Getting Along with Geese
Geese also make a racket with their honking. Usually they holler only with good reason, but a less observant human might not detect that reason: for instance, the cat or weasel the geese have spotted slinking along the fence line. Besides announcing intruders, geese have a tendency to run them off. A lot of people are more afraid of geese than of dogs, probably because they are less familiar with geese and feel intimidated by their flat-footed body charge, indignant feather ruffling, and snakelike hissing. Even as they fend off intruders, geese can become attached to their owners and are less likely to charge the family dog or cat than roaming pets and wildlife.
Geese are active grazers, preferring to glean much of their own sustenance from growing vegetation. They are often used as economical weeders for certain commercial crops; farmers take advantage of their propensity to favor tender shoots over established plants.
Geese lay enough eggs to reproduce, but no breed of goose lays as many eggs as the laying breeds of duck. Their meat, however, is plentiful and delicious. Goose is a traditional holiday meal, and when roasted correctly, the meat defies its reputation for being greasy. Goose fat rendered in the roasting makes terrific shortening for baking (leaving your guests wondering what your secret ingredient might be), and in the old days, it was used as a flavorful replacement spread for butter. The feathers and down from plucked geese may be saved up and made into comforters, pillows, and warm vests.
Ducks and geese get along well together and may be kept in the same area. Given sufficient living space with water in which to wash themselves, they will remain spanking clean.
Talking about waterfowl can get a bit confusing. A male duck is a drake, but a female duck is a duck. A male goose is a gander, but a female goose is a goose. So a drake is a duck, but a duck isn’t always a drake; and a gander is a goose, a goose isn’t always a gander. Got it? Dealing with these fowl in groups is much simpler: A bunch of ducks is a bevy and a gang of geese a gaggle.
A hatchling is a duck or goose fresh out of the egg. If the hatchling is a duck, it is a duckling; if it is a goose, it is a gosling. A hatchling that survives the first few critical days of life and begins growing feathers is called started. When it goes into its first molt (shedding of feathers), it’s called junior or green. A hatchling is considered mature when it has reached one year of age
Choosing the Right Bird
Numerous breeds of ducks and geese may be found worldwide, and more are created all the time. Others, however, are becoming endangered or extinct. Only a few of the developed breeds are commonly found in the United States. Other breeds with much lower populations are kept by fanciers or conservation breeders. Your purpose in keeping waterfowl will to some extent determine which breed is right for you, but in the long run, your best bet is to select the breed you find most visually appealing.
Each breed has been developed for specific characteristics valued by humans. Among ducks, some are efficient at laying eggs, whereas others grow rapidly to provide an economical source of meat. Still others are prized primarily for their unusual plumage, although most breeds are attractive in one way or another. Geese are largely bred for meat, with down as a by-product. But any goose seems elegant on a pond and might be looked at as a discount swan.
Geese are active grazers, preferring to glean much of their own sustenance from growing vegetation.
Ducks for Eggs
Some breeds of duck have been genetically selected for their outstanding laying habits, but unless this ability is maintained through continued selective breeding, the laying potential of a particular flock may decrease over time. For this reason, not all populations of a breed known for laying are equally up to the task. Some sources offer hybrid layers that are bred for efficient and consistent egg production, but their offspring will not retain the same characteristics and cannot be used to raise ducklings of your own. Since laying stops when nesting begins, the tradeoff among laying breeds is that they do not have strong nesting instincts.
Although some ducks lay pale green eggs, most of the laying breeds produce white eggs.
Campbell. Originally bred in England at the turn of the twentieth century, Campbells are fairly active foragers that can withstand cool climates. They weigh around 4 pounds, making them a fair size for eating. The original and most common color is khaki; the ducklings are dark brown and feather out to a seal-brown color, and the males’ heads and wings turn darker brown. Good layers will produce 240 to 300 eggs per year.
Campbell
Runner. Developed in Scotland from stock originating in the East Indies, where these ducks are put to work gleaning snails and waste grain from rice paddies, Runners have an upright stance that allows them to move around with greater agility than other breeds. They tend to be active and somewhat on the nervous side. Known also as Indian Runners, these ducks weigh around 4 pounds and can be expected to lay 140 to 180 eggs per year. They come in many colors, including white, fawn and white, chocolate, black, and blue.
Runner
Ducks for Meat
Any breed of duck may be used for meat, although some breeds have been developed to grow faster and larger than others while consuming less feed. You will find that the meat from the ducks you raise yourself is superior in quality to, and less expensive than, store-bought duck meat.
Pekin. A Pekin is a big duck with snow-white feathers and an orange bill and feet. Pekins are not particularly outstanding layers and are only fair at nesting and caring for their young. At maturity, they weigh 8 to 10 pounds. Because they have snow-white feathers, they appear cleaner when plucked; their white pinfeathers don’t show as much as the pinfeathers of colored waterfowl. If you order duck in a restaurant, you will most likely be served a Pekin
Pekin
Rouen. The Rouen looks like an overstuffed Mallard. At maturity, it averages 9 to 11 pounds. Rouens are docile, tend to be relatively inactive, and are not particularly good layers. Because of their deep breast, they breed best on water, and their egg fertility tends to be low if they breed on land. Thanks to their dark feathers, Rouens are considered to be largely ornamental, although some people claim this breed has the most flavorful meat of any, and its size certainly makes it ideal for roasting.
