Probably, for each of us, white geese are associated with the famous children's fairy tale about the little boy Niels, who flew a very long distance on Martin's back to find the gnome and apologize to him. In the fairy tale, the birds were distinguished by nobility and love of freedom. What are white geese really like? Let's talk about it in detail.
Breeds of white geese
I must say that all breeds of geese have their own classification. We will not delve into this topic, since we are only interested in white birds. Conventionally, geese are divided into wild species and breeds for breeding. So it was wild white birds that became the prototype of fabulous birds.
And of the breeds for breeding, Italian, Ural, Emden, Kholmogory (individuals can be of three colors, including white) species can boast of light plumage.
Wild Geese: Habitats
Wild white geese are very beautiful birds that belong to the duck family. They nest in the north of Greenland, in Canada, in the east of Siberia. They can also be seen on Wrangel Island, in Yakutia andin Chukotka. By the way, Wrangel Island is their favorite place. And the reason for this is the fact that the snow melts here much earlier than in other northern territories, so in winter the geese migrate south. Usually they choose the lands of the USA, where they are located near the coastal lagoons.
Appearance of white geese
The white goose is a rather small bird. The body length is from 60 to 75 centimeters, and the weight does not exceed three kilograms. An interesting fact is that the wingspan of these creatures is twice as large as themselves. Although the geese have snow-white plumage, there are still black streaks on the tips of the wings. In addition, there is a black spot near the beak itself. The paws of birds, as a rule, are pink in color, although they are short, they are quite strong. The white goose usually has a rather short neck and a rounded tail. Males are slightly larger than females.
White geese are migratory birds, they fly well, but at the same time, having reached sexual maturity, they try to lead a more sedentary lifestyle. This feature is more inherent in females, who independently choose a place for their nest. It happens that there is not enough space for all individuals, then these friendly creatures begin to show aggression, because they instinctively protect their territory and offspring. These birds tend to pluck each other's feathers. As a rule, this happens when hostility is shown towards uninvited guests. However, similar conflicts can also occur within the pack. Expressing aggression, geese thustrying to establish a certain hierarchy.
Wild white geese breeding
White geese (photos are given in the article) are amazingly loyal creatures. They choose their mate for life. Birds try to stay in a flock, because it is quite difficult to survive on your own in the wild. There are even cases when geese created colonies consisting of several thousand nests.
The female usually lays four to six beige or white eggs. And then incubates them for 21 days. Soon the goslings appear. Males, of course, do not participate in the process of incubation, but at the same time they are always somewhere nearby, because at any moment the kids can be in danger, then dads will come to the rescue.
Sometimes geese can lay their eggs in other people's nests. However, this fact does not mean that they are bad mothers. Everything is much easier. They simply could not find a free place, and therefore decide to use the neighbor's nests. At the same time, good neighbors cannot leave someone else's offspring, and therefore hatch both their own and other people's eggs.
In the flock, along with family females, there may also be single geese who at this stage do not have a partner. For such individuals, the male struggle begins. She ends up choosing her mate. Geese never leave their nest during the period of incubation. The main and most dangerous enemy of birds are shaggy arctic foxes, which at any moment can get to the kids. That is why females do not take their eyes off the offspring. Yes, and seagulls can be dangerous, because they love to eat something tasty.
Birds reach sexual maturity at three years. At this time, they can already create families, but they never leave the pack. In principle, geese can live for twenty years. They remain energetic and active throughout the entire time.
What do geese eat?
The basis of the diet of white geese are arctic herbs. More often, birds choose sedge, with pleasure they eat plant shoots. Willow leaves, lichens, moss, grains and cereals can all be in the diet of geese if they can find such treats.
Italian geese
Italian geese (white) became known not so long ago. The breed was bred in Italy at the beginning of the last century. At first, birds were bred only in the habitat of their ancestors. However, soon the breed became so popular that it spread to neighboring regions. And in 1975, white Italian geese were brought to the USSR. Since then, many years have passed, and the breed began to breed in all corners of the Earth, since it is considered especially valuable.
Although the Italian (white) geese were bred in a warm country, they also tolerate harsher climates well. Breeding them is no problem. Birds of this breed are distinguished by a particularly developed instinct for hatching eggs.
Description of the breed
Italian geese are truly white. They have a small but rather thick neck, medium-sized eyes, and a small torso. Like other geese, the birds of this breed have bright orange legs, very strong, but short. Wingsstrongly developed, and the tail is slightly raised. At the same time, the birds look very graceful. When a white goose swims, he does it very proudly, like a swan.
Adults reach six to seven kilograms, females are slightly smaller. Birds of this breed are bred not only because of the tender meat, but also because of the high productivity when laying eggs. In one cycle, a goose can bring up to forty-five eggs. All of them are medium in size. Only seventy percent can produce offspring. Caring for chicks is not difficult. They grow quite quickly, and by two months their weight reaches four kilograms.
