What forage grass do geese like to eat? Common forage grass varieties suitable for raising geese

Geese like to eat forage grasses such as goose grass, bamboo grass, ryegrass, alfalfa, bitter lettuce, hybrid napiergrass, chicory, white clover, napiergrass, bitter lettuce, Russian fodder kale, Mexican corn, Guimu No. 1, and water duckweed.

1. Perennial ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is annual or overwintering, prefers a warm and humid climate, and is not tolerant of severe cold or dry heat. It is planted more extensively in East China, Central China, and the various regions of the Yangtze and Huai River basins. It has now also been introduced for spring sowing in the warmer and rainier areas of the north, such as Northeast China and Inner Mongolia. Perennial ryegrass can be sown in either spring or autumn. Spring sowing is generally carried out from early March to mid-April. Autumn sowing is from late August to late October, and in the south it can be delayed until mid-November, using the method of interplanting in rice fields. In the warm temperate areas of the north, perennial ryegrass can be cut 5 to 8 times per year, yielding 75 to 120 tons of fresh grass per hectare; in the subtropical areas of the south, when planted as a second crop on winter fallow land, it can be cut about 10 times, yielding 60 to 90 tons of fresh grass per hectare.

2. Alfalfa

Alfalfa is drought-tolerant, tolerant of poor soil, and fond of water and fertilizer, with wide adaptability. It can be planted in most areas north of the Yangtze River in China. It can be sown in all four seasons, but autumn sowing is the most common. In areas with good spring soil moisture and little wind-sand damage, it can be sown in spring, from early March to mid-to-late May; in areas with spring drought and relatively late frosts, it can be sown at the end of the rainy season; in areas where winter is not too cold, it can be sown from late August to mid-to-early October; it can also be sown before the soil freezes in early winter, using the moisture from the early spring thaw to germinate. It yields 90 to 130 tons of fresh grass per hectare, with the highest yields in the 3rd to 4th years.

3. Bitter lettuce

Bitter lettuce is an annual or overwintering herbaceous plant, widely planted in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places in China. Generally, within the range allowed by the growing period, the earlier the sowing, the better. Usually it can be sown in spring, summer, and autumn. However, early spring sowing is the most suitable. In the south, sowing from mid-February to mid-March generally gives the highest yield. In the north, it can be sown in early to mid-April. In South China, autumn sowing is also possible. The fresh grass yield is 75 to 105 tons per hectare.

4. Chicory

Chicory has strong adaptability and is a perennial herbaceous plant. It can be planted throughout both northern and southern China (except in places above 2000 m in altitude and places that are too far north and too cold). It prefers a warm and humid climate, is heat-tolerant, cold-tolerant, and has very strong regrowth ability; it is relatively salt-alkali tolerant and fond of fertilizer and water. One planting can be used for many years, with an annual utilization period of up to 8 months.

For spring sowing, in the north it is from mid-March to mid-May, and in the south from late February to mid-April; for autumn sowing, in the north it is from late August to late September, and in the south from early September to late October. Chicory yields less in the year of sowing, and after the 2nd year the yield can increase several times over.

5. White clover

White clover is a perennial herbaceous plant that prefers a warm and humid climate and can withstand low temperatures of -15 to -20°C. In Northeast China and Xinjiang, when covered with snow, it can overwinter safely. Its heat tolerance is also strong; high temperatures of around 35°C will not cause it to wilt. It can be sown in either spring or autumn. In the south, autumn sowing is preferable, but no later than October; in the north, spring sowing in March to April is suitable.

White clover is best cut at the early flowering stage. In the year of spring sowing, it can yield more than 15 tons of fresh grass per hectare; after the 2nd year, it can be cut 3 to 4 times per year, yielding 37.5 to 60 tons of fresh grass per hectare, with high-yielding stands reaching more than 75 tons.