How to propagate Silphium perfoliatum? These key points you need to master
Silphium perfoliatum, also known as cup plant, is native to North America. Artificial cultivation is not very difficult, and it is very suitable for large-scale planting as feed, and is also well suited for scattered planting around farmhouses, along roadsides and ditch edges.
Silphium perfoliatum
Silphium perfoliatum can be propagated asexually. Under extensive management conditions, the survival rate of cuttings with underground stems can reach 89.8%, and they can gain a faster growth advantage than seedlings, achieving better biomass yield in a short period; it is expected to flower and set seed in the same year (further observation and trials are needed). Propagating Silphium perfoliatum by softwood cuttings is a practical and feasible method, but it has the drawbacks of being labor-intensive in collecting stem segments by hand, relatively high cost, and a low propagation coefficient. In addition to stem cuttings, Silphium perfoliatum may possibly be propagated by leaf cuttings.
How to raise goslings? What needs attention?
To raise geese well, you must first start with the management of gosling breeding. So how should goslings be raised? What should be noted?
How to tell male from female goslings: How to distinguish male from female when buying goslings?
Identifying and distinguishing male from female goslings when buying them has important economic significance for goose production. After separating the sexes, they can be raised in separate groups or excess male geese can be culled in time, reducing the feeding cost of breeding geese. In commercial goose production, males and females are raised and managed in separate groups so that the geese grow uniformly. In production, the methods commonly used to identify the sex of goslings are vent flipping, vent pressing, or vent pinching.
(1) Vent pressing method: Hold the gosling in the left hand, clamp the sides of the gosling's body between the index finger and ring finger of the right hand, and gently push upward with the middle finger just outside the vent. If a small protrusion is felt, it is a male goose. The vent pressing method is harder to master than the vent pinching method, but once proficient it is faster.
(2) Vent flipping method: Hold the gosling in the palm of the left hand, clamp the neck opening between the middle finger and ring finger of the left hand so that its belly faces upward, then place the thumb and index finger of the right hand on both sides of the cloaca and gently turn the cloaca open. If a spiral-shaped protrusion (the rudiment of the penis) is seen at the opening of the cloaca, it is a male goose; if no spiral-shaped protrusion is seen, only triangular flap-like folds, it is a female goose.
(3) Vent pinching method: Separate the area in front of the gosling's neck with the thumb and index finger of the left hand, and hold the young goose; with the thumb and index finger of the right hand gently pinch both sides of the cloaca, rub slightly up and down or back and forth, and if a small protrusion the size of a sesame seed or rapeseed is felt, with a tip that can slide and a base that is relatively fixed, it is the penis of a male goose; if there is none, it is a female goose.
As for how to distinguish female geese from goslings? What characteristics are there in appearance? and other questions about how to distinguish male from female goslings, in fact, by appearance alone most people may not be able to tell, so the vent must be turned outward to distinguish male from female goslings, using the three methods above to identify them.
When introducing goslings, you must select healthy and strong young geese that are lively and active, with large bright eyes, clear calls, fluffy down, a full body, a clean vent and navel, and a well-contracted umbilical cord. One week before the goslings arrive, the brooder house should be sprayed and disinfected with 5%-10% limewater. After the goslings arrive, they should be vaccinated against gosling plague in time.
Grazing goslings: When the geese reach 20-30 days of age, grazing can begin. For the first grazing, choose a windless sunny day, feed the young geese, then drive them to nearby grassland to let them move freely, and after one hour let the flock return to the shed. Afterwards, gradually extend the grazing time and distance. After 3 weeks, they can graze completely during the day, with only one feeding at night. Generally 250-300 geese form one flock, and the flock should be made to move forward slowly in a rectangular formation; they must not be driven too hastily, and all the geese should be allowed to eat grass. As for gosling prices, as soon as dawn breaks in the morning, the flock can be driven out of the shed to let them eat dew-covered grass, brought back to the shed at noon, taken out again in the afternoon, and brought back at sunset. If grazing in the fields all day, at noon the flock should be driven under the shade of trees to rest. If it is cloudy and rainy, do not graze.
