Baby geese food

Brooding and Rearing Ducklings and Goslings, G8920

Glenn Geiger and Harold Biellier

Department of Animal Sciences

Brooding requirements

Natural brooding
Goslings and ducklings can be successfully brooded by broody chicken hens and most breeds of ducks and geese. If the young birds were not hatched by the broody female, place them under her at night. Be certain broody birds are free of lice and mites. Provide the hen and her brood with a dry comfortable shelter.

The hen will need grain and plenty of fresh, clean water supplied in a container that will not allow the young to get wet.

Artificial brooding
Today, hatcheries produce day-old ducklings and goslings in large numbers. Commercial growers brood and rear them in about the same way they would baby chicks.

Ducks and geese are hardy and are not susceptible to many of the common poultry diseases. This makes them easy to raise. Brooding requirements are simple and special housing or equipment is not necessary. Because of their rapid growth and early feathering, they do not require as long a brooding period as do baby chicks.

Types of brooders

The infrared heat lamp type of electric brooder is recommended for brooding small groups of birds. Many commercial raisers use gas brooders, but any type of good baby chick brooder may be used successfully. When using infrared brooders, allow one 250-watt lamp per 25 goslings or 30 ducklings. With other types, you can determine the number of birds per hover by cutting the brooder's rated chick capacity by half for ducklings and by one-third for goslings. Because ducklings and goslings are larger, it usually is necessary to raise the hover 3 to 4 inches higher than for chicks.

Brooding temperatures

The behavior of the young birds is a better guide than a thermometer. When brooder temperature is too hot, the birds will crowd away from the heat. High temperatures may result in a slower rate of feathering and growth.

When the temperature is uncomfortably cold, goslings tend to huddle together under the brooder or crowd in corners. Keeping a light on the birds at night will discourage such crowding. An infrared brooder provides enough light for this purpose.

When the brooding temperature is right, the goslings will be well distributed over the floor. At night, the birds should form a circle around the hover.

A starting temperature near 90 degrees at the edge of the hover is about right. This temperature should be reduced about 5 to 10 degrees per week until 70 degrees is reached. When using infrared brooders, air temperature is not so important. Heat usually is not required after the fifth or sixth week, and in good weather, the young birds can be taken out to pasture.

The brooder house

A special building is not required. It simply must provide protection from the weather and be reasonably well lit and ventilated. For brooding small numbers, a colony brooder house or any small building may be used. For brooding larger numbers, a barn, large poultry house or regular broiler house is recommended.

A wood, concrete, or dirt floor is satisfactory. Allow about 1-1/2 square feet of floor space per bird and cover the floor with about four inches of absorbent litter. Sawdust, shavings, ground corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, peanut hulls or peat moss are all good. Dampness is apt to be more of a problem with ducklings and goslings than it typically is in brooding baby chicks. Removal of wet spots and frequent additions of clean, dry litter are recommended.

Feeding

Goslings and ducklings are ready for feed and water when they arrive. Use crumbilized chick or poult starter for the first week to 10 days. A pelleted grower ration plus cracked corn, wheat, milo, oats or other grain can be fed after this time. Keep feed before the birds at all times. Also, provide insoluble grit. Place feed on rough paper or cup flats for the first few days. Do not use chick box tops or other smooth-surfaced lids or paper as feeders. When such slick-surfaced materials are used, leg damage results.

Be certain the feed you are using contains only those additives approved for ducks and geese. Certain types of drugs that are sometimes included in chick starting and growing mashes for coccidiosis control are harmful to goslings. They may cause lameness or even death. Coccidiosis has not been a problem in waterfowl production in this area.

Commercially grown ducklings generally are ready for market in seven to eight weeks. Goslings usually are marketed in the fall months at 24 to 30 weeks of age. Finishing rations should contain some protein similar to turkey finishing rations.

Water

Plenty of drinking water should be available at all times. Goslings and ducklings consume enormous quantities due to rapid growth. Use waterers that the birds cannot get into and splash. This is important in the brooder house. Water for swimming is not necessary; however, ponds provide an easy way to water goslings on pasture. Hog waterers make good range waterers for waterfowl.

Pasture for goslings

Make arrangements to provide pasture or lawn clippings starting as early as the first week. When the weather is mild, goslings can be let out and allowed to graze when only a few days old.

Grass is the natural food of goslings. Great savings in feed can be made by providing good pasture throughout the growing period. At five or six weeks of age they can subsist entirely on good pasture, although some supplemental feeding is recommended until the birds are completely feathered.

