What to feed goslings in the first hours of life. Knowing exactly what to feed goslings from the first days of life, you can raise healthy livestock

The first days of life are decisive in the life of any creature. The proposed diet affects the further viability of geese and the formation of their body. Nutritional preparation requires care and awareness of the needs of newborn chicks.

Their viability in the future depends on the correct nutrition of goslings.

Catering

The goslings are fed after the feathers on the chicks have dried. This moment occurs on the next day from the moment of birth. The basis of nutrition is:

• Porridges made from grains, including corn. In a crushed consistency.
• Millet bran.
• Cottage cheese.
• Eggs.
• Roots.
• Green crops.
• Chalk and shells are calcium-containing foods.

One of the most important points in caring for little goslings in the first days of life is cleanliness. Food and water are kept clean and changed promptly. Wash the bowls from which the chicks eat as often as possible. This is done to prevent the occurrence of harmful microorganisms. They negatively affect the formation of the microflora of chicks in the first days of life and cause various diseases.

At first, at home, feed the goslings six or seven times a day. Provide food to babies exclusively in crushed form, after initial processing. Keep in mind that their digestive system is not capable of digesting roughage. Any mistake will cause blockage.

For good health, the gosling needs to be fed 7 times a day.

An important part of the chicks' diet is green grass. they prefer to eat fresh, soft and juicy grass. Among the vegetation they can eat:

• clover,
• nettle,
• alfalfa,
• legumes,
• spurge.

When the chicks are five days old, fish and bone meal are added to the feeding in a mixture of potatoes and other vegetables. Finding out what to feed the goslings is not enough; the main thing is to prepare the food for the goslings to eat.

Its condition should be moist and light. Glued-together food is unacceptable as it will clog your sinuses and can cause blockage in your esophagus.

Monitor the condition of the water. Change it daily. so that it is fresh and warm. Contaminated and old water should not be given to birds.

With the onset of the warm season, it is easier to feed the chicks at home; fresh and juicy green grass grows around, which represents the main part of the animal’s diet. In addition to the main food, the birds are provided with sand, gravel and chalk with shells. They are a source of calcium and cleanse the esophagus, improving digestion and eliminating possible problems.

Dirty water is the enemy of goslings' health

Consequences of poor nutrition

As a result of non-compliance with the diet required by the chicks, they develop various diseases, which often lead to death. Due to the fact that the little creature’s body is not yet strong and resistance to microorganisms has not been developed, chicks are most susceptible to various kinds of diseases.

In the first days of life, goslings need cleanliness and care. By cleanliness we mean:

• New litter, changed promptly.
• Clean food, bowls and water.
• Proven food.

Infections may be concentrated in dirty bedding, or the food may be contaminated with a virus that will infect the fragile body. At home, sterile conditions should be organized for chicks so that the slightest omission does not cause infection.

Dirty litter can harbor infections

Be attentive to adults and their health status. It is better to keep the goslings separate from other individuals. Since a baby can become infected from a mature individual.

Properly organized nutrition from the first days of life is accompanied by rapid weight gain in the chick. The diet affects the quality of goose meat, the condition of its feathers and weight. At one week of age, babies are allowed to graze on pastures.

With the right diet, two month old chickens can be raised to the weight of adults.

Additional use of compound feed in feeding chickens will not harm the animal only if you are confident in its quality and composition. The digestive system of small goslings is not resistant to harmful bacteria, and combined feeds are not always made in good faith.

Most novice farmers do not know what to feed their goslings in the first days of life. I would like to note that this is an important factor determining the viability of young animals. Failure to follow the basic rules of feeding small goslings can lead to the death of the entire brood. Considering the low egg production of geese, the preservation of offspring plays an important role. Feeding goslings consists of several stages; in this article, we will consider each period of the life of the young in detail.

Diet from the first days

In the first days of life, hatched goslings need careful care and a balanced diet. It is at this time that the chicks’ immune system is formed. It is best to use boiled yolks during this period.

They are well absorbed in the body of day-old goslings, in addition, in this way the goslings become accustomed to solid food. Boiled yolks must be filled with boiled water.

This will be the main food for the first 5 days of the chick's life.

Then you can gradually add greens to the yolk. Young onions are best suited for these purposes. It must be finely chopped and mixed with boiled yolk. Eggs can be replaced with cottage cheese, and meadow herbs can be used instead of green onions. For example, clover or alfalfa.

It has been noted that chicks are good at eating bread crusts previously soaked in water. When feeding goslings at home, you can include bread crusts in their daily diet.

Between one week and ten days of age, it is good to add more grass to the food. This stimulates the body to produce the necessary enzymes. Remember that goslings must have unhindered access to water. To do this, it is necessary to equip wooden drinking bowls with low sides.

Chicks need water not only for drinking. Goslings should wash their beaks after eating. If this rule is neglected, the nasopharynx may become clogged in the young, which can lead to the death of the chicks.

Diet after 10 days

During this period, it is recommended to introduce more high-calorie substances into the feed. Remember that such innovations should not exceed 15% of the usual feed. For these purposes, you can use porridge made from millet or corn.

During this period of life, it is useful for goslings to give boiled potatoes. It helps to quickly gain weight, while being well absorbed in the chick's stomach. potatoes in feed should not exceed 10% of the total daily ration.

Diet after two weeks

At this age, it is beneficial to feed raw, finely chopped vegetables and root vegetables. This helps saturate the chick’s body with essential vitamins and nutrients. In addition, you can add boiled peas mixed with eggs and herbs to your diet.

Here, strict standards for the preparation of such mixtures must be observed. They should not be too liquid. It has been noticed that goslings eat moist but crumbly mixtures more readily than liquid gruel.

Such mixtures should be prepared with the expectation that the chicks will eat it within 30 minutes.

This is due to the fact that wet food quickly sours; consuming such a mixture as food can cause indigestion for goslings.

