Poultry: Geese

Geese were one of the first animals to be domesticated, probably in Egypt about 3000 years ago (see Buckland and Guy, 2002). They are found in most parts of the world, and can adapt to both hot and cold climates- as long as adequate shelter, especially shade, is provided. However, commercial production of geese is currently important in only a few countries in Europe and Asia.

Origins Diet References and Further Reading

Geese belong to the family Anatidae, and were one of the first domesticated animals. The name "Goose" itself has its origins as one of the oldest words of the Indo-European languages - the proto-Indo-European root, ghans, from which the Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Germanic, Norse, English, Irish and Russian names for the goose are derived.

A majority of wild geese of Europe, Asia and North America are migratory. There are two main types of domestic geese, derived from the wild Greylag goose (Anser anser) in Europe, and from the wild Swan goose (Anser cygnoides) in Asia. The FAO's Animal Genetic Resources database (AnGR) identifies 204 different breeds or varieties of geese. Many of these are thought to to have little economic importance because of their relatively low production or performance levels, or a limited geographic distribution (see Buckland and Guy 2002 for a description of different breeds).

All geese eat an exclusively vegetarian diet. The structure and function of their digestive system allows them to utilise and thrive on a high-fibre diet - partly as a result of an efficient and powerful proventriculus and gizzard, and also from the microbial breakdown of fibre in the caecum and large intestine.

The ability to utilise high fibre diets and the relatively low cost of extensive production systems means that where there is a market for the product, goose production for meat may be an ideal solution for smallholders.

The goose is suited to sustainable animal production because:

• It can consume and digest large amounts of high-fibre feed.
  
• Their behavioural patterns make geese relatively easy to manage.
  
• Geese have a rapid growth rate (one of the quickest of poultry species used for meat produciton).
  
• and the feathers as well as its fatty liver can produce valuable additional products: e.g. goose down for high quality and well insulated garments, and the liver for production of foie gras (where the geese are force-fed).
  
• Geese can also be used as "weeders". They like grasses but do not consume many broadleaf plants, and can be used to weed a wide range of crops. Geese can provide a second source of income by making use of the forage that grows under a main plantation crop.
  

For more information on goose production see the publication by Buckland and Guy, which includes sections on reproduction, breeding, flock management, housing, meat produciton, killing and processing. This publication also includes papers on goose production in South America, Indonesia, and Poland and Eastern Europe.