Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Integrated Meat Goose Farming Technology
Selection of Goslings
Goslings refer to goose chicks within 4 weeks of age. Goslings should be selected from the offspring of flocks whose parent geese have been vaccinated against gosling plague. Choose those with a strong and lively constitution, bright and alert eyes, large body size, well-absorbed yolk sacs, no bloody or hard navels, clean beaks, nostrils and vents, and clean yellow fluffy down covering the whole body, with no bent or damaged toes and claws. Weak and defective goslings should be culled as early as possible. Transport should be smooth and quick, with attention to keeping warm. Goslings should be transported right after hatching, preferably entering the brooding room within 10 hours after hatching, and the temperature of the brooding room should be maintained at 31-33°C.
Feeding of Goslings
1. Within 24 hours after hatching, place 0.02% potassium permanganate solution in a small basin or container, press the gosling's head down and train it a few times, and it will drink water freely. Drink water first, then start feeding. At the same time, feed chopped green feed. For concentrate feed, use soaked rice or broken rice soaked in boiled water mixed with green feed, scatter it on a clean object and let them eat freely, adding more as they eat. Feed 6 times a day, 4 times during the day and 2 times at night, letting the goslings eat until 80% full each time.
2. After 10 days of age, feed compound feed. They can be let out to graze on tender green grass leaves for no more than 30 minutes, and the grazing time should be gradually extended afterward. Take care to protect them from rain and exposure to the sun.
3. The young goose house should be kept clean, dry and warm. Provide sufficient clean drinking water.
4. Feed troughs and utensils should be kept away from meat, fish and grease, because the digestive function of goslings is not yet fully developed, and this can easily cause gosling deaths.
Feeding of Young Geese
1. For gosling rearing, they enter the young stage at 1 month of age. At this time they should be grazed all day, with fixed times and locations for going out and returning to graze, but they must be protected from cold and heat, and on rainy days they should be taken out to graze only after the dew has dried.
2. Avoid pesticide poisoning and grazing in areas where epidemics are prevalent.
3. After 1 month of age, feed 2 times a day, with 1 supplementary feeding of concentrate at night. The ratio of concentrate to green feed is 1:1.
4. During rearing, feed complete pelleted feed, which can both meet nutritional needs and facilitate intake, reducing waste. As meat geese grow older, the crude protein content can be gradually reduced to save feeding costs. Feeding should be done at fixed times, and drinking water should be sufficient.
Suitable Temperature for Meat Geese
1-5 days of age: 30-28°C, 6-10 days of age: 28-26°C, 11-15 days of age: 24-22°C, 16-20 days of age: 22-20°C, after 21 days of age the room temperature should be kept above 18°C. If the temperature is too low, goslings will huddle together, which can easily cause death. If it exceeds 35°C, goslings will open their mouths and gasp, scream and sweat, and if suddenly exposed to cool wind, they are prone to catching colds. The temperature should be suitable, and the air in the house should be kept fresh to promote rapid growth.
Rearing Density of Meat Geese
In the 1st week of age, 10-15 birds per square meter, in the 2nd week of age 8-10 birds, in the 3rd week of age 6-8 birds. Adjust flexibly according to the goose breed, and divide them into small pens to prevent goslings from piling up and being crushed to death. They should be raised in groups according to size, with 100-150 birds per group being appropriate. Use floor rearing with litter or raised wire-floor rearing, and change the litter frequently.
Fast Marketing to Increase Benefits
Meat geese at 30-40 days of age have a fast daily weight gain, which can reach 100 g, and marketing before 60 days of age gives the best economic benefits. After 60 days of age, the daily weight gain of meat geese is only about 10 g, and feed intake increases, so benefits decline. Use short-term pen fattening and linear rapid fattening methods, adopting full-day pen rearing, weak light, free feeding and free drinking. During the peak growth period before 60 days of age, feed a complete feed or mixed feed with a metabolizable energy level of 2800-3000 kcal/kg and a crude protein content of 16-18%, mixed with green feed, to promote rapid marketing.
Do a Good Job in Disease Prevention and Control
Strengthening the comprehensive disease prevention capability for meat geese, strictly disinfecting, and implementing standardized immunization procedures to reduce the occurrence of diseases are important measures to improve the survival rate of meat geese. The main infectious diseases of geese include gosling plague, fowl cholera and colibacillosis. Vaccination should be done in a timely manner. Goslings should be given attenuated fowl cholera vaccine through drinking water or mixed into feed. Antibiotics should be added to the feed to prevent the occurrence of influenza and colibacillosis. Around 10 days of age, anthelmintics should be used regularly to expel tapeworms.