It is recommended to feed two-week-old goslings with wet mixtures no more than 2 times a day. Eggs and diet can be excluded, but a small amount of cottage cheese per day will not hurt. In addition, it is recommended to mix a small amount of chalk and shells into food.

In three weeks

When the goslings reach this age, the farmer begins a relatively calm time. At home and on large farms, three-week-old chicks are released to graze. For this purpose, a small pen is equipped where the young animals are released. In the first days of such walking, food is completely excluded from the diet. The goslings get their own food.

When the amount of grass in the pen decreases, you can feed the chicks with crushed grain and mixed feed. It is recommended to add pumpkin and beets to your food. The chicks' stomachs are already fully formed; they are able to eat heavier food. But you shouldn’t get carried away so as not to overload the chick’s body; such feed should be no more than 25% of the daily requirement.

At this age, goslings should be fed at least three times a day. It is worth considering the fact that geese feed well at night. Therefore, even though they have spent the whole day in the pasture, the feeders in the house should be full.

From three weeks and beyond

At home, at this age, goslings are transferred to an enhanced diet. During this period, they actively gain weight, which is very important for meat breeds of geese. If you miss this stage, then in the future you will have to expend additional effort and money to fatten the geese.

From the age of three weeks, the diet should consist mainly of high-calorie foods. The feed must contain grain. Moreover, it is worth taking into account the fact that the grain must be selected. Of course, this entails additional costs, but as a result, the profitability of such nutrition is 70%.

Important! You cannot feed the chicks only dry grain! This negatively affects digestion.

Combined feeds are best, where the ratio of dry grain to grass is 1:1. It is recommended to include vitamin supplements and fish oil in your diet.

The ideal option would be to graze goslings near a pond. Eating algae has a positive effect on the performance of the chicks. In general, if geese graze on their own, you need to look at what food they prefer.

Birds themselves know what their body needs. And a smart farmer mixes high-calorie additives and vitamins into the food he likes. This approach is considered optimal when feeding goslings at one month of age.

It is worth mentioning the benefits of sunflower cake. This product contains many calories and is easily digested by the bird's stomach. Unlike most birds, geese are completely indifferent to this product and do not eat it in its pure form. Therefore, it is recommended to add it to the main feed. Each bird should have no more than 100 grams of cake, otherwise it will cause indigestion.

Source: http://fermerznaet.com/pticevodstvo/gusi/kormlenie-gusyat.html

goslings at home ✿ brooder, feeding, care

Good day everyone! In this article I tried to collect all the most important and necessary things on the topic - “ keeping goslings at home" especially for people who have little idea about it, but are not against getting involved in this area of ​​poultry farming.

Beginning poultry farmers must know what conditions for keeping goslings need to be created and what to feed them at the initial stage of rearing. You can find a lot of information on keeping geese on the Internet, but as a rule it is aimed at mass breeding and building a business in raising geese.

I would like to note that goslings are endowed with the ability to grow rapidly, mainly during the first month of existence. In contrast to one day of age, when their weight is approximately 100-120 g, but after 30 days it can reach up to 2 kg.

After just three to four months of feeding and keeping them in favorable conditions, their weight exceeds the initial one by 30-40 times and corresponds to a weight of 4-4.5 kg.

I would advise you to start your first experience of raising goslings by purchasing already strong ones, at least 10 days old, but if you have the conditions that will be discussed below, you can start by purchasing younger ones, since they are much cheaper.

Conditions for raising goslings

In order to get a good result from raising goslings, it is necessary to prepare in advance and provide certain conditions for their keeping. Much attention should be paid to the maintenance of the room.

Brooder equipment for goslings

The minimum requirements for a brooder is the presence of an infrared lamp, the purpose of which is not only to provide light, but most importantly heat.

In order to be able to regulate the temperature in the brooder, an infrared lamp is connected to a source of electricity through a regulator, which allows you to change the filament power of the lamp, thereby changing the degree of its heating. These are the minimum requirements.

Ideally, in addition to the above, brooders are equipped with a forced ventilation system, a drinking water supply system (automatic drinkers) and other bells and whistles.

But if you have, in simple terms - boxes with a lamp, feeders and drinking bowls, you can already think about keeping goslings there. My first experience happened like this.

A regular 60 W light bulb, a cardboard box and a homemade drinking bowl.

Well, by the way, below are photos of one of my first brooders.

It is not bad when the brooder is equipped with a well-stretched plastic or metal mesh over a prepared frame that serves as the floor of the brooder. Pallets and litter collections are placed under the mesh. This design greatly simplifies the process of cleaning the brooder.

General requirements for the premises where goslings are kept

We are talking about goslings that are more than 10 days old. Housing for goslings is more demanding than for chickens. Details about the chicken room.

The main requirement for it is dryness and absence of mold. Before laying the bedding, it is advisable to cover the prepared surface with a small layer of lime.

A significant requirement for a room for raising small goslings is that it be warm and free from drafts. Maintaining the required temperature, correct placement of feeders and drinkers is the key to high-quality and healthy raising of the goose. For example, it is advisable to place drinking bowls in such a way that the goslings, if desired, cannot tip them over, thereby soaking their bedding.

For goslings, up to 10 days of their birth, saucers or a shallow plate on which the container (jar) is placed upside down can serve as drinking bowls.

In order for water to flow from the jar into the saucer, you need to place small stands 1 cm high under the edges of the container. This way, water will flow as small creatures consume it. As the goslings grow, larger containers are used as drinkers.

This design allows the goslings not to spill water around them too much and to keep the bedding dry for a long time.

These are general requirements for premises. For example, after 5-7 days of keeping them in a brooder, we move the goslings to a larger room, while observing the necessary requirements for ambient temperature. I will go into more detail about this below.

Here are photos of the equipped place for grown-up goslings. In this case, this is an open space of approximately 3-4 m2, equipped with a suspended floor and a tray for collecting litter. A very convenient and practical thing.

