Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-08-02
GEESE ARE HEALTHY.

p 81 .
g.. aE.Et S.E - ~
nae,e as farm poultry are not
..,m.d a. much ~ their many good
.a.,,t,ss deserve. It il predicted that
S.a.e will rise in popularity from now
a. turkeys are declining In num-
w.. at present, owing to the ravages
.ssrvwhere by turkey diseases. Geese,
~ The other hand, are very healthy
sr,mals and free from disease. A SICK
soose is seldom II ever seen. and Cos
,,ugs are strong and hardly almost
from birth. ..g.-s,., ~ Z ~
One quality that commends geese
,ver other poultry 10 that they live
.nd are productive to q great age. A
< or 10 year old goose is Is active.
arol,f,c and AZ good q bird as one q
Ear or two Of age. Being large birds,
md making noise at night, they are
..ldom taken by predatory animals.
A goose will lay from forty to sixty
.res during the late winter and spring
.sssons. and the eggs are worth at a
minimum Of s cents apiece. which Is
rom 50 to So year for eggs from q
single bird. Where a good breed Is
t.nt and the eggs sold for breeding
mrposes, they are worth from 10 to
"a cents apiece. The eggs for market
or breeding purposes find ready sale,
hence a good flock of geese on the
farm will pay handsome revenue.
Besides this, the mature goose can
he picked several times during the
summer and early fall. The feathers
from single goose will bring more
than a dollar each year. The total
nroduct of eggs and feathers. makes a
large net profit on the care and feed
If the birds. The bird itself, alive or
dressed for market, will bring grom
Il to SO, according to breed and finish.
There are two other advantages, IN
raising geese. One Is that they re-
ouire only low and inexpensive shell
ters. and the other is that they live
on grass and heritage almost exclus-
ivefy during all the seasons when any
reeh things are to be had. They
thrive on any ordinary good pasture,
the old geese as we'll as the goslings.
In corn or other crops Of large cult
waited plants, geese can be pastured
after the crop is too large for them
to injure, and they will aid materially
IN keeping down wild grass in the cul-
tivated crop. In this way they may
assist In cultivation while cleaning
their feed. The cost Of keeping
goose for the entire year Is compare
lively small.
Set the first eggs the mother goose
lays under hens, but allow her to in
cubate the second clutch. When the
goslings are out OF the shell, give
them nothing to eat for the first two
days, but leave them In the nest IN
disturbed. The first feeds for the
young birds should be Of water, fine
grit, mashed hard boiled eggs with
bread crumbs, and finely chopped, ten.
der vegetables, such as lettuce and
young onion tops. Plenty Of greeJl
!. feed from the start is what they need
After they are q few weeks old they
may be turned out to grass, when they
will require nothing else but good
water. - '~-~ r..
.a The young goslings, like other
young birds, Is tender at first. and
hence must be protected from wet and
cold till it becomes strong and resist
ant Shelter them till after they are
fully feathered. Picking can begin att
er the wings are crossed, and every
six weeks thereafter. Do not pick att
or cool weather comes in autumn, as
the feathers are needed for warmth
during the winter. Late picking will
reduce the egg yield the following
spring. Goose feathers are worth on
the open market about Is cents Q
pound r. ~
The heavier breeds OF geese can be
made to weigh from Is to 20 pounds
I each, and they are much In demand as
market fowls for all holidays, from
4 thanksgiving to Easter. Another ad-
Vantage OF the heavier breeds is that
they are easily confined. They can be
safely pastured in q field with low
woven wire fences, the same as for
hogs. When confined on limited pas
I lures with woven wire fence they can
\ be prevented from injuring young cul-
q tlvated crops, and they become less
Troublesome, when properly handled.
/ than any other farm animals.
Geese make some noise, 1t is true,
\ out their noise Sounds good to us"
when we think of the large eggs they
Jay and the nice feathers they yield.