The breed of geese Danish Legart is only gaining popularity among the poultry farmers of our country. It is distinguished by high rates in the quality and taste of meat, it gains weight quickly and well, consumes less feed, compared to other breeds. Features of keeping, feeding and breeding geese of the Danish Legart are discussed in this article.
Origin history
From the name itself you can find out the country of origin of these geese - Denmark. The breed was obtained as a result of crossing many breeds in order to obtain poultry with excellent indicators of productivity, high weight with an average physique and minimal maintenance costs.
These geese came to our country not so long ago and are just beginning to spread widely.
The correct breed name is Danish Legart, although often called the Danish Legard.
Description and characteristics of the breed
The breed is considered one of the best in the world. We will consider its main characteristics in more detail.
Table of the main characteristics of the Danish Legart breed:
Goose | Goose | Egg production, eggs / year | Egg weight, g | Instinct of incubation | Egg Fertilization,% | The survival rate of goslings,% | The yield of fluff, kg / year per individual | ||
Weight, kg | Puberty days | Weight, kg | Puberty days | ||||||
7-8 | 270-280 | 6-7 | 260-270 | 33-40 | 150-200 | is absent | 60-65 | 70-80 | 0,3-0,5 |
Appearance
The appearance of an adult bird can be described:
- plumage - snow-white, without inclusions;
- the body is more square in males, elongated in females, and landing is deep;
- the back is straight and wide;
- stomach - has a shallow fat fold;
- legs are yellow to orange, metatarsus is long;
- neck - not very long, thick, with a bend;
- head - small, oblong;
- beak - yellow-orange, small, at the end has a bulge of white color;
- eyes - a feature of the breed is the blue color of the eyes;
- bones are not wide, graceful.
Appearance goslings:
- the first brood has a yellow down cover with dark spots;
- subsequent generations - have a yellow color of pubescence without interspersing;
- after the first molt, the cover of both broods acquires a snow-white color without inclusions.
Character
The nature of the birds can be described:
- peaceable, calm and balanced birds;
- not aggressive, do not attack other residents of the poultry yard, outsiders, children, do not arrange fights among themselves;
- get used to the owner in a short time, respond to commands;
- do not make noise.
May reveal discontent during the nesting period.
Oviposition period and average annual egg production
On average, puberty occurs at 270 days. In females, this process takes place several weeks earlier than males. During this period, they begin to lay eggs.
Annual productivity is up to 40 eggs weighing 200 g each, which is considered a high rate. But at the same time, their fertility is not more than 65%.
About goose laying in more detail, you can read separately in our other article.
Individual Weight and Meat Productivity
Basically, the breed is bred to get meat. In adulthood, the male reaches a weight of 8 kg, the female - 7 kg.
The bird is early. According to the declared characteristics, the chicks weigh about 6 kg already in 8-10 weeks. And after a month - 7 kg.
The owners of the Danish Legart breed, consider such indicators to be somewhat exaggerated, according to their claims, 5 kg weights can be expected by 4-5 months from birth.
Accelerated weight gain by geese by 2-4 months, poultry farmers are classified as an advertising move.
Goose meat is considered dietary. It is gentle and has a small percentage of connective tissue, so it is well absorbed. Fat deposits do not affect the quality, as they are located under the skin.
The delicious, fatty liver of these geese, which with good feeding can reach a weight of 500 g or more, is highly appreciated.
Down productivity
Geese Danish Legart are distinguished by high rates of down quality. By plucking, you can begin to practice from the 11th month of the bird's life.
Regular plucking is done every 6 weeks. Up to 0.5 kg of fluff can be obtained from one bird per year.
Content Features
Geese Danish Legart are unpretentious in leaving, they grow quickly, without causing trouble to the poultry farmer. It is important to observe only a few important nuances.
Room requirements
Geese are heat-loving birds. When arranging a house, it is necessary to exclude the appearance of any drafts and the ingress of natural precipitation. In the cold season, the floor and walls are insulated, for example, with wood materials.
Gusyatnik is built on an elevation, preferably next to a walking yard and access to a reservoir.
The house should be equipped with:
- Thick walls. Their thickness is not less than 20-25 cm. Brick, foam blocks, cinder blocks, wood are suitable as a material. Wall height - 2 m.
- The roof. Make it from tiles, slate or roofing material. The built attic will serve as additional thermal insulation, both in summer and in winter.
- The floor. Make it from wood, concrete or leave it earthy.