In gosling breeding, attention must be paid to the goslings' growing environment and changes. Gosling illnesses should be discovered early so they can be prevented and treated early. You cannot wait until the illness is severe, because by then it may be impossible to save them. Prevention and treatment of gosling lice:
Pathogen: The pathogen of this disease is feather lice, of which there are many species, surviving by swallowing goose feathers and skin flakes. The feather lice parasitic on the head and body of geese have oval bodies, dense hair all over, and yellow bodies; the feather lice parasitic on the wing area of geese have gray-black bodies.
Symptoms: Gosling lice multiply in large numbers and devour the skin flakes of goose feathers. Although they do not cause goose death, they can make the goose's body extremely itchy and restless, cause feathers to fall off, and sometimes even strip the goose bare, which people call “ghost plucking”. When goslings peck at their feathers they appear restless, their resistance declines, and mortality increases. In breeding geese, it affects the egg production rate, resistance decreases somewhat, and body weight is reduced.
Prevention and treatment:
Spraying method (1) Spray 0.2% trichlorfon on the surface feathers of the goose at night; the lice come out to activity at night and after contact with the drug are poisoned and die. (2) At the same time, spray the walls, floor and all utensils of the goose house with the drug, so that the lice have nowhere to hide. (3) Spraying feathers with 3%-5% sulfur powder also works well. (4) 1 part tobacco, 20 parts water, boil for 1 hour, let cool until warm, then apply and wash the goose body on a warm day. At the same time, a thorough insect-killing operation must also be carried out everywhere in the goose house before it can be completely eradicated.
Medicated bath method (1) Take 20 ml of 2.5% deltamethrin and add 10 L of water to make a medicinal solution, spray this solution on the surface feathers of the goose, or immerse the goose in the solution to kill feather lice, but the goose's head must be kept above the water, and it should be taken out after soaking for 1 second to 2 seconds. (2) Take 1 part sodium fluoride and 99 parts clean water to make a 1% sodium fluoride solution, immerse the goose in the solution for a few seconds and then lift it out. It is suitable if the feathers are soaked. (3) Take 0.5 part refined trichlorfon and 99.5 parts warm water, immerse the goose in the solution for a few seconds, then take it out and drain off the excess solution. The above several medicated bath methods have good lice-killing effects, but they are ineffective against lice eggs, so they need to be repeated once after 10 days to kill the newly hatched young lice. During the medicated bath, the house temperature should be raised to prevent the geese from catching cold.
How can the cost of gosling breeding be reduced? Some people want to raise goslings, but give up because the cost of gosling breeding is too high. So we need a way to reduce the cost of raising goslings. Now let's talk about it:
Of course, gosling management is the prerequisite, because goslings have sparse down, poor ability to regulate changes in external temperature, very incomplete functions of various organs, and low disease resistance. If management is poor and feeding is improper, it often causes large numbers of gosling deaths. Therefore, reasonable feeding of goslings is the prerequisite for raising geese and also a key link. First, when selecting goslings, be sure to choose healthy and strong goslings, make good brooding preparations, feed scientifically, and select fine feed. Adding 10% grass meal to the feed can both reduce costs and improve feed utilization, ensuring balanced nutrition. Doing good hygiene and epidemic prevention work is very important. Anti-gosling plague serum should be injected in time. Oxytetracycline, norfloxacin and olaquindox should be added to the feed for prevention. At the same time, ensure clean drinking water, dryness and ventilation, avoid outbreaks of plague and disease, and supplement trace elements regularly and quantitatively.
Geese are herbivorous waterfowl and have a very high absorption rate of protein and fiber in green grass (similar to sheep). Weeds along roadsides, pond edges, field edges, and around houses can all be fed in appropriate amounts. This kind of feeding is more suitable for small-scale free-range feeding. Generally, for young geese from 7-21 days of age, the proportion of green grass demand (daily) in the grain rises from 10% to 90%, and by 28 days of age it can fully reach 100%. In this way, grain is saved, various grass nutrients can be fully absorbed, and feeding costs are reduced. For large-scale feeding by planting grass, its economic benefit is about 10 times that of pig farming, while the marketing cycle is only 1/3 of pig farming. In order to have green grass available all year round, perennial forage grasses are generally chosen, such as: clover, rumex, Silphium perfoliatum and grain amaranth, etc. In addition to using perennial green grass, pumpkins and sweet potatoes can also be used as feed. Because planting grass to raise geese reduces feeding costs, its economic benefit is more than 1 times that of ordinary poultry.
For gosling breeding, are there any tricks to preparing gosling diets?