Experience has shown that ladino clover makes fine pasture for goslings. Other types of white clovers also are very good, as are most varieties of grasses. In Missouri, bluegrass, orchardgrass, timothy and bromegrass have been used. Small grains such as barley, wheat and rye make excellent early or fall pasture. Goslings or geese will scarcely touch sweet clover, lespedeza or alfalfa.

Allow about one acre of pasture for each 20 to 40 birds. The amount required depends on the size of the goslings and quality of pasture. When the pasture is poor, supplemental grain feeding is necessary.

A pasture rotation system is recommended. Protect goslings from rain or wet grass for the first few weeks, especially when the weather is cool. Shade must be provided in hot weather.

Because ducks do not forage as well as geese, it is recommended that commercial growers rear ducks without access to pasture. Ducks will, however, use some green feed and eat insects. The small grower probably will not want to confine his flock.

Be certain that pasture and green feeds you use do not have any chemical treatment that would be harmful to the flock.

Fencing

It usually is necessary to fence the pastures or fields. Most woven wire field fencing is of small enough mesh to confine birds 4 to 6 weeks or older. Two-inch mesh poultry netting is commonly used for younger birds. The fence does not need to be higher than ordinary heights since the birds seldom fly. Eighteen inches to two feet is an adequate height. Several farmers have reported good success using electric fencing.

References

Brooding Chicks With Infra-red Lamps, U. S.D.A. Leaflet number 397.
Raising Ducks, U.S.D.A. Farmer's Bulletin number 2215.
Standard of Perfection for Domesticated Land Fowl and Water Fowl, American Poultry Association, Inc., Crete, Nebraska 68333.
Duck and Goose Raising, Bulletin number 532, Ontario Department of Agriculture, Parliament Building, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Raising Geese, Fact Sheet, Poultry number 44, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.
Raising Geese, U.S.D.A. Farmer's Bulletin number 2251.

The authors are grateful to Fred Cervinka, Heart of Missouri Poultry Farm and Hatchery, Columbia, Missouri, for information, assistance and advice in the preparation of this guide.

What Do Goslings Eat? - Fresh Eggs Daily® with Lisa Steele

What do goslings eat? Feeding baby geese the correct feed at the correct time in their life is critical.

Goslings, or baby geese, are like any other babies and need lots of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to help them grow up to be strong and healthy.

We're brand new goose parents, so I did a lot of research, reading and asking questions before they arrived to be sure I knew how to best raise them.

This simple chart gives you the guidelines you need to ensure you're feeding your babies correctly.

Waterfowl feed can be hard to find, so usually feeding chicken feed seems to be what most goose keepers do.

Like ducklings, goslings can eat and thrive on chick feed, with a few simple caveats: they need more niacin than chicken feed provides, so you'll have to add brewers yeast to their daily feed during all stages of life (in a 2% ratio to feed).

They also grow really fast which can put undue strain on their legs and lead to angel wing, just as it can in ducklings, so I opted to mix in some rolled oats into their feed (up to 25% ratio to the feed is okay) like I do for our ducklings.

Starter Feed (20-22% protein) Hatch to 3 Weeks Old

Your goslings will see their biggest growth spurt during this critical time. Chick starter feed has the highest levels of protein of any feed (other than meat bird feed!) to help support this rapid growth.

The calcium levels in starter feed are relatively low because the little ones only need it to grow strong bones, not to produce eggshells.... yet.

Starter feed is available in both medicated or non-medicated formulations. Take care to only feed NON-medicated to goslings. Like ducklings, they don't need the medication, so it's counterproductive to feed it to them.

Feed should be offered 24/7 to your goslings while they're in the brooder along with fresh room temperature water. Never leave them feed without adequate fresh, clean water because goslings can easily choke, especially on the small crumble.

Goslings also enjoy when their feed is moistened a bit with water, making it easier to swallow. But be sure to discard any uneaten feed at the end of the day so it doesn't turn sour or mold.

Starter/Grower Feed (15-16% protein) + GRASS! 3 Weeks to 16 Weeks Old

Although your goslings' growth will slow down quite a bit during this next period, they still need a balanced diet to continue to fill out and mature properly.

The protein level in the grower feed will drop from the level in the starter feed, while the calcium levels remain constant. Grower pellets are recommended for goslings over crumble or mash to prevent clogged throats and possible choking. At this point I also introduce them to whole wheat fed free-choice in a separate bowl.