- Zone Divider. In total, create 2 zones:
- for adults;
- for young animals.
Each zone should have a separate place for eating and nightly rest.
- Nests. Set them at the rate of 1 nest for 2 geese in the shaded part, away from the entrance, preferably from the south side.
- Feeding troughs. Set in the house. You can equip a separate "room" for eating.
- Drinkers. Must always be freely available.
- Litter. Its quality is suitable for straw, sawdust, sand, dry grass, peat. Layer thickness - at least 10 cm.
- Ventilation. High-quality ventilation is required. The best option is ridge ventilation.
- The windows. Which should occupy up to 20% of the walls of the crawler. For the winter they must be insulated.
- Additional lighting. It is necessary during the breeding season to extend the daylight hours to 14 hours. Install 1 60W lamp on an area of 6 square meters. m
In the crawler should be supported:
- Area for 1 individual. Geese do not like crowding, one bird needs 1 square. m square. In extreme cases, you can keep 2 individuals per 1 square. m. Tightness provokes a decrease in weight and egg production, deterioration in the quality of fluff.
- Temperature condition. The optimum temperature will be 22-26 ° C.
Install additional heating if the geese freeze in winter.
- Humidity. 50-60 %.
Walking yard
You can’t keep the bird locked up all the time. She needs a walk.
For these purposes, equip a pen:
- Space. It should be sufficient for free movement of geese. The ideal option is 10 square meters. m per individual. The best place would be the south side of the house.
- Fencing. Use a net or build a wooden fence.
- Canopy. Install a canopy in a place protected from the wind, where geese, especially young animals, could hide from the sun and precipitation.
- Coating. Geese love to graze, so sow a walking yard with herbs. Eating cereal greens will also be beneficial.
In winter, before releasing geese into the yard, you need to clear it of snow.
If it is impossible to ensure free range on the farm, take the herd to the meadow for grazing for the whole day.
In summer, geese can be outdoors around the clock, subject to the arrangement of the canopy.
Access to water
Geese are waterfowl, they need access to water, whether it be an artificial pond in a walking yard or a river / pond in a meadow.
According to scientists, the lack of water does not reduce either egg production or weight gain. But, the importance of free access to water is that it is a natural mating environment.
Fertilization of eggs increases with the possibility of mating in ponds.
Feeding troughs and drinking bowls
The number of feeders is calculated: 1 pc. 10 geese or 15 cm of sidewall per 1 individual.
Tanks should be 3:
- For wet mash. It is possible from metal.
- For dry food. You can use boxes of plywood.
- For mineral top dressing.
Sour-milk products should not be given in metal dishes.
Drinking bowls are installed at the rate of 1 pc. 2 m long for 10 goals. You can use a plastic pipe with a cut top. Change the water in them up to 3 times a day. In winter, pour warm and do not allow freezing.
Disease prevention
The preventive measures of common diseases of geese include compliance with the rules of care:
- Subcooling and overheating. In summer, the temperature in the house should not be allowed to rise above 30, and in winter below 0 ° C.
- Humidity indoors. With low humidity, geese may become inflamed mucous membranes, eyes, feathers dry out. With increased rates - the risk of developing fungal and bacterial diseases increases.
- Disinfection. After the construction is completed, treat the walls and floor with lime. Next, disinfect once a month with a solution of lime, formalin or copper sulfate. After the procedure, ventilate the house for 2 hours.
- Regular cleaning and litter change. If this rule is not followed, parasitic infestations are highly likely.
- Cleanliness of feeders and drinking bowls. Wash feeders and drinking bowls regularly. Change water in a timely manner, uneaten feed, especially wet, - discard.
- Fresh air. In the absence of ventilation in the crawler there is a risk of fungal plaque on the walls.
- Protection against overheating in the sun. Both adults and goslings feel bad under the direct rays of the sun.
- Vaccinations. To preserve the livestock of geese, without fail, they are given the necessary vaccinations.
Geese Danish Legart is difficult to treat, sometimes this is not possible, therefore, compliance with preventive measures is mandatory.
Weakened young animals recommended nursing:
- Milk-yolk mix. Chicken yolk is bred in 0.5 cups of fresh, rich milk. Sugar, biomycin, or penicillin are added to the mixture. Helps with exhaustion. Feed up to recovery.
- Maintaining the temperature in the room. It should be at the level of +23 ° С.
