Geese are not as prolific as chickens. So if you want to produce eggs from geese, then choosing best egg laying geese breeds is very important for you.
Geese lay less number of eggs compared to other bird species. From early spring through late autumn, they lay an egg nearly every other day.
Best Egg Laying Geese Breeds
Chinese geese are the most common and popular backyard flocks throughout the world. They are very famous for both of their eggs and meat.
However, here I am describing the steps for raising and caring this best egg laying geese breeds on your own backyard along with your another bird species.
Characteristics of Chinese Geese
Chinese geese appear graceful with compact bodies and long slender necks. There is a bright orange knob at the base of the beak.
This knob gets larger in accordance with the age of geese and it is often prominent in the male geese. Generally there are two types of Chinese geese available.
One comes in a pure white variety and another is brown-gray barred colored geese (has similarity with African geese but it is significantly smaller in size). They are extremely vocal and are excellent watcher like watch dogs.
Environment
During the first few weeks of life, the goslings are in need of supplemental heat management until they are fully feathered.
Keep the goslings in an incubator at 95° Fahrenheit temperature for the first week if they are not being raised by their mother. After first week reduce the temperature by 5° per week.
Reduce temperature at this rate until they are fully feathered out at about their 6 weeks of age. If you keep their mother inside the pen, then ensure that you have not kept more than one per 4 square feet of floor space.
Feeding
You can feed the goslings chick starter supplemented with various types of vegetables and grasses. Adult geese can consume all types of cracked corn and they spend most of their time foraging for bugs, insects or trimming grasses.
Naturally, geese leave board leafed plants like vegetables, herbs and flowering plants while foraging. Mix this types of board leafed plants into their diet during beginning at first week of age, if you want your geese to nibble at broad leafed weeds.
Do not feed the goslings flower stalks and other types of feed that they can’t consume. And always provide them sufficient amount of fresh and clean water according to their demands.
Egg Production
Geese start laying at their 7 months of age. Provide sufficient nesting boxes inside their house. Provide one nesting box for every 2 to 3 female geese. The box must have to be at least 2 square feet on average.
Generally Chinese geese begin egg laying in February or March. Their production drop during summer season. And when autumn come, their egg laying will pick up again until mid November.
During short day season, provide artificial lighting in morning and evening for encouraging them to laying eggs.
Most of the people raise some geese on their own backyard as pets and for the beauty of geese. If you want to raise some geese then create good facilities for them and take good care of them.