However, unlike ducklings and chicks, by this point your goslings should be out on grass for as much of the day as possible. It's likely that they won't care to eat much commercial feed by this point as long as they have access to fresh grass and weeds.

Goslings are much more cold-tolerant than chicks or ducklings, so by three weeks old, as long as the temperatures are around 70 degrees or more, they are fine outside (in a secure, covered area protected from predators, of course).

They will likely eat only a minimal amount of feed once they can have access to grass during the majority of their waking hours, but just to be sure they did had enough to eat, I continued to mix in the brewers yeast and oats into their feed during this stage, but only offered them feed in the evening when they came back inside to sleep.

Many mornings there would still be feed in their dish, and I was only giving them maybe 3/4 of a cup to share between the three of them.

Free Ranging/Layer Feed (15-16% protein) 17 Weeks Old+

Your geese should be free ranging pretty much all the time now and will get the nutrients they need from the various grasses and weeds they eat.

During the warm months, they shouldn't need commercial feed at all, or you can feed them a mix of layer feed and wheat. Again, pellets are recommended over crumble or mash.

In the winter they will need something to eat if they don't have access to fresh greens year round. A mix of wheat and layer feed mix or just wheat can be fed through the cold months. I opted to feed them just plain wheat their first winter which they loved.

Adult geese will eat about 1/2 pound of feed or grains per day when they have no access to grass. Offering sea kelp free-choice or mixed into the feed will provide them the nutrients they would be otherwise getting from the fresh greens.

I also gave them some hay in a basket in the corner of their house to give them some additional nutrition and provide the something to do while they were "cooped up". Although I allowed them access to the outdoors every day all winter, we often had a foot or more of snow on the ground which precluded them finding anything to eat outside.

Update: My goslings are not eating commercial feed at all any longer and will live long, happy lives while laying us delicious, fresh eggs each spring munching on grass and weeds in the warm months and wheat and hay in the cold months.

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Further Reading

https://articles.extension.org/pages/67812/feeding-geese

How to feed geese at home: recommendations for feeding, diet

Proper and balanced nutrition of geese brings a good income to the breeder. Birds give a lot of eggs, meat, soft fluff. They get sick less often, the survival rate of chicks increases. Feed costs are repaid by increasing the productivity of geese and reducing the cost of veterinarians. Many breeders are interested in how to ensure proper nutrition for free-range and caged birds, in winter and summer, which foods are better to add and which ones to limit or eliminate from the diet.

Content:

Features of the diet of geese
Composition of feed mixtures for geese and diet
Specifics of feeding geese by seasons
Prohibited products
Farmers advice on feeding geese

Features of the diet of geese

Compound feed and greens form the basis of the nutrition of agricultural birds. The diet of geese should also include fresh vegetables: potatoes, beets, pumpkin, cabbage, silage and tops. In addition to herbal ingredients, whey, skim milk, fishmeal, yeast and salt are added to goose feed. It is not necessary to give all foods daily, but each of them must be regularly present in the diet.

Since it is difficult for geese to digest whole grains, dry crumbly compound feed is not recommended for them. Small particles can be inhaled. Birds begin to choke and choke. It is better to give them granulated feed. Geese with appetite eat oilseeds and legumes meal and cake, and prefer clover from meadow grasses.

In order to prevent the predominance of fat mass over muscle, geese are fed only greens once a week. They tolerate the absence of grain without damage to health and growth, but they cannot do without grass or hay.

Composition of feed mixtures for geese and diet

The diet of birds is made taking into account the conditions of their keeping. There are 3 modes of feeding geese: dry, wet and combined. Regardless of the type, each of them provides for the use of:

compound feed,
greenery,
roughage,
vegetable crops.

Dry feeding, as less labor intensive, is more often used in large poultry farms. For small and medium-sized farms, wet or combined is preferable.

Dry mixes are the most economical and easy to use option. They are undemanding to storage conditions. They include wheat, millet, barley, corn, rye products. All components are carefully crushed and mixed in equal amounts, so it is enough to pour them into bird feeders. However, geese gain weight more slowly on dry food, so such mixtures are usually given during the non-productive period. Also, they can't be used all the time. With the constant use of only dry food, the risk of intestinal blockage is high.

