Sharing Experience on Spring Safety Management of Goslings

People often say: “Spring geese are easy to raise, but spring goslings are hard to brood.” In large-scale production, the mortality rate of goslings from 0 days to 21 days of age is relatively high, among which mortality caused by harsh environmental conditions and unscientific management accounts for more than 60% of the total deaths of goslings. The environmental factors causing gosling deaths are as follows:

Temperature

Geese are warm-blooded animals, but goslings are small in size, with sparse down and an immature thermoregulatory function, and they have very weak adaptability to low temperatures and sudden temperature changes. In a low-temperature environment below 26°C, goslings huddle together, and those squeezed into the middle of the pile often die of suffocation. When the huddled goslings are manually scattered, those that have sweated heavily are very likely to catch a chill and catch cold, and after the person leaves, the flock huddles and sweats again. With such repetition, not only does the number of goslings with colds increase, but goslings that sweat repeatedly are also prone to feather pecking, becoming stunted geese.

Once the temperature in the goose house exceeds 32°C, goslings become listless, eat little, drink a lot, and their body temperature rises, heat dissipation is hindered, thus affecting growth and development and inducing disease. Prolonged high temperatures can also cause mass deaths of goslings.

The temperature requirements for raising goslings should be suitable and balanced: goslings from 0 days to 7 days of age require a house temperature of around 28°C, and then it should decrease by 2°C per week as their age increases, but the temperature difference between day and night must not exceed 2°C.

Humidity

The requirements of goslings for environmental humidity should not be taken lightly either. Practice has shown that when humidity exceeds 80%, accompanied by unsuitable temperature, goslings show symptoms such as listlessness, reduced appetite, huddling, difficulty breathing, diarrhea and loose ruffled down. Such goslings are mostly stunted, with weakened vitality and disease resistance, and later easily become stunted geese, losing their rearing value. In a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, pathogenic microorganisms and parasites breed easily, feed and litter mold easily, and the incidence of disease in the flock also increases, while heat stroke in goslings can also be triggered.

Starvation and Water Deprivation

As the remaining yolk in the body is gradually absorbed, the metabolism of goslings becomes increasingly active. Because goslings have a small gastrointestinal volume and poor digestive capacity, the feed supplied is required to be of good quality and easy to digest. During rearing, they should be divided into groups reasonably, and the size and height of the feed troughs or feed trays should be appropriate, with proper placement, so as to ensure that every gosling can eat well and eat a moderate amount.

Newly hatched goslings contain about 75% water in their bodies. If goslings are not given drinking water within 24 hours, they will rapidly show symptoms such as listlessness, drooping wings, lethargy, sunken eyeballs and localized skin shrinkage due to severe dehydration. Therefore, for young goslings, supplying clean water at a suitable temperature as early as possible is more important than feeding, and once drinking water has begun, it must not be interrupted without cause.

Harmful Gases

Goslings are very sensitive to harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the brooding house. When the carbon dioxide content in the environment exceeds 0.51 mg per kg, the ammonia content exceeds 21 mg per kg, and the hydrogen sulfide content exceeds 0.46 mg per kg, goslings will show symptoms such as listlessness, accelerated breathing, increased oral mucus, reduced appetite and loose, lusterless feathers. If the harmful gases continue to accumulate, goslings will develop corneal opacity, eyelid edema, tearing and runny nose, then complete loss of appetite, and neurological symptoms such as incoordination, finally dying with the head thrown back, convulsions and paralysis.

The main causes of carbon dioxide poisoning in goslings include relatively high room temperature, poor ventilation in the brooding house, and excessive stocking density of goslings. The main causes of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide poisoning in goslings include dampness in the brooding house, poor ventilation, and failure to remove dirty litter and manure and other organic matter in time.

Drug Poisoning

Poisoning and death of goslings caused by overuse and abuse of drugs is very common in the process of raising geese. The main reason is that raisers lack modern rearing concepts and, from the start of feeding goslings, blindly use nitrofurans (such as furazolidone), antibiotics, sulfonamides and other drugs, causing acute or cumulative drug poisoning.

Geese are herbivorous waterfowl with unique biological and physiological characteristics. Because they are accustomed to people's long-standing traditional extensive rearing, geese are relatively sensitive to drugs, especially goslings. Practice has shown that as long as the brooding environment can be kept clean, hygienic and dry, with suitable temperature, humidity, light and stocking density, reasonable grouping of individuals, good ventilation, and fresh, clean feed and drinking water given at regular times and in set amounts, goslings can grow healthily and are not prone to common diseases and parasitic diseases. As for infectious diseases such as gosling plague, new-type viral enteritis of goslings and goose paramyxovirus disease, drug prevention and treatment are of no help at all; only regular immunization of breeding geese and goslings according to the prescribed immunization program can avoid outbreaks and ensure production safety.

Crushing and Rodent Damage

Poor insulation conditions in the brooding house, sudden fright of goslings, jolting during transport of goslings, irregular feeding and watering, and excessive stocking density often cause goslings to be crushed to death.

Rodent damage has the greatest impact on goslings within 3 weeks of age; it not only causes injury and death of goslings but also spreads diseases, endangering other livestock and poultry, and must be strictly prevented. The key is to plug rat holes in the brooding house, pay attention to closing doors and windows, and strictly prevent rats from entering.