Good afternoon, experienced and novice poultry farmers. What to feed goslings in the first days at home? It is believed that geese are quite easy to breed, since they are not too demanding in terms of living conditions and feeding rations. And in the summer, if there is a body of water nearby, they will swim in it all day long, looking for aquatic life for food along the way. As a result, feed is saved, and geese gain weight well on such natural food.
Diet of hatched goslings
What to feed day-old goslings? In the first few days, young animals need more careful care. It concerns temperature conditions and balanced nutrition. If the basic requirements are met, it is possible to form immune protection in chicks.
Feeding rates for goslings on the first day are 20-30 g per individual. What should be included in the diet? To do this, choose a boiled yolk. A small amount of the ingredient is poured with warm water. The feed mixture should have a thick consistency, reminiscent of thick sour cream.
This product is quickly absorbed in the bird's body. Thanks to him, it is possible to accustom the birds to solid food.
- On days 4 and 5 of life, you can introduce protein and a small amount of greens. To do this, use dill, young onions or herbs. They will help speed up metabolic processes and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The greens must be thoroughly chopped. Rough stems are not suitable for young growth.
- On days 7 and 9, you can add bread crumbs, which are pre-soaked in boiled water. This feed mixture must be used twice a day.
Expert advice
Feeding goslings is not easy, but providing proper nutrition is beneficial to the breeder. Above, it was described in detail what to feed goslings at home for up to 2 months, when they can already be sent to slaughter or left for further breeding.
Below are recommendations to follow when feeding young goslings:
- Food for young goslings up to a week old should be scattered on a hard, flat surface, slightly raised from the ground. This will make the goslings comfortable, and the food will not be trampled.
- Food prepared for goslings should always be fresh. Therefore, the young animals are given food only for one meal; they must eat it within a maximum of 30 minutes. If the feed is lost, it is thrown away, otherwise the entire livestock may develop diarrhea.
- Starting from the first day of life, the goslings’ feed should contain at least 50% of the daily feed requirement.
- Food for goslings should be crumbly, not sticky or liquid, otherwise it can clog the sinuses. And although geese, even at a young age, can clean them in water on their own, such an experience is undesirable for young animals. So before feeding your goslings, it’s worth checking the consistency of the food.
- Water bowls for goslings should be deep so that they can clean their sinuses. The drinking bowl should be placed at such a height that the goslings can reach it, but it should not hang very low, otherwise dirt will get into the water. So, as the goslings grow, the drinking bowl is moved higher, so the birds will be comfortable and the water will remain clean.
- Feeders and water bowls for goslings should be washed every day before putting food or pouring water into them. The remains of old food can turn sour, spoil, and contain parasites, so consuming food or water from a dirty container can lead to goslings first suffering from severe diarrhea and then to death.
Diet of grown chicks
What to feed week-old goslings? When the bird reaches 7-10 days of age, it is necessary to use high-calorie foods in the bird menu. When introducing new ingredients, their proportions must be observed.
For example, on average it is enough to use 10-20 percent of the usual feed mixture. What can you add to your bird's diet?
- To do this, choose small types of cereals. Mainly millet, crushed corn, barley.
- The ingredients must undergo heat treatment so that they are quickly absorbed by the body.
Don't forget about vegetables. To do this, potatoes, carrots, and beets are added to the menu of young animals.
The products are first boiled until fully cooked. After which they are crushed on a fine grater. The norms of vegetable mixtures should not exceed 15% of the main feed.
For drinking uses a weak solution of manganese. This substance prevents bacterial and viral pathologies in goslings. In addition, it helps prevent diseases of the tendons and bones.
Compound feed
Compound feed can be given to chicks from one week of age. Industrial products such as Rost, Purina, and Solnyshko are suitable. You can also give other feed, which contains a large amount of proteins. From three weeks of age, PK-6 and PK-31 can be administered. It is acceptable to use other feed with a high calorie content.
Whole grain food for chicks is available for sale. It must first be ground and slightly moistened with water. If you feed whole grain feed without preliminary preparation, the goslings will have digestive problems.
Diet after 14 days
When the bird reaches 2 weeks of age, you can add a small amount of fresh vegetables and root vegetables to the feed mixtures. These ingredients help saturate the young animal’s body with vitamins and minerals.
For this you can use boiled peas, cucumber, raw potatoes, white cabbage, beets, carrots. All components are thoroughly ground beforehand.
The feed mixture should not be liquid. You can make wet and crumbly food by combining millet, crushed wheat, a small amount of raw vegetables, boiled eggs, and mixed feed. Adding greens to the nutrient substrate allows you to quickly saturate the young body and strengthen the immune defense.
- As for the nutrient substrate, its volume is calculated based on 100-150 g per individual.
- Compound feed based on cereals and cereals quickly turns sour. Experts do not recommend keeping leftover food for more than 5 hours.
- During this time, fermentation processes occur, the products of which, if ingested, can cause diarrhea and disturbances in intestinal motility.