In the case when the room has not been used for the first season, then before starting cultivation it must be thoroughly cleaned of old litter and droppings, and then it is advisable to wash and disinfect it with a 2 percent soda solution or a similar product. During the seasonal raising of goslings, it is not necessary to constantly change the bedding, but simply add it and distribute it evenly three to four times every two weeks.

Feeders and drinkers for goslings

From the first day of rearing, small goslings must be fed from dishes whose sides do not exceed 20 mm. After about a week, the trays are replaced with troughs to prevent trampling of the feed. After a month of life, full-fledged feeders are used, at the rate of 15-20 cm per head. It is important to ensure that all geese have access to food at the same time.

The key to healthy and full development of goslings is to provide them with the necessary living conditions, namely the organization of an optimal combination of factors such as stocking density, lighting, humidity, temperature. We provided premises, drinking bowls and feeders for the goslings, but at the same time we must not forget about the density of the goslings.

Nowadays, purchasing feeders like the ones in the pictures is not difficult and requires a lot of money.

Stocking density of goslings

It must be borne in mind that the rate of gain of live weight depends on the correct placement of young goslings. Lack of space and access to food will negatively impact weight gain as some will become malnourished. When planting closely, the drinking bowls quickly become dirty, dampness is created, and then, accordingly, stuffiness.

geese per 1 m2 should come from:

• up to one month of age 7-10 individuals
• from one month to three months 3-4 goslings
• further no more than two per 1m2

Failure to comply with planting rules in the future is the main reason for the defective development of young animals, and the risk of various diseases also increases. You need to understand that when constructing a room for raising and keeping goslings, it is necessary to take into account the dimensions of adult geese, since their growth will not keep you waiting long.

This way, the area of ​​the room provides uniform access to prepared drinkers and feeders, but we must not forget about the temperature in the room where the goslings will be kept.

Room temperature for goslings

In the first two weeks of a gosling's life, its body's thermoregulation is very poorly developed. This is due to the fact that the gosling gives off more heat than it acquires. Due to this, young animals need a well-heated area.

The heat source for goslings hatched in an incubator must be located at a distance of 30-40 cm from the floor.

The heat source can be a regular 50-100 W incandescent lamp with a wide reflector skirt; however, you need to take into account the time of year - early spring is one thing, summer is another.

The peculiarity of keeping small goslings bred under a female and formed into a group is the lower need for a warm room, in contrast to those produced by incubation.

A key indicator of a comfortable temperature in the room in which goslings are raised is their cheerful behavior. At this temperature, they run, play, eat well, and at the same time organize groups during rest, without crowding.

An indicator of too high a temperature is sluggish behavior, while the goslings lower their wings, open their mouths, lose their appetite, and breathe quickly.

Accordingly, when there is a lack of heat, the chicks gather in groups, huddling together, just as when the temperature is too high, they refuse to eat.

Important for goslings from the first day of life!!!

For full growth of goslings, the following ambient temperature is set: the first week - 24-27 degrees, the second week - 22-24 degrees, the third - 15-20 degrees.

If the rules for maintaining the required temperature are not followed, large losses are possible in the first days of their existence. Close care of goslings in the first two weeks after hatching is very important. The heated room is used on average for 2-4 weeks, depending on the time of year.

At the end of this period, if they survive, then the probability of saving everyone is close to 100%, naturally, provided there is sufficient food, and ideally, provision of pasture.

Ventilation of the room for goslings

To ensure a sufficient flow of oxygen in the room, it is necessary to create conditions for raising geese.

There is no need to clog all possible cracks and try to provide a lot of heat at the expense of fresh air access.

If the necessary ventilation is not provided, this can have a detrimental effect on the health of young animals, since they tend to release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the environment.

With a lack of oxygen, goslings eat poorly and grow poorly. The room should be ventilated from the first days of life of small creatures, providing them with clean and fresh air, but remember that the movement of air should not be felt by your body.

Indoor lighting for goslings

The light regime plays a big role in the intensity of development of young animals. The key, naturally, is the length of the day. It is necessary to try to increase the time of daylight, since under these conditions the goslings eat more and, accordingly, grow faster.

For the first 10 days, it is better to raise goslings under 24-hour lighting. Under such conditions, the young animals quickly find food and drinkers, and also get used to the premises well. At night, it is advisable to leave low lighting, which does not interfere with their rest and, if necessary, gives them the opportunity to eat or drink.

From two weeks of age, the photoperiod is reduced to 14 hours, and the lighting is turned off at night. But again, this is all relative and depends on the purpose of raising geese. In short, another story...

Goslings under the hen

The hatched goslings are divided into two groups. The first is that the goslings are healthy and strong. The second is sick, weak chicks with not yet healed umbilical cords. In cases where the gosling's still weak legs move apart, they are tied with gauze for two or three days. Then the bandage is removed.

Advice!

It is better when the goslings are bred under a brood hen. Already at three days of age, on warm days, they can be released into the open air for quite a long time. A male goose allowed near them helps them walk. A caring female will always shelter and warm the little goslings, teach them to pluck greens, and find food. The goose will always accompany the kids to the pond and carefully monitor them.

Chickens and turkeys can hatch goslings, but when the chicks are bathed, mothers show great anxiety. It is caused by running along the shore, loud cackling. In turn, the goslings pay no attention to them. In the absence of a reservoir, brood hens can quite calmly raise young animals for up to three to four weeks.

Goslings, which were raised by the incubation method on warm sunny days from the age of a week, are allowed to walk on a fenced lawn for no more than half an hour, gradually increasing the walking time. Sun exposure and open air have a very positive effect on the health of little goslings.

Two weeks after the birth of the young, the opportunity to use the green lawn is established for the whole day. From this same age, goslings are accustomed to a pond, which also clearly affects the health and well-being of the young and prevents cases of plucking each other’s feathers.

