Feeding and nutrition of breeding geese (gosling breeders and laying hens)

Question 1

What is unique to geese

Answer 1

They have the lowest repro performance of the Po species

Question 2

Breeding cycle- what are the 2 types

Answer 2

Traditional: 4 mnth laying period outside (plucking)

Artificial: Inside and not plucked

Question 3

Differesnt types of egg prod in artificial and when is the onset

Answer 3

Advanced egg prod: onset in Nov

Summer egg prod: onset in June

Autumn egg prod: onset in Sept

Question 4

Breeding cycle timeline: when is the fore-rearing and post rearing

Answer 4

Fore-rearing: beings in april and lasts until 4 wks

Post-rearing: 5-8 wks mainly, also until 31 wks and that’s when the birds are housed

Question 5

Rearing- the timeline and when the plucking takes place

Answer 5

Begins in april and up to 4 wks is fore-rearing

10 wks: may- 1st plucking

16 wks: july- 2nd plucking

22 wks: Sept- 3rd plucking

31 wks: Housing

42 wks: egg prod

Question 6

3 periods of rearing

Answer 6

rearing takes 42 weeks in total and must be done prior to egg prod

• 0-4 wks fore-rearing and 5-8 wks post rearing
• 9-31 wks: feeding gosling breeders until they are housed
• 32-42 wks: feeding in housing until egg prod

Question 7

Rearing methods (3)

Answer 7

1. Semi-intensive- the one discussed prev and is the cheapest
2. Intensive: always inside, artificial
3. Mixture of intensive and semi-intensive: Intensive in winter until wk 8, after that semi-intensive on pasture/lake

Question 8

3 important points about feeding

Answer 8

Restricted until wk 8

3kg less conc compared to roasting geese

More forages- because they don’t need to grow as fast as roasting geese

Question 9

Feeding timelines (5)

Answer 9

1. Wk 1: starter diet
2. Wk 2-8: Starter diet and green forages/pasture
3. Wk 9-31: developer diet! grains and green forages/pastures
4. Wk 32-38: prelayer diet ad lib
5. Wk 39-42: Layer diet ad lib

Question 10

Timeline of layers

Answer 10

At end of Jan at wk 42 they have a 4 mnth laying period- brings them to the beginning of June– then they are kept on pasture until November when they are housed

Question 11

Layer diet and egg prod

Answer 11

Diet: 260-280g/day and consists of Grits and wheat straw

Produce 25-50 eggs weighing around 160g

Question 12

Developer (rearer) vs layer diet

Answer 12

CP%: 14 vs 16

ME (MJ/kg) 11 vs 11.5