What are the methods for collecting goose down and feathers, and what points should be noted?

1. Plucking from the carcass means collecting all the goose down and feathers at once after slaughter, and it is further divided into three collection methods: hot-water scalding, steam plucking and dry plucking. The hot-water scalding method is also called the soaking-and-scalding method or the scalding-and-defeathering method. After the goose is slaughtered, collect the goose blood and drain it as completely as possible to ensure the quality of the goose carcass and internal organs, so that the carcass has no residual blood, the body surface is clean and attractive, and the meat quality is good. It is best to pull out the large quills on both wings (tip quills, blade quills, nest quills) before scalding and store and sell them separately. Otherwise, once mixed into the feathers, they not only affect down quality but are also treated as waste and wasted. After slaughter, scald the feathers in hot water at about 68°C, pull off all the feathers and collect all the down and feathers. The steam plucking method consists of placing the goose, after slaughter and blood draining, on a steamer, steaming for 1-2 minutes and then plucking; it is a method adopted in recent years to increase the use value of down and feathers. Collect the down and feathers according to their structural classification and use: first pull the large quill feathers of both wings, then pluck the body feathers, and finally pluck the down feathers. Then use the hot-water scalding method to remove the remaining stubble and leftover feathers over the whole body. During steaming, the goose body should be placed flat and alone in the steamer and must not touch the edge of the pot; the steam heat and timing must also be well controlled. After steaming for about 1 minute, open the steamer lid, turn the goose body over and try plucking the large quills on the wings; if they come off smoothly, they can be plucked, otherwise steam a little longer. The dry plucking method is a way to increase the value of down and feathers. It uses the residual warmth of the goose body after slaughter and adopts the operation method of live plucking, plucking and storing separately according to the structural classification and use of the down and feathers. Then use the hot-water scalding method to remove the remaining feathers over the whole body.

2. Live plucking is a new plucking method that has emerged in recent years. Its advantages are obtaining high-quality down and feathers and increasing down and feather yield. This is because geese mostly begin laying at a later age, or people habitually postpone the laying age of geese to 7 months, and some even postpone it to 9-10 months. If live plucking begins at 75 days of age, then by 40 days before the start of laying, each goose can be live-plucked at least 3 times (at about 75 days, 117 days and 160 days of age). Geese reach body maturity at 6 weeks of age; if live plucking begins once the goose body is mature, then each goose can be plucked 4 times before the start of laying (at about 45 days, 87 days, 120 days and 162 days of age). If each live plucking yields an average of 120 g, 3 pluckings can yield 360 g of down and feathers.

3. Live plucking of geese causes varying degrees of irritation such as skin breaks and bleeding, causing some injury to the goose body, with at least slight bleeding from the feather pores. Therefore, the following points should be noted during live plucking: 1. Weak, malnourished or sick geese must not be live-plucked and should be picked out and left unplucked. Such geese are not only difficult to pluck but plucking also affects their health. 2. After live plucking, do not let the geese enter water to bathe, to prevent wound infection and slow healing, which would affect goose health. When they may enter water can be decided according to the condition of the skin wounds. Generally, geese are not allowed to enter water to bathe within 4-7 days after live plucking. In addition, keep the litter (straw) clean and promote cleanliness; the outdoor exercise yard should have a shade shelter in summer to prevent the geese from being drenched by rain or exposed to direct sunlight and suffering heatstroke. 3. If the geese have a poor appetite within 3-4 days after plucking, this is normal and there is no need to worry. It is mainly because the stimulation of live plucking makes the geese tense, causing a rise in body temperature; it is enough to strengthen feeding management. 4. If improper restraint during plucking or tension in the goose causes prolapse of the cloaca, wash the prolapsed part with 2% potassium permanganate solution and push it back in, and it will recover in a few days. 5. Temperature requirements for live plucking of geese: as long as the outdoor temperature is not lower than -15°C, live plucking of geese can be carried out. However, after plucking, the geese should be kept indoors for 2-3 days. Using the growth stage and the non-laying molt period of geese for live plucking does not affect the growth and development or egg-laying performance of the geese, and can also prevent down and feathers from flying about due to natural molting and affecting environmental hygiene. It increases down and feather yield, reduces the feeding cost of breeding geese, and raises the @#@232@#@ economic benefits.