A pond has a very good effect on uniform and faster growth of plumage. In damp, cold weather, it is better to keep the babies indoors, since the lack of mature plumage does not protect them from bad weather, which can cause unwanted mortality of the young and your efforts in vain.

From the age of one month, goslings are fully allowed into meadows, grassy areas around houses, pastures that are not used for walking other types of livestock and birds.

Well, we tried to touch on the main points on keeping young goslings, but I recommend that you read the article on the features of keeping adult birds, familiarize yourself with the various diseases of this bird, and also decide on the breed. Follow the link -Features of keeping geese, Diseases of geese, symptoms and treatment, Description of breeds of geese.

By the way, here is a video clip of my first experience of raising goslings directly under the goose. There are very few goslings, but a lot of things played into this factor. In short, it's a different story. Look at the cheerful ones... The weather would not say that it is warm, but the goslings, which are five days old, feel great. Their mother goose is with them.

Source: http://vseprodachu.ru/ptizevodstvo/vyrashhivanie-gusej.html

What to feed goslings in the first days at home?

Geese are fairly unpretentious birds, so even a novice poultry farmer can handle them.

The most important thing when raising chicks is to provide them with proper nutrition appropriate for their age and create acceptable conditions, then the birds will be active, healthy and quickly gain weight.

The diet of goslings changes as they grow, but at any stage of growth, the chicks should receive sufficient amounts of minerals, vitamins and other useful substances. So, what to feed goslings in the first days at home?

What to feed goslings in the first days at home

Why is it important to feed chicks properly?

A balanced diet is simply necessary for the timely development and excellent health of the bird.

Geese grow quite quickly; due to their physiological characteristics, they eat a lot of food - for this reason, food for the chicks should be prepared frequently.

After a week, the goslings are accustomed to the street, which reduces difficulties with feeding - the chicks will be able to independently receive up to half of the portion they eat.

It is important to consider the diversity of the diet - it must be rich enough so that the birds receive the substances they need for growth. But do not forget that it is necessary to create a menu taking into account the age of the chicks - the food of a one-day-old gosling will differ from that consumed by two-week or month-old birds.

The diet of goslings directly affects their health and development

It is equally important to observe the light regime - in the first week there should be round-the-clock lighting in the poultry house; the lamp should be dimmed only at night.

It is not worth turning off the lights completely, since the goslings cannot navigate in the dark, and access to food and water will become problematic for them.

Chicks that have reached the age of one week can be transferred to 16 or 17 days of light, but this is done gradually - the time of intense lighting in the house is reduced by 20-30 minutes daily until a suitable schedule is established.

For newborn goslings, the thermal regime is also important, since the birds' thermoregulation is not developed - for this reason, they should not be released outside until they are 7-10 days old. A low temperature will cause them to huddle together and may suffocate part of the brood, while a high temperature will reduce the appetite and lead to lethargy of the livestock, which will worsen the growth rate.

Infrared lamps will help achieve the optimal temperature in the poultry house

Rules for feeding goslings

Adequate nutrition is the key to health, excellent appearance and timely weight gain of chicks. In addition, in the first days of life, goslings are susceptible to the development of various ailments, including gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, the diet of birds must be thoughtful, food must always be fresh, and feeding the brood with spoiled foods is unacceptable.

Goslings must have a complete diet

Menu for newborn goslings

The chicks are given food for the first time as soon as they are dry. Food is placed in tray feeders installed near a source of light and heat. It is worth noting that chicks that received food in the first hours of life have a higher survival rate, they are less susceptible to illnesses and grow more actively.

• grass (dandelions, garlic and onion feathers, clover) - its amount should be at least half of the total weight of the serving;
• chopped peas;
• corn grits;
• bran;
• grated carrots;
• specialized feed;
• soaked bread and crusts.

Day-old goslings are fed crushed eggs

Chicks should be fed at least 8 times a day, ideally the interval between meals should be 2 hours. It is not recommended to give fermented milk products to goslings - they can cause digestive upset. Water in the drinking bowl should always be freely available, but it is important to ensure its cleanliness and freshness.

- How to feed goslings from the first days

Diet of week-old chicks

Already from 7 days of age, a variety of boiled root vegetables are introduced into the menu (potatoes and any kind of beets are especially good), as well as:

• cake - it is steamed in boiling water and added to food;
• mineral nutrition - bone meal, crushed shells;
• fish oil;
• nutritional yeast.

Week old goslings

From this age, mash is prepared for goslings - the feed is soaked in skim milk, meat broth or yogurt.

The consistency of the product should not be excessively viscous, and this can be checked in a simple way - squeeze a little prepared food in your fist, it should not crumple or stick to the palm.

It is forbidden to give chicks sticky mash, as it can clog the nasal passages and lead to illness or death of the birds. There should always be water in the drinking bowl; it is recommended to add a small amount of potassium permanganate to it to prevent diseases and digestive disorders.

Preparing mash for week-old goslings

The approximate diet of a week-old gosling consists of:

• 20 g crushed grain;
• 20 g potatoes;
• 5 g bran;
• 40 g of grass and other greens;
• 5 g cake;
• 50 g of mash base (yogurt or broth);
• 1 g mineral supplement.

Week-old goslings in the meadow

The average daily food intake for one gosling is 130 g. By this age, eggs are removed from the menu, and the chicks are transferred to fewer feedings.

- Feeding week-old goslings

Feeding two-week-old goslings

Chicks over 14 days old receive food 5 times a day, portions at this time become larger. The daily food intake is about 170 g. At the same time, the poultry farmer must decide for what purpose the poultry is being raised - the nutritional plan depends on this:

If goslings are raised for meat, then fattening must be intensive. This diet must include mixed feed; the chicks are given increased portions. With this type of nutrition, the bird will reach a weight of 4.5 kg by the age of two months.