All kinds of feed that geese consume within a day and night are called a daily ration. A daily ration in which the types, quantities and mutual proportions of various nutrients can meet the body's needs is called a complete-price daily ration. Selecting different quantities of several kinds of feed according to feeding standards and combining them so as to meet the nutritional needs of goslings is called daily ration formulation. Daily ration formulation is a very important technical link in goose production. Whether the daily ration formulation is reasonable is not only related to whether standardized feeding can be achieved and various feed resources can be used economically and reasonably, but also related to the health, production performance and economic benefits of goslings.
I. Basic principles of daily ration formulation. A reasonably formulated daily ration should consider the following principles:
1. Choose reasonable feeding standards: Various feeding standards have a certain representativeness, but also certain limitations; they are only relatively reasonable standards. Therefore, when referring to and applying a certain standard, you must pay attention to observing the actual feeding effect, and make appropriate adjustments according to factors such as the goose's economic type, breed, age, growth and development stage, body weight, egg production rate and season, while combining them with the specific conditions of the goose raiser and the geese's production level and feeding experience.
2. The feed selected should be economical and reasonable: On the premise of meeting the nutritional needs of geese, feed costs should be reduced as much as possible. For this reason, local feed resources should be fully utilized. The main raw materials of the daily ration must be abundant, local advantages should be fully exploited, and at the same time the economic principle should be considered, selecting as much as possible feeds that are rich in nutrition and low in price for formulation.
3. Daily ration formulation should consider the digestive physiological characteristics of different types of geese: Geese are more tolerant of roughage than other poultry, so some feed with high crude fiber content can be appropriately selected in the daily ration.
4. Attention should be paid to the palatability of the feed: Choose feed with good palatability as much as possible. For feed with high nutritional value but very poor palatability, its amount must be limited so that the entire daily ration has good palatability. The use of moldy feed, etc. is prohibited.
5. The amount of dry matter should be appropriate: In addition to meeting the needs of various nutrients, the daily ration should also pay attention to the amount of dry matter provided, that is, the daily ration should have a certain volume, so that goslings can both eat it and fill themselves, while also meeting nutritional needs.
6. The daily ration requires feed diversity: Select as many kinds of feed as possible in order to give play to the complementary effect of the nutritional components of multiple feeds and improve the nutritional value and utilization rate of the feed.
II. Daily ration formulation methods. There are many methods for daily ration formulation, including the four-corner method, the difference substitution method, the trial-and-error method and electronic computer calculation methods, etc. But no matter which method is used, the more feed types and the more nutritional index items there are, the more complex the calculation becomes.
1. Four-corner method: The four-corner method is also called the square method or diagonal method. This method is intuitive and easy to understand, and is suitable for use when there are few feed types and not many nutritional index requirements.
2. Difference substitution method: The difference substitution method is also called the simultaneous equation method. This method obtains the feed formula proportions by solving linear simultaneous equations.
3. Trial-and-error method: The trial-and-error method is one of the most commonly used daily ration formulation methods in livestock production. This method is based on feeding standards and feed supply conditions, selecting several kinds of feed, first preliminarily setting amounts for a trial formulation, then comparing the nutrients they contain with the feeding standards. Differences can be made to conform to the provisions of the feeding standards by adjusting the feed amounts.
When using the trial-and-error method, it generally goes through repeated adjustment calculations and comparison checks. Its specific steps are as follows:
(1) Look up the feeding standard and list the nutritional requirements of the feeding subject.
(2) Consult the feed nutritional value table and list the nutrient content of the feeds used.
(3) Initial formulation: According to the feeding subject and the general proportional requirements for various feeds during daily ration formulation, preliminarily determine the amounts of various feeds and calculate their nutrient content, then add together the nutrient content in the various feeds and compare it with the feeding standard.
(4) Adjustment: According to the degree of difference between the trial daily ration and the feeding standard, adjust the amounts of certain feeds, then carry out calculation and comparison again until it conforms to or approaches the standard.
Points to note during the growing period of breeding goose goslings:
I. Growth stage
The growth stage refers to the period from 80 to 120 days of age. During this period, the medium-stage young geese are in a stage of growth and development and also have to go through the second molt, requiring more nutrients. They should not be put on extensive feeding too early. According to the quality of the grass in the grazing area, the number of supplementary feedings should be gradually reduced, and the nutritional level of the supplementary daily ration should be gradually lowered, so that the bodies of the young geese can develop fully and smoothly enter the restricted feeding stage.