- Exercise. In sunny, calm weather let out for walks for 10 minutes.
You can read more about goose diseases, their varieties and features here.
Feeding
The diet will depend on the age of the bird and the time of year.
In summer and winter
In summer, while grazing, geese consume up to 1-2 kg of fresh grass per day, therefore they do not need intensive feeding at home. In the evening, they can offer grain feed.
In winter, you should take care of quality nutrition, which should consist of:
- Grass hay. Alfalfa, clover, wheatgrass.
- Vegetables. Beets and carrots - to maintain normal weight. Jerusalem artichoke - to increase immunity and frost resistance.
- Cereals. Keep in mind that a diet cannot consist solely of cereals. Their percentage is 30-40.
- Mineral and vitamin top dressing. As mineral top dressings give chalk, sand, fine gravel, shell rock, salt. To prevent the development of vitamin deficiency add up to 20 g per day of yeast feed.
Also in the diet you can include:
- bran;
- dry compound feeds with mountain ash, viburnum, dogrose, hawthorn;
- foliage and thin branches of birch, aspen, linden, acorns, needles, aquatic plants;
- earthworms that can be grown in containers with manure and kept in the basement in containers with earth.
Feed the bird at least 3 times a day. The evening dose is increased several times. Supplement the evening meal with a high fiber diet (bran, grass meal).
The need for clean water is determined by the formula - per 1 kg of dry food - 4 liters of water per individual.
Table of the required amount of feed per 1 bird for the winter period:
Feed name | Consumption kg |
Hay | 20 |
Beet | 30 |
Carrot | 30 |
Jerusalem artichoke | 30 |
Adult birds and young animals
Depending on the age of the bird, the change in diet is indicated in the table.
Diet of geese according to age:
Age days | Dry food, g / day | Green feed, g / day |
1-6 | 15 | 25 |
7-20 | 40 | 90 |
21-30 | 100 | 180 |
31-40 | 120 | 260 |
41-50 | 140 | 350 |
50 and adults | 160 | 500 |
Breeding
Since gander grows more slowly than geese, in the case of the first laying of eggs by birds of the same age category, it is better to remove it to provoke the females to lay eggs again.
Females start scampering in April.
If the herd consists of young geese and an old goose, the eggs will be fertilized from the first laying.
Females of Danish Legart lack the instinct of incubation, therefore, goslings should be hatched in an incubator.
While you collect the required amount, store fresh eggs by following these recommendations:
- the temperature should be 10-15 ° C;
- lay eggs on your side;
- You can store the egg for incubation for no longer than 1 week, then the chances of successful hatching of goslings are further reduced;
- On the 5th day of storage, turn the eggs on the other side, so there is a greater chance of maintaining the embryo.
Criteria for selecting eggs for incubation:
- size - large or medium;
- clean
- surface - smooth, without growths, without cracks;
- when checking on an ovoscope - the yolk spot is clearly visible, it is evenly located in the center, when cornering it returns to its place, there are no inclusions in the protein.
Temperature and humidity in the incubator
After laying eggs in the incubator, set the temperature at + 38.0 ... + 38.5 ° C, humidity 80%. Next, change the indicators in accordance with the table.
Table of temperature and humidity in the incubator by day:
Period, day | Temperature ° C | Humidity% | Cooling, once / day |
1 | 38,0-38,5 | 80 | – |
2-8 | 37,5-38,0 | 65 | 1 |
9-29 | 37,0-37,5 | 65 | 2 for 15-30 minutes. |
29-31 | 37,0-37,5 | 80 | – |
Egg incubation and hatching
The process and sequence of egg incubation:
- lay the eggs on the side of the incubator;
- the first 7 days, turn the eggs daily 5 times a day;
- in the first 7 days, spray the eggs;
- from 7 to 14 days in sprayings take a break;
- from the second week, turn the eggs at regular intervals 3 times a day;
- on day 10, make the first cull of the eggs by checking them with an ovoscope;
- from day 15 start spraying the eggs again;
- 21 days cull again;
- from day 26 stop turning the eggs;
- 28 day:
- remove the eggs from the incubator for ventilation and sprinkle them with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- every 6 hours, moisten the eggs or cover them with a damp cloth;
- put the tissue in an incubator so that the chicks do not hurt their legs when hatching;
- open the vent cover on the incubator cover.
- Day 29 - most often during this period, chicks begin to hatch.
The hatchability of goslings, subject to all the rules, is 80%.