Rouen
Ducks and Egg Profile
Muscovy. The Muscovy doesn’t look like any other domestic duck and, indeed, is only distantly related to the others. Muscovies are sometimes called quackless ducks, because in contrast to the loud quacking of other female ducks, the Muscovy female speaks in a musical whimper, although she can make a louder sound if startled or frightened. The male’s sound is a soft hiss. Aging males take on a distinctive musky odor, giving this breed its other nickname of “musk duck.” Both the males and the females have a mask over the bridge of their beak that features lumpy red warts, called caruncles.
Muscovies are arboreal, preferring to roost in trees and nest in wide forks or hollow trunks. In confinement, they like to perch at the top of a fence, but they don’t always come back down on the right side. To get a good grip while perching on high, these ducks have sharply clawed toes. If you have to carry one of these ducks, try to keep it from paddling its legs so those sharp claws don’t slice your skin. Aging males can be aggressive, usually toward other male ducks but occasionally toward their keeper. With their powerful wings and sharp claws, they can engage in fierce battles over male dominance.
Muscovy
The male Muscovy matures to be the largest domestic duck, weighing up to 12 pounds. The drakes are thus twice the size of the average female, which tops out at around 7 pounds. Although white Muscovies are more suitable for meat because they have a cleaner appearance when plucked, the original color is an iridescent greenish black with white patches on the wings. Throughout the years, Muscovy fanciers have developed about a dozen additional colors.
Duck Breeds: Average Mature Weight (in Pounds)
The male Muscovy matures to be the largest domestic duck, weighing
up to 12 pounds.
Muscovies are an entirely different species from other domestic ducks, and although they will interbreed with others, the resulting offspring will be mules — sterile hybrids that cannot reproduce. Commercial producers may deliberately cross Pekins with Muscovies to produce meat birds called Moulards, which have the large breast of the Muscovy with less fat than the Pekin. Muscovy meat differs in flavor and texture from that of other ducks, in part because it contains less fat.
Being native to Mexico and South America, Muscovies do best in warm climates, although they also do well in moderate zones. They adapt better than other breeds to an environment that lacks a steady source of water for bathing. They are intelligent and curious, and the females can be as friendly as puppies, making great pets. Both sexes have an enormous appetite for slugs, snails, and baby mice. With their massive bodies and large flat feet, though, they tend to be somewhat destructive to seedlings.
Goose Breeds
Most breeds of domestic goose have been developed for meat, although some have been developed for their odd appearance. The Sebastopol, for instance, has curly feathers that look like a misguided perm. Nearly every breed has a tufted version, meaning that the geese have a puff of extra feathers on top of the head. No breed of goose lays as prolifically as a duck, and although a single goose egg makes a formidable omelet, the eggs are more often used for hatching or for creating craft items, such as decorative jewelry boxes.
Some backyard fanciers prefer geese that are not truly domesticated, such as the diminutive and dauntless Egyptian and the celebrated Canada. Being native to North America, Canada geese require a permit from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to be kept in confinement.
African. The African is a graceful goose with a knob on top of its head and a dewlap under its chin. The brown variety, with its black knob and bill and a brown stripe down the back of its neck, is more common than the white variety with orange knob and bill. Being fairly calm, Africans are easy to confine and tend not to wander. They mature to weigh 18 to 20 pounds. If you are raising geese primarily for meat and are concerned about the fat content, select African or Chinese geese, both of which naturally have less fat than other breeds.
African
Chinese
Chinese. The Chinese (or China) goose is similar in appearance to the African but lacks the dewlap. It comes in both white and brown. In contrast to the typical goose honk, this breed emits a higher-pitched doink that can be piercing if the bird is upset or irritated. This breed is most commonly used commercially as weeders. Because Chinese geese are both active and small, they do a good job of seeking out emerging weeds while inflicting little damage on established crops. Thanks to their lightweight and strong wings, they can readily fly over an inadequate fence. Chinese geese are the best layers among geese and produce a high rate of fertile eggs even when breeding on land rather than on water. They grow relatively fast but are the smallest of domestic geese, reaching a mature weight of only 10 to 12 pounds.
Goose Breeds: Average Mature Weight (in Pounds) and Egg Production
Embden. The Embden most often matures to 20 to 25 pounds but can weigh up to 30 pounds. Because of its size and white feathers, the Embden is the most popular goose to raise for meat. In Europe, this breed was traditionally plucked throughout its life as a perpetual source of down for comforters and pillows, but the plucking of live geese is now considered inhumane. The yellow goslings have patches of gray down when they hatch, and some people claim they can distinguish female from male goslings by their higher ratio of gray to yellow.