Wet mashes are given to birds three times a day. Such feed cannot be stored for a long time, so they are prepared directly on the day of consumption. Stale mixtures can cause indigestion. To prepare feed, crushed grain components are poured into wooden containers and poured with water at a ratio of 1.5 liters per 1 kg, and then yeast is added. The stirrer is infused for 6 hours. After that, chopped vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage) and fresh chopped greens are added to the feed. The preparation of such mixtures is a rather laborious process, therefore its organization at a medium and large poultry farm is not always advisable.

Ready mixed food combines the advantages of dry and wet food. It is easy to prepare and provides a high average daily weight gain. Roughage in combination with moist foods is much better digested, and the birds get more nutrients. A mixture of grains and vegetables is served along with a small amount of table salt.

In all feeding regimes, birds must be provided with clean drinking water. In addition, geese require mixtures of sand, gravel and small shells to cleanse their stomachs.

Feed for farm birds must fully meet their need for vitamins and minerals. There may be an insufficient amount of biologically active substances (BAS) in grain fodder and vegetables, especially in winter or early spring. In this case, premixes rich in vitamins A, D, E, B2, as well as pantothenic and nicotinic acids, which are necessary for the normal growth of birds, are introduced into goose feed. Due to the high concentration of biologically active substances, premixes should not be given as the main product. They are added to the feed mixture in the amount of 1-5%. An excess of vitamins and minerals is no less harmful than their lack.

It is recommended to adhere to the following feeding schedule for geese:

7:00 - dry mixes containing germinated grains;
15:00 - vegetable crops with the addition of vitamin-mineral complexes and hay dust;
20:00 - a mixture of flour and grains.

Geese need special fattening before laying for at least 30 days. Their diet must include wheat and oats, legumes, vegetables, meal and oilseed cake, as well as bone or fish meal. Geese are fed 4 times a day, giving them dry and wet mixtures alternately. 1 week before laying eggs, vitamin complexes are added to the diet.

Feeding specifics of geese by seasons

In summer, the main part of the bird's diet is a variety of greens. Geese grazing on the range feed on:

fresh nettles,
dandelions,
cereals,
sorrel,
legumes,
plantain,
yarrow,
clover,
alfalfa.

Swimming in reservoirs, they catch duckweed, cattail, reeds, chastukha. Grazing provides significant savings in feed, but they cannot be completely excluded, since greenery alone is not enough for birds to gain weight. Normally, geese eat about 2 kg of fresh grass per day, and they get the rest of the calories from grain fodder, vegetables, roughage (hay and branches).

For accelerated weight gain, it is preferable to give them a mixture of high grains twice a day: oats, barley, wheat, rye, corn. On average, in addition to greens, geese daily need:

700 g of cereals and legumes;
500 g potatoes;
250 g carrots and beets;
300 g hay dust or flour;
100 g silage;
25 g minerals (salt, shell).

In addition, it is useful for geese to give cottage cheese, eggs, chalk (10 g per bird). Solid legumes are introduced only in boiled form, so that they cannot be choked on. Cereals can be partially replaced with dried bread in an amount of up to 60 g, coniferous hay flour (up to 20 g).

Geese who are constantly in the house must be fed three times a day. In winter, the diet is based on cereals:

barley,
oats,
ground corn,
wheat bran,
millet.

The lack of fresh herbs is compensated by silage, dried tops, hay dust and premixes. In a warm climate, short-term grazing on water bodies is possible, during which geese feed on the remains of duckweed and other algae. A significant place in their diet in the autumn-winter period is occupied by silage, which in its composition is closest to green fodder. It is also useful to add needles of pine or spruce. It compensates for the lack of vitamin C, stimulates the appetite and immunity of geese, helps to increase the number and improve the nutritional quality of eggs. It is important to consider that needles require preliminary preparation. It is first dried and then carefully ground. It is more profitable for owners of medium and large poultry farms to order ready-made vitamin complexes with a similar composition.

Sunflower meal and cake are often added to hay dust and flour. Geese eat oilseed products well and put on weight quickly. Dried gray bread is introduced as a delicacy to stimulate appetite, but it is not recommended to give it in large quantities.

Prohibited foods

Not all herbs are good for geese. The use of some of them can provoke indigestion, decrease in productivity, and in some cases lead to death in the poultry house. Especially dangerous herbs are:

sedge,
cuff,
goose foot.

