m. However, when the geese are first put on feed they are noodled only
3 times a day this being gradually increased to 5 times. The feeder sits on a box or stool in a corner of the pen, grasps each goose in turn holding it between his legs to keep it from struggling as he stuffs it with noodles. The goose is handled by its neck, never by its legs which are easily injured, and is held with its back toward the feeder. The feeder usually wears gloves to protect his hands from the severe bites which the birds will inflict. The feeder must also handle the birds as carefully as possible, especially as killing time approaches for the flesh bruises easily and the discolored patches spoil the appearance of the dressed goose.
The feeder at the start usually gives each goose from 3 to 5 noodles, gradually increasing this to 6 or 7 noodles if the birds will stand it, the number of noodles fed depending upon the size and condition of each bird, the feeder being obliged to use his judgment in this matter. In general if any feed can be felt in the craw, no noodles are given until the next feeding time. Failure to observe this is likely to cause the bird to go off feed. If any geese are noticed which are off feed they should be taken out and marketed.
The noodles are made of scalded corn meal, ground oats, ground barley and ground wheat or wheat flour, using equal parts of each. This material is thoroughly mixed and salted as one would bread and is then put through a sausage stuffer. The product as it comes from the stuffer is cut into noodles about 2-1/2 or 3 inches long and these are boiled for 10 or 15 minutes or until they float. A wash boiler with a wire rack forming a false bottom about 1-1/2 inches above the boiler bottom is used for this purpose. When cooked the noodles are dipped in cold water and then rolled in flour to keep them from sticking together. A supply of noodles is made which will last for 2 or 3 days' feeding.
Just before feeding, hot water is poured over the noodles to make them warm and slippery. The mouth of the goose is forced open and the noodles are put in, one at a time, and worked down by using the fingers on the outside of the neck. As each goose is fed it is placed on the other side of the partition until all in the pen have been fed. It is important that plenty of drinking water be kept before the geese.
The feeding period where geese are noodled usually extends from 3 to 4 weeks. Gains of 6 to 10 pounds per bird can be secured and often an increased price of 10 to 15 cents a pound can be secured for such specially fattened geese. Noodled geese will average about 25 pounds and some individuals have been made to weigh nearly 40 pounds. One man can noodle from 50 to 100 geese but has to put in long hours. Noodled geese should be dressed where fattened as they are soft fleshed and would shrink badly if shipped alive.
Fattening methods similar to the noodling described are used in parts of Europe for the production of the enlarged goose livers which are employed in making "patte de fois gras".
Methods Used on Fattening Farms
As previously mentioned, a few farmers make a specialty of buying the geese in their section of the country in the fall when it is too late for serious trouble to develop from hemorrhagic septicemia, a disease similar to fowl cholera, and to fatten or finish them in large flocks for the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets. Methods are employed in different sections which differ quite widely.
On a farm in the Middle West the geese are collected from the general farms where they are produced in small flocks and brought to the farm where they are kept in flocks as large as 1,000 or even more, and are allowed to run in a cornfield or orchard. They are fattened for about a month. Corn on the cob and plenty of water is kept before the geese all the time and if they are running in a cornfield they eat the leaves off the corn stalks for roughage. Roughage is supplied if not available otherwise and straw, hay or vegetables are utilized for this purpose.
No shelter is provided during mild weather, the geese getting such protection as they can from the trees or corn stalks. If the weather turns unusually severe, the geese are generally driven into sheds or barns. When fattened the geese are usually shipped to some large market alive. Several farms in the neighborhood of Boston make a specialty of finishing geese each fall, and the methods used are quite different from those described above. No geese are raised on these farms, the operation being confined to the fattening or finishing of the geese and to killing and dressing them for the market. Some of these goose fatteners also have stalls or stands in the Boston markets where they are enabled to dispose of their fattened geese to the best advantage.
_Fatteners._ In previous years these fatteners depended largely upon the geese produced on the Rhode Island farms for their supply. In the past few years, however, the supply from this source has dwindled greatly and the bulk of the geese for fattening are now shipped from Prince Edward Island, Canada, in carload lots. Such summer geese as are now fattened still come from Rhode Island and are brought in by truck. The fattening season begins in September and lasts until Christmas. Some early goslings are bought in June but there is not as good a profit from the summer geese, the demand and prices being adversely affected by the supply of spring ducklings available at that time.
