoirs. Birds themselves can fatten themselves, grazing in the meadows and picking up the fallen grain in the harvested grain fields.
Large gray geese are good hens. However, ganders also show themselves to be good fathers of the family, creating a reputation for the entire goose family as evil, stinging creatures.
And without reputation and offspring, it will not be long to lose.
Young growth is gaining weight well and by 9 weeks it already weighs 4 kg. Often goslings of this breed are forcibly fattened to obtain a large fatty liver.
But if the question is “which breed of geese is better to choose for breeding for meat”, then the best option would be to start two breeds: large gray and Gorky (Lindovsky), fattening their offspring for meat.
Crosses of Lindovskaya and large gray are better not to breed in themselves, although they turn out to be larger than parental forms. Due to some kind of incompatibility in the genes, male crosses often turn out to be underdeveloped and unable to have offspring. In addition, the fertility of eggs in these crosses is also low, not least because of the large weight.
Disadvantages
If you need purebred and high-quality representatives of a large gray breed, then you should pay attention to the disadvantages that are unacceptable by the standard:
- too little weight;
- purse;
- bump on the nose;
- narrow chest;
- too large angle of deviation of the body from the horizontal line;
- faded color of the beak and paws (may also be a sign of the disease).
The second and third points indicate the non-purebred origin of the bird.
Gray and Italian geese:
Kholmogorskaya
Kholmogory are the largest representatives of meat breeds in Our Country. Their weight can reach up to 12 kg, but only for those who were fattened for slaughter. The average weight of the goose hillbilly is 8 kg, geese 6-7.
Kholmogory people come in two lines: Tula fighting geese “took part” in the creation of one; the second was bred by crossing gray and Chinese geese.
It is not advisable to leave a bird that is too large for further breeding, since the egg-laying characteristics of the Kholmogory geese are already small: no more than 30 eggs per year. Usually 10 – 15, and even less for young people. There is a clear correlation between the size of a goose and the number of eggs it lays: the smaller the goose, the more eggs it can lay in a season.
However, this is a standard situation for all birds: do you want eggs or meat?
If we consider the absolute yield of meat after slaughtering young animals, then it may turn out that smaller geese are more profitable for breeding and obtaining meat than large ones.
Toulouse breed
Representatives of the Toulouse breed in the photo look like very massive birds, which the Toulouses are in fact. If the Kholmogory is the largest of the breeds, then the Toulouses are recognized as the largest geese in the world. The normal weight of a gander of this breed is 7,5 – 10 kg. At the same time, the American Association indicates 11,6 kg as the standard weight of an adult gander. Young, that is, males up to a year, should weigh, according to the Americans, 9 kg. Larger and American Toulouse. European version 6 – 8 kg, American 9, pullets 7,3 kg.
Toulouse people were taken out directly from a wild goose. The breed has been known since at least the 19th century. At least at this time there are documentary references to the breed.
Toulouses are divided into two main types, which, in turn, are divided into subtypes.
Toulouse heavy type – for the most part a group of industrial breeding. The light type is bred in private farmsteads.
The heavy type is distinguished by the presence of folds on the abdomen and a suspension-purse under the beak. The egg production of this type is 20-35 eggs per season. It is bred most often for foie gras, as this type is well fattening.
The light type, bred for meat in private farms, has no folds and the egg production of geese is slightly higher: 25-40 eggs per season.
However, the hatchability of goslings in both types leaves much to be desired. With incubator breeding, 50-60% of goslings are hatched, with incubation, 60%. But in Toulouse geese, the incubation instinct is poorly developed, it is difficult to guess which of them will suddenly wake up maternal feelings. Nevertheless, sometimes the Toulouse goose with a brood gets into the camera lens.
In the relatively warm USA, the Toulouse is the leading breed for the “production” of Christmas geese. Just young birds that have not yet gained full weight get on the table.
The Toulouse breed is very demanding on the conditions of detention, does not tolerate cold well and is not very suitable for breeding in Our Country with its cold climate. But some goose breeders believe that the advantages of the Toulouse outweigh their shortcomings, and this breed can be bred in Our Country if you build a warm poultry house in case of cold weather.
Warm poultry houses with a controlled microclimate can be built if there is an opportunity to engage in industrial breeding of geese. In a private economy, such costs will not pay off. Here you already have to be a goose fan, and not just the owner of a farmstead who wants to breed this bird.
To summarize
In a private household, it is better to breed domestic breeds that are better adapted to the climate and able to withstand even fairly severe frosts. Moreover, in terms of size and weight, breeds are almost as good as foreign ones.