Gradually, cottage cheese is introduced into the diet of older goslings. It is thoroughly mixed with other ingredients. You can use chalk at this time. This product is rich in calcium. A small concentration of the ingredient strengthens the bone corset. It will help increase the stamina of birds during walking.
Feeding from four weeks onwards
The diet of goslings from four weeks of age onwards should contain a large amount of green feed. This is due to the need to reduce the fat content of the feed. This prevents excess obesity of the future goose carcass.
Approximate diet for goslings from three weeks and older:
- grain – 35 g;
- boiled potatoes, carrots, turnips – 100 g;
- bran – 40 g;
- greens and green vegetables – 200 g;
- sunflower cake – 25 g.
The purity and availability of water must be monitored. If the drinker is of an open, cup type, then a daily change of water to clean water is implied. Nipple drinkers do not have the disadvantage of rapid water contamination. Geese drink directly from the nipples without coming into contact with the water tank.
Goslings should have free access to fresh water.
Important! Of all the cakes for feed, it is best to choose sunflower or soybean.
Diet of 3 week old birds
When the chicks reach 20 days of age, poultry farmers have a calm pairing. At this time, the birds have already developed immunity. They are transferred to pasture. It consists of cereal mixtures made from fresh grass. Goslings are able to get their own food.
- You can add whole grains to your menu. In combination with plant residues, they will be easily digested in the stomach.
- Farmers recommend adding a little pumpkin. Cereal mixtures should not exceed 20% of the feed.
- As for the feeding rate, for normal existence geese need 500 g of feed, 150 g of fiber, 100 g of vegetables.
If such proportions are observed, farmers manage to obtain a high-quality product.
Useful herbs
Adult birds sense healthy grass by smell. Goslings have difficulty distinguishing odors, so the poultry farmer is required to let them walk only in places where healthy grass grows. This includes:
- wheatgrass;
- knotweed;
- horsetail;
- carrot tops;
- alfalfa;
- dandelion;
- clover;
- onion;
- garlic;
- duckweed;
- rye.
You can give goslings the herb spurge, but starting from two weeks of age. You cannot feed chicks with lily of the valley, quinoa, or ragweed - they cause poisoning and can lead to death.
Feeding monthly goslings
What to feed monthly goslings? At this age, birds must be switched to a nutritious and enhanced diet. If the proportions and composition of feed mixtures are observed, geese can quickly gain muscle mass.
- If you ignore these requirements, then in the future additional costs will be required to feed the birds. The poultry menu should contain high-calorie foods.
- Wheat, oats, and millet are added to the diet. It is recommended to choose high-quality raw materials for nutrition. The cost-effectiveness of purchasing quality feed is much lower than the percentage of meat indicator.
- Farmers recommend making combined mixtures. The percentage of dry cereals and grass in them is 2:1. Special supplements will help compensate for the lack of useful minerals and vitamins. You can purchase them at any veterinary department.
An excellent solution would be to walk geese on ponds. Birds will independently eat algae, small shellfish and insects. The water surface will allow you to develop the performance of your limbs.
At this age, geese can be fed sunflower meal. This type of feed mixture is distinguished by its calorie content and its ability to be quickly absorbed in the bird’s stomach. In combination with cereal mixtures, it is possible to obtain a nutritious substrate that promotes rapid weight gain.
What not to feed
You should not give goslings everything in a row - this will not only not be beneficial, but can also harm the health of the bird. Incorrect nutrition can lead to the death of chicks.
What not to feed:
- freshly harvested rye;
- unripe potatoes;
- moldy bread and grain;
- sour food;
- sorghum grain;
- fertilizer residues;
- cheap or old feed.
It is not recommended to give chicks foliage of mantle, sedge, or goosefoot. Also, you should not introduce flour feed into the diet, as it causes breathing problems in goslings. Root vegetables with green sides are not digestible by chicks. Fermented milk products can cause stomach upset in the first weeks of feeding.
Photo of food for goslings
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Temperature conditions and care of offspring raised in an incubator in the first days of life
The first three days are heated more intensively. The temperature is maintained around 28-30 degrees. The temperature will be comfortable for the goslings if:
- babies spend most of their time near the feeder;
- rest on the mat without trying to curl up more compactly near a heat source;
- The chicks have normal appetite and thirst.
Then, by the 3rd week, the temperature is gradually reduced to 20 degrees, or even 18. In terms of temperature, geese are more adapted to the environment. Unlike other poultry, the heating period for goslings is shorter, only 20-30 days.
To measure the temperature, you can use a regular thermometer; it must be placed at a height of approximately 15 cm from the location of the litter and no closer than 30 cm from the heat source.
If the heater is not enough and the temperature is lower than necessary, you can use infrared lamps (fixed at an angle).
Warm air is very pleasant, but do not forget that any heater dries the air, which means you need to take care of humidity. The humidity level for the first 10 (15) days should not be less than 70%, then it should be reduced to 60%.
To maintain the required level of humidity, it is necessary to spray the floor of the room in which the animals live; if necessary, reduce the level of humidity by ventilating.