Geese usually avoid them. However, with insufficient nutrition and the absence of other vegetation on the pasture, they can begin to eat harmful grasses. Breeders need to check grazing areas and make sure the geese are getting enough calories while feeding in the poultry house. This question is especially relevant in early spring. On the first outings on the water, geese that did not receive fresh greens can eat harmful algae, silt, small fish and become infected with intestinal infections. To avoid this, birds are fed and released at first for no more than 3-5 hours before walking.

In addition to wild grasses, outbreaks can be caused by freshly harvested rye, cereals contaminated with mycotoxins, or sprouted potatoes with green areas containing solanine. All ingredients must be carefully checked before use. Rye should rest for at least 3 months, cereals damaged by mold and green potatoes are thrown away.

Farmer's recommendations for feeding geese

The type of diet depends on the direction of the birds. To obtain meat, it is important to provide geese with high-calorie nutrition. If you plan to breed chicks, it is important to reconsider the feeding regimen for geese. Overweight females are less healthy and less likely to lay eggs. On the other hand, just before laying, geese require a hearty diet high in vitamins and minerals. To meet the needs of birds in calories and prevent obesity, their diet is enriched with fresh fish, skim milk and whey.
The immune system of chicks begins to form already at an early age, but their stomachs are not yet able to digest all the components of the feed. Therefore, in the first 3-4 days they are given a yolk pre-cooked and mixed with boiled water, gradually adding chopped onion feathers to it.
Starting from the 6-7th day, the ration of goslings is replenished with fresh alfalfa and nettle. From a week old, wheat or corn porridge and boiled potatoes are added to the feed. However, the number of new products should not exceed 15%. By 12 days, goslings are able to absorb well-chopped raw vegetables.
Chicks at the age of 17-28 days are independent enough to pluck greens on the run. They are released to pasture along with adult birds, but in the morning and evening they are fed separately with crushed and steamed grain with the addition of fresh vegetables. The content of cereals in the diet during this period should not exceed 20%. It is useful for goslings to give carrots, beets, pumpkins, boiled potatoes so that they receive enough vitamins of groups A and B.
After 4 weeks the chicks switch to an adult diet and start fattening them for meat. In order for geese to gain weight better, from this age they are given high-calorie compound feed with a high grain content. In the finished product, all the necessary components are balanced for rapid weight gain, strengthening of the skeleton and normal digestion.
Approximately 30 months before slaughter, geese are transferred to enhanced fattening. The daily portion of cereals alone reaches 400 g. Birds must always have food and enough water. If you leave the feeders lit, the geese will eat even at night. During this time, they gain about 1.5 kg.
With the intensive rearing method, the total fattening period is on average 2.5 months. Geese are not released to pasture to limit their movement. Birds are kept in special boxes with a hole for the head, and feeders are placed in front of them. To accelerate weight gain and increase slaughter weight, force-feeding is used.

Compiling a balanced diet for geese of different ages is a difficult task. Buying ready-made feed and premixes greatly simplifies it. In our company, you can order safe, high-quality mixtures for meat and egg-laying poultry.

How to feed goslings in the first days of life: a sample menu

Proper feeding of newborn goslings and their normal maintenance are important factors in order to reduce the percentage of death of young animals. A variety of regular meals can strengthen the immune system of babies and enable them to grow up healthy. What does the diet of daily goslings look like, what foods should be present in their diet one, two weeks, a month after birth? 9Ol000

Feeding considerations

Most breeders choose goslings for keeping at home, because they are easy to care for even in the very first days of life. It is important to keep babies in a clean room, feeders and drinkers should be constantly washed. Leftover feed can turn sour and, eaten by birds, will harm their digestive system.

Little geese in the first months of life are very sensitive to the development of not only gastrointestinal diseases, but also many other ailments. The first weeks of life are the most important in terms of raising chicks. Also, feeding in each of the periods of their life up to a month of age has its own characteristics.

On the first day

Feeding goslings born with the help of a mother hen and an incubator is not much different in the first days of life.

For the first time, chicks should be fed immediately after they are dry. Early feeding is of great importance, as it promotes the resorption of the remnants of the yolk.

Such babies quickly grow, their survival rate is much higher. On the first day of life, it is customary to feed goslings with boiled and chopped eggs. You can give herbs. Add to the diet of chicks on this day and corn grits, and crushed grain. The main component of the diet of crumbs from the very beginning is grass - from the moment they are born, they are able to consume about 50% of green food.