II. Restricted feeding stage
1. Purpose of restricted feeding
This stage generally starts from 120 days of age and ends 50-60 days before the start of laying. After the second molt, if reserve breeding geese are supplied with sufficient feed, they can begin laying after 50-60 days. But at this time, because the breeding geese's growth and development are not yet complete, growth and development among individuals is uneven, and the start of laying time is uneven, making feeding and management very inconvenient. In addition, eggs laid too early are smaller, the period during which female geese lay small eggs is longer, the fertilization rate of breeding eggs is low, the seed-use standard for eggs cannot be reached, and economic income is reduced. Therefore, at this stage, restricted feeding should be adopted for breeding geese, so that they reach the age of starting laying at the proper time and enter the laying period relatively uniformly.
2. Methods of restricted feeding
At present, there are mainly two methods of restricted feeding for breeding geese: one is to reduce the feeding amount of the supplementary daily ration and implement quantitative feeding; the other is to control the quality of the feed and lower the nutritional level of the daily ration. Geese are mainly grazed, so the latter is mostly used, but the feed ratio and feeding amount must be flexibly controlled according to grazing conditions, season and the geese's physique, so as to maintain the geese's normal physique while reducing the feeding cost of breeding geese.
During the feed control period, the nutritional level of the feed should be gradually lowered, the number of daily feedings changed from 3 times to 2 times, grazing time extended as much as possible, and the amount fed each time gradually reduced. During the controlled feeding stage, the average daily feed consumption of female geese is generally reduced by 50%-60% compared with the growth stage. More filler roughage (such as rice bran, distiller's grains, etc.) can be added to the feed, with the purpose of exercising the geese's digestive ability and expanding esophageal capacity.
After grazing training in the early part of the feed control stage, reserve breeding geese have a strong ability to eat green grass. On pasture with good grass quality, they may be fed no concentrate or little concentrate. Under poor grazing conditions, feed twice a day, at around noon and 9 p.m.
3. Management during the restricted feeding period
During the restricted feeding stage, regardless of the number of feedings, supplementary feeding should be about 2 h before grazing to prevent the geese from being too full before grazing and not eating green grass; or supplementary feeding should be 2 h after grazing, to avoid developing the bad habit of eating concentrate after the return from grazing and then rushing back to the nest without eating much green grass.
The key management points during the restricted feeding stage are as follows:
① Pay attention to observing the dynamics of the goose flock. During the restricted feeding stage, observe the mental state, feed intake, etc. of the goose flock at any time. Weak geese, injured or disabled geese, etc. should be removed in time and fed and cared for separately. Weak geese often show sluggish movement, drooping wings, lack of energy in eating grass, weak legs, low body weight, and fall behind the flock when grazing; in severe cases they lie down and cannot get up. For individual weak geese, grazing should be stopped and special management carried out; they can be fed better-quality and easily digestible feed, and grazing can resume after they fully recover.
② Selection of grazing land. Areas with abundant water and grass should be chosen, such as grassy flats, lakesides, riverbanks, hills, and harvested rice fields and wheat fields, etc. Before grazing, first investigate whether toxic drugs have been sprayed near the grazing land; otherwise, grazing can only be carried out after 1 week, or after heavy rain.
③ Pay attention to preventing heatstroke. Breeding geese in the growing period are often in May-August, when temperatures are high. When grazing, go out early and return late, avoiding the midday heat. Set out at first light in the morning, drive the flock back to the pen at around 10 a.m., or drive them under cool trees to rest, then continue grazing at around 3 p.m., and return after sunset. The resting place should preferably have a water source for drinking, playing in the water and bathing.
④ Do a good job of cleaning and hygiene in the goose house. Clean the feed troughs and water troughs daily and replace the bedding, keeping the bedding straw and the inside of the house dry.
III. Recovery feeding stage
Breeding geese that have undergone restricted feeding should enter the recovery feeding stage about 60 days before the start of laying. At this time the breeding geese's physique is relatively weak, so the nutritional level of the supplementary daily ration should be gradually raised, and the feeding amount and number of feedings increased. The daily ration protein level is suitable when controlled at 15%-17%. After about 20 days of feeding, the body weight of the breeding geese can recover to the level of the early restricted feeding period.