Experience and good judgment will benefit the goose fattener greatly when purchasing his supply of geese for fattening. What he wants are goslings, not older geese, which have made a good growth and which have a large frame but which are in poor flesh rather than fat. Such geese will make more rapid and more profitable gains. When geese are bought for shipment by the carload from Prince Edward Island, they should be penned and fed at the point of shipment for 3 or 4 days before they are loaded in the cars, so as to put them in shape to stand the journey well. On the farms from which they come, the goslings are not fed much and in consequence are not in shape to stand shipment.
_The Goslings_ which are secured from the farms for fattening are mainly common geese of no particular breed. Some pure bred geese are also obtained as are some first crosses between the pure breeds. A class of geese which is obtained in some numbers from Prince Edward Island and which is much desired is the so-called "Mongrel" goose. These are obtained by breeding a Wild or Canadian gander to geese of dark plumage similar to the Toulouse or African. The mongrel geese much resemble the wild gander in type and color and are in demand on the market because of their wild or gamy flavor. They bring about 10 cents per pound more than common geese. The market, however, is somewhat limited. These geese will not breed although the females will lay eggs. Where the wild gander is mated with light colored or white geese the offspring will have more or less light colored feathers and will not as closely resemble the wild parent and for this reason are not as desirable.
_Shipping._ The geese are loaded into stock cars into which three separate decks are built to accommodate them. From 1200 to 1400 geese can be loaded into a car thus arranged. The journey usually takes about 5 or 6 days and some fatteners send a man along with the car to feed and water the geese 2 or 3 times during the trip. If a man does not accompany the car, buckets of corn should be placed in the car for feed and some potatoes should also be supplied as these will serve in place of drinking water. If the car is not subjected to unusual delay, the geese should come through in good shape, but if much delayed there may be 25 to 100 geese dead when the car arrives at its destination.
When the car arrives at the end of its journey, the geese are unloaded and driven to the farm where they are turned into the fields together in a large flock. The fields in which they are thus kept should have a supply of growing green feed or grass and a good supply of fresh drinking water. They are kept here until they are wanted for the fattening pens which may be from a week to 20 days after their arrival at the farm. While in this large supply flock they are fed on corn and grass which they can get for themselves.
_Summer Geese_ to be fattened are placed only about 50 in a pen or enclosure; and are provided with a few boards set on posts to protect them from the hot sun. The later geese are fattened in lots of 3 or 4 hundred or even more, depending upon how many pickers are available to be kept busy. It is for this reason also that the geese are not all put on the fattening ration at the same time, but are started at intervals so as to have a continuous supply coming along to keep the pickers busy. The geese not put in the fattening lots at the start are left in the fields to grow and develop until they are needed.
The enclosures in which the geese are penned for fattening are small lots or fields enclosed by stone walls or board fences 2-1/2 to 3 feet high. These lots should be dry and well-drained, a location on a side hill being good for this purpose. The fattening lots must be kept clean and stagnant water must not be allowed to stand in the lots as this is likely to cause sickness, especially diarrhoea. These yards should be plowed up each spring and planted to oats, corn or some other growing crop to sweeten them. No houses or shelters are provided for these geese but some yards are somewhat wooded which affords a measure of protection from the wind.
_Feeding._ When the geese are placed in the fattening lots, some fatteners prefer to fast the geese for from 3 to 5 days, giving them no feed but plenty of water to drink. This gives them a good appetite and puts them in good shape for fattening.
The geese are fed three times a day, in the morning, at noon and at night. The morning and night feed usually consists of a moist mixed feed fed in troughs; while the noon feed is whole corn thrown on the ground. The use of one feed of corn a day is supposed to check any tendency toward diarrhoea. In very cold weather some fatteners feed the mixed feed at noon and the corn at night. At first the geese are not given all they will eat but are worked up gradually, increasing the amount each day until they are getting all they want. As a rule the geese will drop back a little in feed consumption after they reach the point where they get all they want and from this time on, the feeding must be very carefully watched to see that they are not given so much that they will leave some to sour which would cause diarrhoea. The morning and noon feeds are lighter, the heaviest feed being given at night. The bird's appetites will vary from day to day so that it is best to make the rounds twice in feeding to make sure that they have enough and that none is left. If any is left it must be gathered up and carried away.
No provision is made for furnishing the fattening geese with green feed or roughage. The practice with respect to drinking water varies. Some fatteners keep a supply before the birds in troughs which must be washed out each day to keep them clean. Others furnish no water except that used in mixing up the feed.