If the bird is raised for breeding, then an extensive system is used - in this case, the basis of nutrition will be peas and greens, and at night the bird will receive grain. Individuals fattened in this way will weigh about 3.5 kg at two months.

Two week old goslings

The daily diet of goslings consists of:

• chopped greens - 50%;
• legumes - 10%;
• grains - 20%;
• cake - 7%;
• bran - 10%;
• mineral feed - 2.5%;
• table salt - 0.5%.

Goslings two and three weeks old

- Caring for two-week-old goslings

Feeding monthly goslings

Every month, goslings consume about 450 g of feed daily, most of it being greens and grass. If the chicks have the opportunity to free-graze, then they are fed as follows:

• in the morning they get mash;
• during the day they feed on grass outside;
• In the evening, the chicks are given grain mixtures.

At this age, the bodies of goslings have already adapted to eating a variety of foods, so they assimilate them well. For maximum weight gain, it is recommended to give birds grain - thanks to its consumption, chicks can gain up to 3 kg of weight in a month.

The poultry farmer should find out what kind of food the livestock prefers and give it exactly, adding useful additives to the food - vitamins, bone meal. It is useful to include cake in the diet of birds; it is mixed into their usual food in a ratio of 1 to 4.

But, the cake should not be given more than once every 3 days, otherwise there is a high risk of digestive problems.

It is useful to add cake to the diet of monthly goslings.

The diet must include:

• beet;
• legumes;
• cake;
• bone or fish meal;
• minerals;
• potato;
• dairy and fermented milk products;
• carrot;
• boiled fish.

Monthly geese

Gravel and sand are also poured into the feeders, which are necessary to normalize digestion. Green food should make up at least half of the total amount of food consumed by the bird; if there is less green food, the chicks may experience intestinal blockage.

What kind of grass can I give?

As a rule, adult geese independently identify dangerous types of grass and do not eat them. Inexperienced young animals can eat a harmful plant and become poisoned, so the poultry farmer must protect the birds from such grass. Geese can eat:

• dandelions;
• beet and carrot tops;
• knotweed;
• sorrel;
• nettle;
• yarrow;
• spurge;
• wheatgrass;
• alfalfa;
• sedge;
• oats;
• wheatgrass;
• rye;
• duckweed;
• horsetail

Young geese cannot distinguish healthy grass from poisonous grass

Features of bird care

To ensure that chicks raised in an incubator do not get sick and can feel as comfortable as possible, you should adhere to the following rules for caring for them:

In the first days, the room temperature should be 28-29˚C. If the chicks eat and drink well and do not tend to huddle near the heat source, then the heating is organized correctly.

After 3 days, the temperature begins to gradually decrease, bringing it to 18-20˚C by the age of three weeks.

Goslings under an infrared lamp in a brooder

For heating, infrared lamps are most often used, which are mounted at an angle.

Warmth is necessary for goslings, but do not forget that heaters dry out the air, so you should maintain normal humidity in the house by spraying the floor. The humidity level in the first two weeks should be at least 70%, and then about 60%.

The hatchability of chicks hatched by a hen is higher than when raising goslings in an incubator. But in the process of hatching eggs by a goose, a situation may arise when the bird refuses to leave the nest to eat.

In this case, it is necessary to force feed the bird to avoid its exhaustion and death. In the first days, it is advisable to provide sufficient heating in the house, since thermoregulation has not yet been established in newborn chicks.

During the daytime, the chicks can be with the hen, but at night it is advisable to place them in a separate room.

A mother goose may refuse to leave the nest to eat.

Disinfection and cleaning of the poultry house

How to remove weak goslings?

In the livestock there are often individuals that are in poor health. To care for them, it is important for the poultry farmer to provide the chicks with special care and diet. A special mixture is used to feed birds:

• stir the egg yolk in half a glass of milk;
• add a quarter teaspoon of sugar to the mixture;
• Antibiotics are added to the mixture - penicillin or biomycin (there is no need to be afraid of using antibiotics - by the time the birds grow up, there will be no trace of the drugs left in their bodies).

The chicks are given this mixture until complete recovery. In addition, it is important to separate unhealthy goslings from the rest of the flock.

Some goslings are born weak and require effort to emerge.

The temperature regime during illness should be as follows:

• in the first days in the poultry house it should be about +28˚С;
• after the chicks reach a week of age, the temperature is gradually reduced to 23˚C and maintained at this level until the livestock is free of illnesses.

Baytril is an antibacterial agent that can be given to healthy individuals to prevent illnesses.

Metronidazole or furazolidone - for weakened chicks, prepare a mixture of 2 crushed tablets diluted in a liter of clean water. For prevention, these products can be given to healthy individuals, but in this case, 1 crushed tablet is diluted per liter of liquid.

Preparations for goslings

Caring for goslings is not a difficult task, but it requires a responsible approach. These birds are quite unpretentious in care and nutrition, they quickly gain weight and are in good health. Raising goslings according to a certain algorithm will allow the poultry farmer to obtain a healthy livestock.

Geese are considered picky in care and nutrition. The first month of life plays the most important role in their proper development. At this time, it is necessary to properly organize not only the maintenance, but also the nutrition of the chicks. It is extremely important that it is of high quality and balanced at all times. In this article you will learn what the diet of geese should consist of from the moment of birth until full adulthood.

What to feed goslings at home

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From the first days of life

The goslings begin to be fed as soon as they are dry after birth. It is at this time that immunity is formed. During this period, birds need to be given food familiar to the body, namely egg yolk.

It is hard-boiled, thoroughly crushed and the resulting mass is diluted with boiled water. This diet should last up to 4 days. Afterwards you can add young onions. It is crushed and added to the yolk. Starting from the 6th day, goslings can be given food that adult birds eat, only by grinding it and mixing it with water.