The exact hatching time cannot be predicted. This usually occurs between 28 and 31 days.
Baby Care
Care for young animals is to maintain cleanliness and rational feeding.
In the premises where the goslings are located, it should always be clean, feeders and drinking bowls should be washed and disinfected, fresh water should be freely available.
The food should not be left for later; always cook it before use and discard leftovers.
At the age of 3 weeks, goslings are released for the first walk. To do this, take a special territory, taking care of their safety.
At this time, they cease to feed the chicks so that they themselves learn to eat greens. When they begin to get most of the diet from plants on a walk, you can again feed fertilizer from crushed grain or mixed feed.
Feeding goslings depending on age:
- The first day. After hatching and drying, the chicks are immediately offered food. This helps to remove the yolk from the body, as a result of which the chicks grow faster and the risk of mortality is reduced.
The diet consists of:- boiled eggs, previously finely chopped;
- ground grain;
- corn grits;
- fresh herbs, which should be 50% of the total diet.
Goslings are fed every 3-4 hours (about 8 hours a day). Feed is given on a pallet or on a plywood sheet.On the first day they do not offer fermented milk products.
- Up to 14 days. The first 7 days are fed 6 times a day:
- servings increase by 30%;
- remove eggs from the diet, replace them with high-calorie protein feed;
- peas are introduced into the menu (it is soaked overnight and ground through a meat grinder), bone meal, animal feed, fish oil (as a vitamin supplement).
- 15-30 day. Chicks eat 3 times a day:
- the basis of the menu is greens, peas, grain;
- boiled beets, carrots, potatoes are introduced into the diet;
- no more than 2 times a day, you can give fresh wet mixers;
- monitor the gluten of food so that it does not clog the nasal passages of goslings;
- fresh vegetables and root vegetables are mixed with chalk or shell rock;
- You can give a little cottage cheese.
There should be food in the troughs at night.
- After 1 month. Chicks get food 3 times a day:
- the basis of the diet is green feed;
- if there is no possibility of walking, goslings are given fresh mowed grass;
- in addition, grain, peas, mash mashines, oilcake, bran, shell rock, chalk, salt should come into the food.
You can get detailed information about feeding the chicks by reading our article “How to feed goslings from birth?”
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
The main advantages include:
- 20% less food intake by Danish Legart than other breeds;
- the main diet consists of 90% grass grazing;
- when there is not enough grass on pasture, geese consume mowed grass from the infield, cleaning vegetables, which significantly saves purchased feed;
- accelerated weight gain;
- meat yield is greater than that of other breeds;
- carcasses have an attractive presentation;
- can be an aesthetic decoration of the yard.
The disadvantages include:
- low fertilization of eggs;
- relatively low goslings survival;
- low egg productivity;
- no maternal instinct;
- high cost of breeding material and hatching eggs.
Where to get?
In Russia, you can buy Danish Legart geese:
- Ptica Village (Bird Village) is a suburb of Pereslavl-Zalessky;
- Vip Farm, Moscow Region, Mytishchi;
- Peasant-farm economy Simbireva Iraida Innokentievna, Moscow region, with. Ivashkovo, Shakhovsky district;
- Kireevskaya hatchery and poultry station, Tula region, Kireevsk.
Approximate prices:
- daily goslings - 250 rubles;
- weekly goslings - 400 rubles;
- adult geese - 3000 rubles .;
- hatching eggs - 70 rubles.
Reviews
Michael, 55 years old. I hold geese Children's Legart for several years. The breed is unpretentious in care and nutrition, quickly gaining weight. They are calm, do not scream and do not fight. It is a pleasure to keep them.
Andrey, 45 years old. The breed is relatively new. Hold her for several years. In general, it completely suits us. Goslings survive well, grow quickly, you can cut it for meat in 4 months, or you can leave it to get eggs, which are not very many, but we have enough. At the same time, they are not demanding in food and not fussy.
Ivan, 48 years old. Danish Legart is bred for meat and eggs. There are not very many eggs, but we have enough. From my own experience I can say that it is more profitable to keep this breed than many others. Therefore, I definitely recommend it.
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Add your review
Geese Danish Legart are unpretentious in care and feeding, they are flexible in nature, by the age of 4 months, they are gaining sufficient weight for slaughter, their eggs and snow-white fluff are highly valued. Geese lacks maternal instinct, so an incubator is needed for breeding. The breed is great for growing on personal farms.