_Corn Meal_ is the principal ingredient of the fattening mixture. To a sack of corn meal is added 10% beef scrap and five good shovels of grit or medium sized gravel. In addition some fatteners add 10% of flour to bind the mixture together. This material should be thoroughly mixed up in a dry state as a better mix can be obtained in this way. It is then mixed up with water, the practice here varying. Some fatteners mix in a trough with boiling water a short time before feeding, while others mix it with cold water letting it soak over night and adding more water in the morning if it is too dry at that time. It should be mixed until it can be shoveled readily but should be quite solid, never in a sloppy condition as this is likely to cause diarrhoea. A little salt may be added, if desired, as an appetizer. While corn meal is generally used, hominy may take its place. After the geese are started on the fattening ration, this must be given throughout the fattening period. Changing to some other feed will throw the geese off feed and cause a loss.
_Feeding._ When the mixed feed is ready it is shoveled into boxes or barrels on a low wagon and driven to the fattening lots where it is shoveled into the troughs for the geese. Ordinary V-shaped troughs are favored instead of flat troughs as the latter afford hiding places for rats which may cause damage in addition to the feed which they eat by frightening the geese.
Geese are easily frightened and must therefore be handled rather carefully and gently as a severe fright will interfere with the gains they will make. Some fatteners provide electric lights where the geese rest at night so that they can see and will not be so likely to become frightened.
When the geese are ready to be killed they are driven up to the killing house and into a pen where they may be easily caught. Each goose as caught is examined to see whether it is in condition for killing. If it is not it is put back with a later lot for additional fattening. Good condition in a goose is judged by its weight when handled and also by the condition of its breast and the fat on its back. A good place to test geese for fat is on the side of the body just below the point where the wing joins the body. If fat can be seized between the thumb and finger at that point, the goose is in good condition.
_Dry Picking._ All fattened geese for the Boston market are dry picked. The goose is held between the knees of the picker with the wings held fast against the sides of the body. The head is grasped by the left hand, the mouth forced open and the veins in the back of the throat just beyond the skull severed with a sharp knife for the purpose of bleeding the bird. If the bird is to be stuck, which is not always done, the point of the knife is then plunged through the roof of the mouth to the brain. The legs are then seized in the left hand, together with the ends of the wings to prevent the goose from struggling and the goose is struck once or twice sharply on the back of the head with a club held in the right hand. This is for the purpose of stunning the bird. The geese may also be bled by sticking the knife through the neck from the outside just below the head.
The picker then takes his seat beside the feather box, holding the goose on his lap with the head held between his knee and the outside of the box. He proceeds to pluck the feathers as rapidly as possible, removing all the feathers except the main wing feathers or those of the first joint of the wing and the feathers of the neck half way from the head to the body. All the soft body feathers are thrown in the box and saved. The coarser feathers are thrown on the floor. The down is removed by rubbing the moistened hand over the skin. To save the hands, ordinary rubber heels dipped in water are often used. Sharp knives are also used to shave off the pin feathers which cannot be plucked and any down not removed by rubbing.
The dry picked goose presents a much better appearance than a scalded goose and the feathers are more valuable. The skin of a dry picked bird is not so likely to be rubbed off in removing the down.
_The Value of the Feathers_ is sufficient to pay for the cost of the picking or perhaps a little more. The cost of picking in the fall of 1920 ranged from 15 to 20 cents per goose where the picker was boarded and 24 cents without board. A good man can pick about 40 geese in a day. Women are not employed for this work as the geese are too big and too strong for them to handle.
After the geese are picked, the blood is washed from the head and the feet washed if that is necessary. They are then thrown into barrels of cold water to cool and must be left there until the body heat is entirely removed. The wings are tied in place by means of a string or tape tied around the body and wings and the legs may also be crossed over the back and tied. The geese when ready for market are either shipped in by express or are taken in by automobile truck.
_Gain in Weight._ In fattening according to the methods described above a gain in weight is secured of from 6 to 8 pounds per goose. This does not represent the total gain in value, however, for the fattened geese will bring more per pound as a result of their finished condition. The fattened geese when ready for market will weigh from 12 to 20 pounds. Weights taken on two carloads of fattened geese showed an average weight of 14 pounds. On December 2, 1920, fattened geese from these farms were bringing 42 cents per pound on the Boston market while the mongrel geese were worth 50 cents or a little better.
The question may arise as to the size of farm necessary to carry on a business of this sort. Using the methods employed about Boston a farm of 30 acres would be sufficient to handle 20,000 geese in a season. In selecting a farm for such a purpose, a location should be chosen where there are no close neighbors as the odor from the geese and yards is offensive to most persons.