Feature of the Italian breed
Italian geese are not only outwardly different from representatives of other breeds. The main feature of birds is their tasty meat and liver. Gourmets, for some reason, value goose liver pate most of all (the liver makes up only 7% of body weight). However, poultry meat in any case has excellent taste characteristics.
In addition, feathers and down can also be obtained from beautiful birds. Within one year, one individual is capable of producing two hundred grams of feathers and one hundred grams of down.
Care
Italian geese are completely unpretentious, which is confirmed by numerous positive reviews. Birds can be kept even without a reservoir, although its presence greatly simplifies care. It is necessary to have a spacious paddock, and whenever possible, let the birds go for a walk on the lawn. Young individuals grow very quickly and without any problems. little goslingsmust be protected from drafts and significant temperature fluctuations.
What is good about Italian geese? The white swan will envy their endurance. Geese, oddly enough, tolerate low temperatures quite calmly and can even walk on cold snow.
For young individuals, it is imperative to include a large amount of green fodder in the diet. And to get a good liver, it is recommended to give peas and corn. An interesting fact is that when keeping different types of birds in the same farm, Italian geese always keep apart, preferring the company of representatives of their own breed.
Males can occasionally show aggression, especially noticeable during the mating season. To grow good offspring, as a rule, use incubators. In large farms, white geese are often crossed with representatives of other breeds. For example, a mixture of an Italian species with Rhenish individuals produces young offspring with excellent characteristics.
Ural breed
Ural white geese (Shadrinsk) come from gray birds that once nested in Siberia and the Urals. The breed is perfectly acclimatized to harsh conditions.
Birds of this breed have a small head, a short neck, the length of which is due to fewer vertebrae. The body of the Ural birds is of medium length, and the legs are short. The legs and beak are usually orange in color. But the plumage can be different. There is a gray, white goose and even a chess one.
Ganders reach six kilograms, females have a more modest weight - up tofive kilograms. One laying hen is capable of producing 25 to 30 eggs. The advantage of the breed is a good incubation instinct in females. The young growth grows very quickly, at the age of five months the goslings reach a weight of five kilograms. Birds are great at eating green grasses and grain waste.
Goose diseases
Geese, like other birds, are prone to various diseases. The most dangerous for them is diarrhea. It is especially terrible for young goslings, since they do not yet have stable immunity, the body is still weak to cope with the disease on its own. Adults are not as prone to such things.
There are a lot of reasons for diarrhea in goslings:
- Hypothermia leads to indigestion, as the body is not yet ready for new conditions.
- Poisoning can occur if goslings have eaten rough or stale food. Young individuals still have a very tender stomach, nutrition is reflected in their general well-being. Babies should only be fed finely ground food.
- The most dangerous infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be pasteurellosis, colibacillosis, salmonellosis, enteritis.
- Presence of parasites (helminthiasis).
In all of the above cases, there is fetid diarrhea, fever, bloody admixture, weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite.
Bird diarrhea
White diarrhea in geese - pullorosis (bacillary diarrhea). It is an acute infectious disease that affectsparenchymal organs and intestines. The causative agent of the disease is pullorum bacillus or Salmonella gallinarum. They can survive in soil for up to a year and up to 25 days on eggs. Therefore, it is quite easy for birds to become infected with them.
The smallest individuals are very susceptible to disease (in the first days of life). At three months of age, the risk of injury is much less. The source of infection is the droppings of recovered individuals. Geese carry infected eggs for two years. The onset of the disease is promoted by hypothermia, improper feeding and other provoking factors.
Distinguish between acute and chronic condition. In acute, goslings are sleepy and inactive, they just stand in groups with their necks drawn in. At the same time, babies breathe heavily with an open beak and closed eyes. Soon white diarrhea appears. The disease kills a lot of goslings. In those farms where an outbreak of infection occurred, all young animals are destroyed. And adults are examined every twelve days until negative results are obtained.
Even in young geese, hymenolepiasis can occur, which occurs 25 days after swimming in dysfunctional ponds. Toddlers swallow infected shellfish, as a result of which the disease begins to develop. It manifests itself in the appearance of diarrhea, weight loss of individuals, lethargy.
What is the treatment for geese?
For the treatment of diseases in birds, antibiotics are used: chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, penicillin. If parasites are the cause of poor he alth, then anthelmintic drugs are used. In order toto protect birds from the appearance of pasteurellosis, vaccination can be used. However, this method can only be used after the main treatment.
In order to avoid problems with the intestines, goslings should be fed very responsibly. Their diet must include boiled potatoes, crushed grain feed, fresh herbs, wheat bran, cake, skimmed milk. In the first month of life, young animals are fed up to seven times a day, until they get a little stronger and the work of the stomach and intestines improves. Proper nutrition must certainly be in those birds that are infected with parasites. In addition to treatment with anthelmintic drugs, their diet should be reviewed.
