Harnessing Poultry Power: Using Geese for Weed Control

1
Harnessing Poultry PowerUsing Geese for Weed
Control
Marjorie BenderAmerican Livestock Breeds
Conservancy
2
Crops geese can be used in

• Cotton
• Coffee
• Orchards vineyards
• Vegetables
• after seedling stage

• Nursery crops
• Flowers
• roses, iris, mums, peonies, gladiolas, dahlias
• Christmas trees
• esp. Colorado Blue Spruce Canadian Hemlock

3
Geese in a field of mint
4
Crops geese can be used in

• Brambles
• Potatoes
• Blueberries
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Sugar beets

• Hops
• Seed alfalfa
• Strawberries
• esp. matted row in early spring prior to berries
  ripening

5
Geese in a vineyard
6
Other jobs for weeder geese

• Irrigation ditches
• Anytime there isnt a crop in the field
• Fields following harvest that need gleaning
• Field prior to planting

7
Crops to Avoid

• Beans geese eat the flowers
• Vining crops geese eat/trample the vines,
• Grass crops geese eat grass!!
• e.g. corn, sorghum, wheat, rye, small grains.
• Cole crops

8
Weeds geese will graze

• Immature Grasses!
• Other tender, immature broadleafs
• Thistles when they are VERY small and tender

9
Weeds geese wont eat

• Daisy fleabane
• Curly dock
• Hairy leafed plants
• Wild onion

10
Look at that bill!
11
Managing weeder geese

• Confine for effectiveness
• Concentrate weeding activity
• Exclude geese from crops they might damage
• Protect geese from predators

12
Managing weeder geese

• Methods of confinement and/or focusing activities
• Permanent fencing - confining to field and
  paddock
• Portable fencing
• Chicken wire
• Electric netting
• Goose tractors
• Water

13
Stocking Density

• Dont understock
• Know weed density and species
• 2-4 geese/acre in cultivated fields
• 4-8 geese/acre in uncultivated field

14
Timing is Everything

• Put geese in field as soon as weeds sprout

15
Creature Comforts

• Provide
• Water
• Shelter
• Predator protection
• Supplemental feed

16
Damage control

• Monitor regularly move as soon as weeds are
  controlled
• Locate water shade strategically
• Have alternative pasture

17
Protect your work crew!

• Predators
• Bring them into a predator proof building or pen
  at night.
• Run a few adult geese with young goslings
• Listen for your geese
• Observe your geese

18
Protect your work crew!

• Fertilizers, Herbicides, Insecticides and
  Poisonous Baits
• Remove birds from application areas
• Remove baits before reintroducing.
• Toxins may accumulate in their tissues and be
  passed on to unsuspecting human consumers. Err
  on the side of caution!

19
Preparing for geese

• Have ready
• Brooder box
• Gosling food
• Waterers for goslings and geese
• Feeders
• Predator secure shelter or fenced yard

20
Preparing for geese

• Have ready
• Fencing for the fields to be grazed
• A grazing plan
• Shade in field to be weeded
• A pasture or paddock to move geese to when
  weeding is done
• A plan for the geese at seasons end

21
A Chronology

• Order day-old goslings from hatcheries to arrive
  6-8 weeks before weeds will sprout in the
  designated fields.
• Brood gosling for 5 8 weeks.
• Keep warm and dry
• Provide water at all times
• Feed only unmedicated
• feed

22
A Chronology

• Train to electric fencing before they have
  feathers (2-3 wks old)
• Put in field AS SOON AS WEEDS SPROUT
• Monitor and move geese as needed
• Proceed with your post-weeding plans

23
Some Estimated Costs

• Day old goslings 5.50 ea
• Minn. purchase - 8 55 6(S/H) 61
• Feed - 21 protein starter game bird feed
• 2 cents / bird / day
• 18.50 / 4 birds / month

24
Some Estimated Costs

• Equipment
• Electronet 33 X 150 99
• 42 X 150 164
• From Premier Sheep Supplies, 800-282-6631
• Water buckets
• Feeders
• Brooding box or pen
• Shelter in field
• Predator secure coop or covered poultry yard

25
Useful Goose By-Products

• Manure
• Meat
• Publicity
• Eggs
• Down

26
S t a r t s m a l lGrow slowly
27
(No Transcript)
28
Breeds of Geese
29

• Know your goals
• then select the breed that best fits your needs

30
Considerations

• Where are you located?
• Geese are talkative.
• Do you have experience?
• Some breeds are more difficult to raise than
  others.
• Most breeds of geese are rare
• May be hard to find and obtain
• ALBC can help
• Wide range in conformation and productivity
• Test stock from different sources
• Lack uniformity
• Consider becoming a breeder

31
Anser cygnoides

• Descendants of the Asian Swan goose

• Chinese
• African

32
Chinese geese

• Active foragers Best choice for weeder geese
• Lightweight breed
• 10 12 pounds
• 40 100 eggs per year
• Alert talkative
• Produce least greasy meat
• WATCH category

33
African geese

• Heavyweight breed
• 18 20 pounds
• 20 45 eggs per year
• Brown or White
• Leanest of the large breeds
• Avoid undersized stock
• WATCH category

34
Anser anser

• Descendants of the European Graylag goose

• American Buff
• Embden
• Pilgrim
• Toulouse
• Pomeranian
• Roman
• Sebastopol

35
American Buff

• American breed
• Medium weight breed
• 16 18 pounds
• 25 35 eggs per year
• Good medium roaster
• Hardy
• Calm
• CRITICAL category

36
Embden

• Heavyweight breed
• 20 26 pounds
• 25 35 eggs per year
• Active
• Large roasting birds
• Dress cleanly
• Readily available. Used for commercial production

37
Pilgrim

• American breed
• Medium weight breed
• Color is sex-linked
• 13 14 pounds
• 25 40 eggs per year
• Hardy
• Docile quiet
• Good foragers
• CRITICAL category

38
Pomeranian

• Medium weight breed
• 15 17 pounds
• 25 35 eggs per year
• Colorful
• Produce medium sized roaster
• CRITICAL category

39
Roman

• Lightweight breed
• 10 12 pounds
• Smallest of the Graylag derivatives
• Produce a nice roaster
• Characteristic tuft of head feathers
• 25 35 eggs per year
• CRITICAL category

40
Sebastopol

• Medium weight breed
• 12 14 pounds
• 25 35 eggs per year
• Curly feathered
• RARE category

41
Toulouse

• Heavyweight breed
• 3 types
• Standard Large, dewlapped
• Quiet, slow moving
• Slow maturing
• Production Smaller, keel-less
• Readily available
• Exhibition exaggerated dewlap
• Fatten readily
• WATCH category

42

• Know your goals
• then select the breed that best fits your needs