From birth to 10 days, the daily diet should consist of the following products:

• grain feed 21 g;
• wheat bran 6 g;
• dry animal feed 4 g;
• 20 g;
• green legumes 20 g;
• milk 50 g;
• ground shell 0.5 g.

Important! The feeder should contain such an amount of food that the babies can eat it at one time. The next portion should be prepared for the next feeding. This rule will preserve the health of the goslings’ stomachs.

10 days

During this period, geese are fed approximately 7 times a day, and it is important to take a break at night. At this time, they begin to give it to babies, it is soaked and crushed using a meat grinder.

This product leads to good weight gain. Additionally, at this age, the diet is introduced in the amount of 0.8 g per 1 individual per day and the same amount of fish oil is added. Chicks get all other vitamins from greens.

At this age, the daily diet consists of the following products:

• grain feed - 41 g;
• wheat bran - 13 g;
• dry animal feed - 10 g;
• carrots - 20 g;
• green legumes - 60 g;
• milk - 50 g;
• ground shell - 1 g.

2 weeks

At this age, to obtain a complete fortified diet, they begin to add boiled potatoes and a small amount of carrots and beets to their food. All these components are thoroughly crushed and the resulting mixture is diluted with yogurt or meat broth.

However, you shouldn’t forget about soaked peas and greens either. At the same time, you should always make sure that the wet food is crumbly; you can check this by lightly squeezing it in your hand; besides, in order not to clog the nasal passages of babies, it should not be sticky.

During this period, the daily diet should consist of the following products:

• grain feed - 35 g;
• wheat bran - 40 g;
• greens - 130 g;
• or - 100 g;
• animal feed - 30 g;
• cake - 25 g;
• ground shell - 2 g.

Did you know? Geese-large birds that are second in size only to turkeys. Ganders can weigh up to 10 kg, geese-a little less.

3 weeks

The number of feedings is reduced to 4 per day. Salt and chalk are introduced into the diet; their amount should not exceed 1% of the total diet. With these components, geese cleanse their stomachs and also receive necessary minerals and nutrients that may be lacking in the diet.

At this time, the birds can begin to be released for walking, where fresh grass sprouts; if this is not possible, it is important to provide the goslings with plenty of greenery. At this time, its amount should be more than 60% of the total diet.

At this age, the daily diet should consist of the following products:

• grain feed - 35 g;
• wheat bran - 40 g;
• greens - 200 g;
• potatoes or beets - 120 g;
• animal feed - 30 g;
• cake - 25 g;
• ground shell - 3.5 g.

30 days and older

During this period, the goslings are transferred to more mature birds and the diet also becomes adult. For a full life and weight gain for geese, 3 feedings a day are enough. The diet includes the same products, and they can also be given bread crusts.

The main condition is to ensure that the product is fresh.

An approximate diet consists of the following products:

• grain feed - 100 g;
• wheat bran - 60 g;
• greens - 400 g;
• potatoes or beets - 130 g;
• animal feed - 30 g;
• cake - 25 g;
• ground shell - 3.5 g.

Important! Until the moment when birds begin to be prepared for rapid weight gain, mash made with liquid should disappear from their diet. From this moment on, water should be present exclusively in its pure form and only in drinking bowls.

What not to feed and the negative consequences of poor nutrition

Proper nutrition leads to rapid weight gain in young animals and also affects the quality of meat. Due to improper nutrition, birds can become ill or even die.

Let's look at what foods can harm a young body:

1. Moldy foods.
2. Compound feed of dubious quality, with a strange composition.
3. Potato tops or root vegetables with green skin.
4. Foliage, and. During grazing, the birds will avoid it, but if they do not have enough normal greenery, they may start eating it.
5. Freshly picked

If newborn goslings are fed correctly and kept in normal conditions, then the percentage of deaths of young animals decreases several times. Thanks to a varied, regular diet, children's immunity is strengthened and they grow up healthy. But not many beginning farmers know what should be included in their diet.

So what and how to feed goslings at home? Let's try to figure this out.

Features of feeding

Many breeders choose goslings for keeping at home, as they are quite easy to care for. The main thing is to keep them in a clean room and constantly wash their drinkers and feeders. Leftover food often turns sour, and if the chicks eat it, they will harm their digestive system. In terms of raising chicks, the first weeks of life are considered the most important. Their feeding at different periods of life up to one month of age has its own characteristics.

Feeding on the first day

Newborn goslings should be fed for the first time immediately after they are completely dry. This early feeding is required in order to so that the remaining yolk dissolves. Thanks to this, babies begin to grow and develop faster. On the first day of life, the chicks should be fed a boiled crushed egg, and you can also give greens. Crushed grain and corn grits are also added to their diet. The main component of the diet of newborn goslings is grass, since they can already consume approximately 50% of green food.

Geese are herbivores and many breeders immediately release the young animals into the pen. Babies should be fed at least 8 times a day. To make it more convenient for the chicks, they should be offered food on regular plywood or a special tray. This will prevent them from trampling the food. Boiled water must be poured into the drinking bowl.

Feeding week-old goslings

When the goslings are a week old, then it is recommended to feed them 6 times a day. Eggs must be removed from their diet. Week-old chicks need to be fed in large portions, and the food should be nutritious and protein-rich. It is advisable to feed peas, which are a nutritious food consisting of a large amount of protein. It must first be soaked and then chopped using a meat grinder.

When consuming protein foods, goslings begin to grow quickly and intensively gain kilograms. In France, poultry are fed peas to obtain valuable goose liver. The following products are useful for week-old chicks:

• bone meal;
• fish oil

Such supplements contain a large amount of vitamins necessary for a growing body. They help the chicks develop properly. Week-old goslings need to add a small amount of potassium permanganate to the water. Their diet should be 30% more than a few days ago. Chicks can be fed factory-made feed, which contains a full range of vitamins and minerals.

