egetation, when plentiful,
will furnish practically the entire living both for breeding and growing
geese, it is by all means desirable to have suitable range for the
breeding stock. Aside from economy of production range is desirable from
the fact that the breeders keep in better condition and better results
in breeding and fertility are obtained. The range for breeding geese
should therefore consist of grass land or pasture. Often rather low wet
land can be used for this purpose, particularly if some higher land is
also available to provide a more favorable kind of grass. Often geese
can be ranged on the same pasture with horses or cattle. Later in the
season after the harvest, both breeding and growing geese can be given
the range of the stubble fields to good advantage as they will glean
most of the shelled grain. The entire flock of breeders is generally
allowed to run together but the flock may be divided if desired, or each
mating may be kept in a colony by itself if the fighting of the ganders
proves troublesome.
_Number of Geese to the Acre._ The number of geese which can be kept or
run to the acre depends of course upon the nature of the land available
for the purpose. The better the pasture and therefore the more green
feed available throughout the summer and fall, the more geese can be
run. In general, the practice is to run from 4 to 25 geese to an acre;
ten is a fair average under normal conditions.
_Water for Breeding Geese._ While water to which the geese can have
access for swimming is not absolutely essential for their well being,
they like it and it is well to provide water if possible especially
during the breeding season. It not only takes care of the problem of
supplying drinking water, but in the opinion of many goose raisers,
increases the fertility of the eggs laid. A natural water supply such as
a stream or pond in the pasture is therefore desirable, but if none is
available an artificial pond or tank can be furnished to good advantage.
_Distinguishing the Sex._ It is difficult to distinguish the sex of
geese. It is, of course, necessary to know the sex so as to provide the
proper number of ganders and so as to know what birds to pen together in
making a mating. Once the sex of a bird is determined it is well for the
novice to mark it by means of a suitable leg band so that its sex can be
easily distinguished in the future.
It is more difficult to distinguish the sex of young than of old geese.
The gander is generally slightly