Embden
Pilgrim
Toulouse
Pilgrim. The Pilgrim goose is only slightly larger than the Chinese. It is the only domestic breed of goose in which the male and female mature to be different colors; the male is white like an Embden and the female is gray like a Toulouse. Because of this plumage pattern, Pilgrim hatchlings may be distinguished by sex on the basis of their down color: The males are yellow and the females are gray. In recent years, however, this distinction seems to be breaking down, as some flocks reputed to be Pilgrims produced white birds of both sexes. Pilgrims weigh 12 to 14 pounds at maturity and will fly over a fence when attracted to something on the other side.
Feed Conversion
A typical feed conversion rate for meat ducks is 1:2½ to 3 pounds, meaning that each duck gains 1 pound of weight for every 2½ to 3 pounds of feed it eats. The feed conversion rate for geese is 1:2 to 3 pounds. The older the birds get, the higher the feed conversion rate, creating a trade-off between economical meat and more of it. To improve the conversion rate, commercially raised waterfowl are encouraged to eat continuously by being kept under lighting 24 hours a day and having their feed troughs topped off several times a day. At the same time, they are discouraged from burning off calories by being confined to a limited area.
Toulouse. The Toulouse, named for a town in France, is the common barnyard goose. It has gray plumage set off with white feathers underneath. The Toulouse goose has been developed in two distinct populations. The common barnyard, or production, Toulouse matures to a weight of 18 to 20 pounds. The more massive giant, or dewlap, Toulouse matures to weigh 20 to 26 pounds.
Ducks and Geese for Meat
Although some waterfowl breeds have been developed for efficient meat production, any breed is good to eat. If you purchase a duck or goose at the grocery store or butcher shop, the duck would most likely be a Pekin and the goose an Embden. These white-feathered breeds appear cleaner when plucked, because their white pinfeathers don’t show as much as the pinfeathers of colored waterfowl.
Commercially raised water-fowl that are pushed for rapid growth are ready for butchering at an earlier age than most backyard waterfowl. Ducks of the Mallard-derived breeds may be ready as early as 7 weeks, geese at 8 weeks, and Muscovies at 14 weeks. Pasture-raised ducks and geese grow considerably more slowly, taking as much as three times longer to reach size, but are less expensive to raise and have less fat. As with any type of poultry, younger ducks and geese will produce more tender meat than mature birds will.
Feathering Means Butchering Time
Weight gain is only one important factor in determining when a duck or goose is ready for butchering. The other is the stage of the molt. All those feathers that enable ducks and geese to swim comfortably in cold water take a long time to remove, and plucking is considerably more difficult if some of those feathers are only partially grown. Plucking is less time-consuming, and the result is more appealing, if a duck or goose is in full feather.
Using Feathers from Ducks and Geese
One of the advantages of cleaning your own waterfowl is getting the feathers and down as a byproduct. The larger feathers may be used for various crafts, while the smaller, softer feathers may be used to make pillows and comforters. However, you’ll need the feathers from a lot of birds to make a sizable pillow, let alone a comforter. One goose will give you about 1/3 pound of feathers, and a duck will yield about 1/6 pound. And remember, some of those feathers are too stiff for making pillows.
When saving feathers, discard any that are dirty or have the soft, gooey quill of an immature feather. After each round of butchering, wash your collection of feathers. Place the feathers in a tight-mesh laundry bag and submerge it in lukewarm water with a little washing soda and some detergent or borax. Gently slosh the feathers in the water, and then rinse them in clean lukewarm water. Repeat until the rinse water runs clear. Gently squeeze the bagful of feathers and hang it outside to dry.
Waterfowl have an inner layer of feathers called down, which is extremely soft and light. Just as it keeps ducks and geese warm in cold water, it may be used to create vests and other articles of clothing to keep you warm in cold weather. Down gets its insulating ability from loft, which is its tendency to fluff up. The greater the loft, the greater the down’s insulating ability. Goose down has more loft than duck down, which is why it’s preferred by Arctic explorers. Because of loft,
you may think you have a big bag full of down, but you’ll soon find that it’s mostly air. If you sneeze, or open a door or window, while you’re gathering down, it will float out of the bag and waft through the air. Because down is so difficult to contain, it is often saved in smaller pouches rather than in larger bags. If you are careful while plucking, the down will remain clean and won’t require washing. You can find suitable fabric for stuffing with down at many outlets that manufacture or renovate pillows, comforters, and sleeping bags.
You’ll know the optimum time to pluck a duckling or gosling has passed when the feathers around its neck start falling out.
Soon after a duck or goose acquires its first full set of feathers, it begins molting into adult plumage and won’t be back in full feather for another two months or so. You’ll know the optimum time to pluck a duckling or gosling has passed when the feathers around its neck start falling out. From then on, the bird won’t grow as rapidly as it has been and the feed conversion rate goes up. After this point, feeding waterfowl for meat purposes becomes more costly, the meat becomes tougher, and the meat of Muscovy males takes on an unpleasant, musky flavor.
Dressed Weight
A duck or goose loses 25 to 30 percent of its live weight after the feathers, feet, head, and entrails have been removed. Heavier breeds lose a smaller percentage than lighter breeds. The breast makes up about 20 percent of the total meat weight; skin and fat make up about 30 percent.
A duck or goose is in full feather when:
• its flight feathers have grown to their full length and reach the tail
The Backyard Homestead Page 25