Feeding two-week-old goslings

What to feed two-week-old goslings at home? During this period they should eat:

• greens;
• peas

To diversify the chicks' diet and make it more filling, the food should contain vitamins. For this purpose, mash is made consisting of boiled potatoes, carrots and beets. The mash should be non-liquid and preferably crumbly. If the consistency of the food is sticky, the goslings' nasal passages may become clogged, which is very dangerous to their health. The mash should be prepared immediately before it is offered to the chicks. They must eat this food within half an hour, otherwise it will turn sour. Wet mixtures should be given no more than twice a day. Experienced poultry farmers recommend giving babies a small amount of fresh cottage cheese.

The drinking bowl should be placed low so that small goslings can reach it and, if necessary, wash their noses. It is useful to feed them during this period raw root vegetables and vegetables. As a result, the baby’s body is replenished with vitamins and other nutrients. You can also add shells and chalk to your food in small quantities.

Feeding three week old chicks

At this age, babies are already released to graze. To do this, set up a small pen for walking young animals. At first, they are not given food in order to teach the little goslings to get their own food. When they learn to do this, it is recommended to feed them with crushed grain and mixed feed.

You can also introduce heavy feed, but in small quantities. Feeding goslings at three weeks of age carried out 3 times a day. The feeders in the poultry house should be constantly filled, because even after walking the chicks want to eat. Birds should be fed high-calorie foods during this period. The diet must include selected grains. It is advisable to use combined feeds, as well as vitamin complexes and fish oil. Geese should be walked near a pond, as a result of which they will be able to feed on algae.

Feeding monthly geese

Babies of this age spend most of their time in the pen. What to feed the goslings during this period? The food should consist of:

• from mash;
• grains;
• peas

Feeding is carried out three times a day. The chicks already obtain green food on their own. If it is not possible to organize pastures for young animals to walk, the grass should be mowed, since it must be present in the diet of month-old goslings. In addition, the diet includes:

• shells;
• cake;
• wheat bran;
• salt.

Geese are quite unpretentious eaters and this should be taken into account during their growth. Many breeders feed their poultry with bread crusts and other table scraps. But you need to remember that the products must be fresh. If the food is sour, it will harm the health of the chicks.

What to do with weak chicks?

If there are weakened babies in the herd, then they add special therapeutic and nutritional mixture, which is based on such healthy products as chicken egg yolk and milk. You can prepare this mixture yourself. To do this, stir an egg yolk into half a glass of fresh whole milk. Then add a little sugar, penicillin or biomycin. Such antibiotics help cope with the exhaustion of sick chicks. They must be fed with this mixture until complete recovery.

In addition, it is important to comply with the conditions for keeping young animals. The first walks in sunny weather should last about 10 minutes, otherwise the goslings may get heatstroke. In the room with newborn chicks, the temperature should be 23 degrees. Thanks to clean water in drinking bowls, babies are protected from dehydration, as well as illness and death.

Under normal conditions, weakened goslings should be given drug baytril. This is an antibacterial agent that is given to healthy chicks for preventive purposes. Drugs such as metronidazole or furazolidone help well. They should be given to children by diluting 2 tablets of the product in a liter of boiled water.

You can also use antibiotics, because when the goslings grow up, there will be no trace of the drugs left in their body. But it is best not to use folk remedies, because they can become poison for children.

Thus, if small goslings were purchased, then in order for them to survive, they need to be created with appropriate conditions and provided with the right food. Food from birth to one month of age should be varied and correspond to a certain period of life. You should know that improper feeding can lead to their death.

They have long become favorites of many homestead owners and farmers. An unpretentious bird that quickly gains weight, it tolerates both heat and cold; the meat has excellent taste; goose down and feathers are always in demand as excellent fillers. But those who decide to start breeding geese for the first time should remember that ease of rearing comes with experience.

One of the main problems with poultry is nursing at the initial stage, in the very first days of life.

Goslings up to one month of age are susceptible to many diseases and require a special feeding diet; violations in housing and feeding technology lead not only to illness, but also to the death of the livestock.

Barely hatched goslings need light and warmth. Drafts and stale, wet bedding cause many diseases and death, so it is necessary to take care in advance of preparing the premises for the young animals. In the first days, goslings are kept in specially equipped brooders, boxes or enclosures isolated from the rest of the herd, maintaining the required temperature. The living conditions for chicks bred in an incubator, under a brood hen, and purchased at markets or farms are different.

One of the main rules: you should not buy poultry from random people, at bazaars or street markets, where there is a high risk of acquiring rejected, weak specimens, sick goslings, which, even if they survive, will not be able to justify the money invested in their cultivation. Vaccination, which is mandatory on large farms, is also questionable.

Hatchery chicks

As a rule, the chick begins to hatch from the egg after 28 days. Some cope with the task on their own, getting out of their shell without anyone else's help. Those who cannot “come into the world” within several hours require human help. To do this, you should very carefully break the shell with tweezers so that the chick can straighten its legs and stretch out to its full height.

1. The goslings are transferred to a room equipped for them under lamps so that they dry.
2. The first is after 2-3 hours, when they dry and begin to move carefully. It is best to give them crushed boiled eggs in the first days.
3. There should always be boiled warm water; it is recommended to add potassium permanganate to it to disinfect.
4. It’s good if it is possible to install containers for bathing - goslings really love “baths”.
5. Fill drinking bowls to a height of no more than 1 cm so that the goslings do not “shop”: they are exposed to this danger at the initial stage, just like chickens.

You should immediately separate from each other well-developed, active, large goslings and their weaker comrades who eat poorly, hardly move, and prefer to doze. They will probably need increased nutrition and additional vitamins in the food. Babies with signs of diseases, the treatment of which should begin immediately, should also be kept separately.

Grazing

Goslings should be released from the incubator for walks on warm sunny days from the second week of life. Duration of the first walks – no more than 30 minutes. After two or three days, walks are gradually lengthened to 2 hours, and by the age of one month – to 4-6. It is imperative to take care of the safety of grazing, the absence of dangerous plants, and places from which predators can attack. Goslings are defenseless, even cats pose a threat to them, so you should take care of fencing the place where the babies are released, even covering the top with a strong net.