In order to make the breeding goose goslings molt uniformly, shorten the molting time and save feed, artificial forced molting can be carried out after the breeding geese's body weight recovers, that is, manually pulling out the primary flight feathers and secondary primary flight feathers. After feather pulling, feeding and management should be strengthened, and the feeding amount appropriately increased. The feather-pulling period for male geese can be carried out about 2 weeks earlier than for female geese, so that reserve breeding geese can enter the laying period uniformly.
How to raise goslings in winter?
Goslings have strong adaptability, reduced disease, good reproduction, a short growth cycle and stable performance, and have attracted the attention of breeders. How can meat geese be raised in the cold winter and reach market weight through short-term fattening? After selecting gosling plague immunization, 200 healthy 65-day-old geese hatched by Langdi eggs were raised, starting 17 days before the winter solstice and 4 days after the beginning of spring, with the cold period being the third nine-day period and fourth nine-day period.
Raising goslings can be divided into two stages, namely, online feeding in the brooding room at 4 weeks of age, and at 5 weeks of age, a simple plastic shed for feeding and temperature, with the shed facing sunny. Bedding should suit local conditions, such as broad leaves. Goose feed formula 1 and 30 days of age: 50%, rice bran, corn, soybean meal 18.6% 20% 8%, 2%, 1%, shell powder and salt 0.4%; 31 days of age to slaughter: corn 50%, rice bran, soybean cake 24.6%, 15%, 7%, 1%, shell powder 2%, salt 0.4%, one multivitamin, trace elements added according to instructions. Roughage white radish. The mixing ratio of fine and rough in the first week is 1:1; in the second week 3:7; after the third week 2:8 (fresh product of roughage), with free feeding time. Feeding frequency at 1-3 days of age, 8 times/day; at 11-20 days of age 6 times/day; at 21 days to slaughter 5 times a day. At 3 o'clock every day they need to be fed to drive the goose flock. Goose house temperature varies with age, 1-3, 32-20°C; 4-6, 30-27°C; 7-14, 26-24°C; 15-30 days gradually transition to 22°C. Humidity is 60%-70%.
Suitable temperature for raising goslings
The temperature for raising goslings should be adjusted according to the following conditions.
1. First water and first feed for goslings. The first drink after goslings hatch is commonly called first water, and the first feed is commonly called first feed. Whether the timing of first feed is suitable directly relates to the growth and development and survival rate of goslings. About 24 hours after hatching, when most goslings stand and move, stretch their necks and open their mouths, and show a desire to peck, first water can be given.
Specific method: Put the goslings into a basket, immerse the basket in clean shallow water to let the goslings move freely and drink for 3-5 minutes, then lift the basket out of the water and place it in a warm place to let the geese dry their down. Water can also be given indoors using a small basin. After several times of training, they can drink freely. When the weather is hot and there are many goslings, water can be sprayed artificially on the goslings to let them suck the water droplets on each other's down. Or use a drinker to give the goslings their first drink directly; the first drink can stimulate the goslings' appetite and promote the discharge of meconium.
2. Keep warm. Because goslings have poor thermoregulatory ability, temperature has a great influence on their growth and development and survival rate. For large-group raising, coal stove heating or central heating can be used, with density controlled at 20-30 birds/sq m. At 1-25 days of age, temperature 26°C-28°C, humidity 60%-65%; at 6-10 days of age, 24°C-26°C, relative humidity 65%; at 11-15 days of age, 22°C-24°C, relative humidity 65%-70%; at 16-20 days of age, 20°C-22°C, relative humidity about 70%.
For raising geese, how to prevent gosling diseases and mastering the key points of gosling management are very important. The most important thing is to do the following aspects well:
I. Disinfection of large-scale breeding villages and towns should have unified timing, unified disinfectant dosage, and unified spraying, leaving no blank areas. II. Establish a preventive disinfection system, persist in doing indoor hygiene once a day, clean feed and water troughs every day, and disinfect the goose flock, goose house and land exercise yard once every three days. This must be persisted in for a long time and cannot be interrupted. Any personnel and utensils entering the production area must undergo strict disinfection before entering or use. III. A certain amount of disinfectant should be stored, and the varieties should be diversified. IV. A disinfection pool should be set up outside each goose house.