Since geese are herbivorous birds, some breeders release the young directly into the paddock. Babies are fed at least 8 times a day. Meals usually occur every few hours. For convenience, it is best to offer food to chicks on a special pallet or ordinary plywood. So the chicks will not be able to trample on food. Boiled water should be given in the drinker. If fermented milk products are useful for chickens, then it is not recommended to give them to goslings.

In a week

At the age of 7 days of life, chicks are offered food no more than 6 times a day. At this point, it is customary to remove eggs from the diet. Week-old chicks need to be fed large portions. This is where nutritious and satisfying protein foods come to the rescue. Peas have proven themselves well. It is a nutritious product because it contains a large amount of protein. It is advised to soak it first, then grind it with a meat grinder.

Eating protein food, babies grow quickly and intensively gain kilograms. In France, goose liver is valued, so they prefer to feed birds there with peas. They do it a little by force - they put the goose in a vise and push food into it. It is possible to give peas to birds without violence, even if you do not set yourself the task of getting a large liver. Fish oil and bone meal are useful for the body of small birds these days. Such supplements contain a large amount of vitamins necessary for a growing body.

They will enable the goslings to develop properly. If daily chicks need to be offered only water, then after a week a little potassium permanganate should be added to it. The diet of babies during this period should be somewhere 30% more than a few days ago. You can feed the chicks with factory feed. You can say a lot of good words in this regard to the compound feed for goslings PK-5. This product is suitable for goslings, ducklings and chickens from 1 to 5 weeks old. The use of compound feed for goslings can provide your pets with a complete set of vitamins and minerals.

After 2 weeks

Peas and greens form the basis of the diet during this period. To make the nutrition of the chicks more varied and increase the percentage of nutrition, to make the food a source of vitamins, mixes are added. They are made from boiled beets, carrots and potatoes. Mixers for goslings should be non-liquid, the food is ideally made crumbly. If it is sticky in consistency, the nasal passages of the chicks can become clogged, which is quite dangerous for health.

Mixers should be prepared shortly before you offer them to the chicks. They must eat the food fresh within half an hour so that it does not have time to turn sour. It is recommended to feed babies with wet mixtures no more than a couple of times a day. Specialists and experienced poultry farmers advise giving chicks a small amount of fresh cottage cheese.

The drinker should be set low so that babies can reach it and rinse their spouts if necessary. It is useful at this time of intensive growth of young animals to include vegetables and root crops in the daily diet - raw and chopped. This is how vitamins and other nutrients get into the body of the crumbs. Do not forget about adding chalk and shells to your food in small doses.

After 3 weeks babies can be pastured. It will be necessary to equip a small paddock for walking young animals. At first, they stop giving food, as the goslings learn to get their own food. When they cope with a large amount of grass in the proposed territory, it is recommended to feed them with mixed fodder and crushed grain.

Heavy feeds can be introduced, but in small doses - no more than 25% of the daily requirement. It is necessary to feed goslings during this period up to 3 times a day. The feeders in the poultry house must be constantly full, because even after walking the birds prefer to eat at night. At the age of three weeks, the diet consists of feeds that have a high calorie content. Selected grain is an obligatory element in the composition. You can not choose dry grain, it is better to prefer combined feeds. Fish oil and vitamin complexes are important at this time. A good walk in this period is near a reservoir - geese will be able to eat algae.

After a month

One month old chicks can spend most of the time in the pen. They need 3 meals a day. In the diet of this period there are peas, grain, mash. Green fodder kids produce on their own. If you do not have the opportunity to organize a pasture for walking young animals, you need to mow the grass for it. It is an indispensable component of the correct diet of growing chicks. The menu of goslings should contain wheat bran, cake, chalk, shells, salt in the recommended doses. Geese are very unpretentious in food, this must be taken into account as they grow.

Many breeders offer their pets bread crusts and other leftovers from the table, which they willingly eat. The main thing to remember is that the birds must receive unspoiled food. It is unacceptable to give them acidified residues, so as not to harm the gastrointestinal tract and health in general.

What to do with weak goslings

When there are weakened crumbs in the herd, they are advised to add a special medical-nutrient mixture to their food. It is based on such healthy products as milk and egg yolk. You can make your own mixture. To do this, take half a glass of fresh whole milk, in which the egg yolk is stirred. A little sugar, biomycin or penicillin should be added here. These antibiotics will help to cope with the depletion of the body of the chicks.

It is recommended to feed them with this mixture until complete recovery. An important factor is compliance with the standards for keeping young animals. The first walks in the sun should be about 10 minutes, so that the little ones do not get a dangerous heat stroke.