You should not leave the bird unattended: babies are very curious, love to look for opportunities to escape, and often get stuck in the cracks of fences and mesh cells, suffocating.

After the goslings are 1 month old, they can be transferred to free grazing, that is, released into the meadow for the whole day.

Goslings from under the hen

Goslings bred by a hen require almost no human care. If necessary, the mother will take care of timely assistance, warm the chicks, and show them what and how to eat.

1. Already on the 3rd day, the goose takes its offspring out to pasture, carefully protecting them from any danger.
2. At this time, it is worth paying attention to weakened goslings, which are best isolated from the rest, ensuring proper feeding and treatment.
3. Often the leader of the flock also comes to the goose’s aid, and the adults do not show aggression towards the babies.

Goslings urgently need fresh air, clean water and sufficient quantities for normal growth and development. Rain, wind, and dampness lead to colds and infections. You should not take the young animals out for walks at this time; they will be safer indoors. If a goose takes care of its offspring, it will shelter them from bad weather without relying on people.

Room

One of the causes of illness and death of young animals is overcrowding of goslings in close quarters. The requirements for the pen where geese grow up are quite strict.

1. For up to 1 month, no more than 10 goslings can be freely accommodated per square meter.
2. From 30 to 60 days – no more than 4.
3. After 2 months, 1 pair of birds is placed per square meter.
4. The room should protect young birds from drafts and cold.
5. To protect from rain you need a reliable canopy.
6. The floor must be warm, not accumulating dampness, with bedding.
7. Ventilation openings providing fresh air flow are another indispensable condition.

Bedding made of straw or sawdust should be changed at least once every 2 days, avoiding the accumulation of moisture and waste.

Temperature and light conditions

Temperature is very important for goslings in the first days of life; they do not tolerate fluctuations well, so it is recommended to maintain:

• from 1 to 6 pm – not lower than 28 degrees;
• from 6 to 14 pm – 24 – 26 degrees;
• from 14 to 25 days - not lower than 18.

There should be at least 14 hours of daylight, although many owners prefer to maintain 24 hours of light during the first week of the goslings’ life.

If the young animals grow up with a goose, everything is much simpler: the mother will warm the goslings and shelter them from the rain. Therefore, a mother hen is always preferable to being kept separately from the mother.

Nutrition

1. The first feeding should be done 2 hours after birth. Crushed boiled egg, slightly diluted with boiled water, with the addition of semolina - from 1 to 4 days, 6-8 feedings daily.
2. Then for up to 10 days - egg, cottage cheese, greens (preferably chopped onions), feed 7 times.
3. From day 10, you can begin to introduce crushed grain, wet mash of bran, cereals, and greens (at least 15 percent of the total amount of food). At this time, the goslings begin to eat porridge (millet, corn, millet), legumes, and boiled potatoes with appetite.
4. From 16 days, raw chopped root vegetables are introduced into the diet: beets, carrots, rutabaga, potatoes and others.
5. From the age of 1 month, the goslings are taken out to pasture, where they happily consume both greenery and living creatures from bodies of water, if they are nearby.
6. From days 1 to 10 of life, each gosling should eat about 80 grams of food per day: 50 of mixed feed, crushed grains, cereals, 30 of greens.
7. From 11 to 22 – 50 gr. cereals, 110 – greens.
8. From 21 to 30 – 100 gr. cereals, 200 – greens.
9. From one month of age – 200 gr. cereals, 300 – greens.

From the 3rd week, it is good to introduce hay dust, mineral feed, cake, boiled fish, milk and cottage cheese for feeding.

Goslings should always have clean, warm water in their drinking bowls, into which they drip; in the first days of life, instead of water, they give a pinkish solution of manganese to avoid infections.

Disease Prevention

Goslings easily pick up all sorts of infections, many of which are detrimental to the entire flock.

1. The bird must be fed in the first hours of life, this will help overcome most diseases.
2. Babies are kept separately from adult birds.
3. Any weakened child is immediately isolated, as this may be the first warning sign of trouble.
4. Disinfect the premises once a week, thoroughly clean the feeders and drinking bowls every day.

Compliance with heat and light conditions, proper feeding diet, timely vaccination and vitamin supplements will help make pets stronger and increase resistance.

What to do if a chicken cannot lay an egg? You will find useful tips.

How does rearing take place under a hen?

If there is a mother hen goose on the farm, the owners are very lucky.

1. The goose takes care of the eggs by monitoring the temperature, turning them in a timely manner, checking the viability of the embryo and removing “defective” eggs.
2. It helps with pecking, freeing the chicks from the shell.
3. From the first minutes of life, the babies are under her careful control: feeding, heating, walking, protection.
4. At this time, the owners only need to ensure the mother’s peace and, along with food for her, give food to the babies (eggs, porridge, mash). Feed should be poured into separate feeders.
5. When the goslings are strong enough, the goose takes them for their first walk, choosing the safest places. She is very aggressive towards anyone who, from her point of view, poses a threat. Both in the meadow and in the pond, the goslings obediently fulfill all her demands, learn to find grains, tasty grass, and catch small insects and fish.

At the age of 1.5–2 months, the goslings become almost independent, but they still try not to stray far from the goose. Together with adults, they go to the pasture and return back in the evening, get used to the usual routine, do not fly apart, “getting on the wing,” which greatly facilitates the work of poultry farmers

If the rules of care and maintenance are followed, homestead owners have almost no losses. Young animals give excellent weight gain, eating mainly greens, receiving compound feed only during morning and evening feeding, if there is good grazing. So no birder was disappointed, watching how a fluffy yellow lump turns into a magnificent white bird weighing up to 15 kg in 6-8 months.