_Selling Geese Alive._ Most farmers who raise only a few geese ship them alive, either sending them to some commission house or selling them to someone who makes a specialty of fattening. Such geese are often in poor condition and bring the lowest quotation. Large coops similar to those used for turkeys should be used in shipping geese.
_Killing._ Where geese are killed on the farm for shipment to market they are usually hung up by means of a cord about the legs. When geese are to be dry picked the veins in the throat just beyond the skull are first severed with a long bladed knife such as used for killing turkeys to cause good bleeding and the point of the knife is then plunged through the roof of the mouth to the brain performing the stick which serves to make the feathers come out more easily as with other classes of poultry. Since it is rather difficult to dry pick geese, they are usually scalded or steamed and where this is done, the stick is not made but after the veins in the throat are cut, the goose is stunned by a blow on the back of the head with a short club. A blood can or weight is then hooked through the lower bill which keeps the neck straightened out and prevents the blood from being thrown about the room or on the birds. The birds are allowed to hang until they are dead and thoroughly bled out.
_Picking._ When geese are dry picked, the feathers are removed just as soon as the birds are stuck for the longer the delay the harder the feathers pull. The wings are picked to the first joint and the feathers of the neck half-way to the head. The soft pin feathers and fine down may be removed by shaving the skin or rubbing the body with moistened hands will partially remove them.
Usually geese are scalded or steamed for picking. For steaming a wash boiler three-quarters full of boiling water and with a burlap sack tightly stretched over its top can be used. The goose is simply laid on the sack and the steam coming through the burlap steams the feathers and makes them easy to remove. The breast should be steamed first, then the back and then each side. Two or three minutes will be time enough to complete the steaming. The feathers are steamed until they pull out easily. The goose must be kept moving to prevent the flesh from becoming scalded and since the breast is especially tender it is usual to lay the head under the breast to prevent the latter from scalding. After steaming the body feathers are removed and the bird is then singed over a flame furnished by alcohol burned in shallow tin plates, in order to remove the down. The down may also be removed by sprinkling powdered rosin over the goose's body which is then dipped into hot water. The hot water melts the rosin which sticks to the down and the down and rosin can then be rubbed off together.
Geese may also be steamed by scalding slightly in hot water and then wrapping tightly in burlap or some other cloth. They are kept wrapped for about five minutes which allows the steam to work thoroughly through the feathers which can then be plucked easily.
Exactly the same methods can and often are employed in dressing geese as are used with ducks. The reader is therefore also referred to the material in Chapter VII.
There seems to be no great insistence on the part of most markets for dry picked geese. Some will pay slightly more for the dry picked birds but others make no difference.
_Packing for Shipment._ After picking, the geese are washed and then placed in cold water to cool. Ice water is best for this purpose and is essential in warm weather. The carcasses must be allowed to remain in the water until they are thoroughly cooled, which will take at least one to two hours. If any animal heat is left in the bodies, they will spoil very quickly. Often the carcasses are dipped in hot water, before being thrown in the cold water, to plump them. After they are thoroughly cooled, the geese are packed in barrels for shipping. If the weather is cool they may be packed in well ventilated barrels without ice, but if the weather is warm, cracked ice must be used in packing, proceeding in the same way as when packing ducks as described on page 109. It is always risky to pack without ice.
_Saving the Feathers._ Goose feathers are valuable and should therefore be saved when the geese are plucked. The soft body feathers and the coarser feathers should be kept separate. The feathers should be cured by spreading them out in a thin layer on the floor of a loft or room, stirring them up occasionally until they are thoroughly dried out, when they can be sacked and sold. Failure to dry the feathers thoroughly will result in their heating and molding with the result that they will arrive at their destination in bad shape and will be worth less money. The soft body feathers of geese are practically all used in making beds and pillows while the quills are sometimes utilized in making toothpicks and cigarette holders. Prices for goose feathers in June 1921 were as follows:
Pure White dry picked 75c per lb. Good average white " " 65c " " Largely gray " " 55c " " Largely gray scalded 40c " " Long goose quills 5c " "
These prices were for good dry feathers.
Plucking Live Geese for their Feathers
In the days of feather beds and home-made pillows the practice of plucking live geese for their feathers was very common. Now, however, with the demand for goose feathers less and with the opinion of some breeders that plucking geese is both cruel and injurious, the practice seems to be decreasing. Many goose raisers in the South and a less number in the Middle West and North however still pluck the feathers from the live geese prior to the time of moulting. The frequency with which the picking is done varies greatly, some picking as often as every six weeks during the spring, summer and early fall while others pick twice, once in the spring and once in the fall, or once in the spring only. Geese should never be picked during the late fall or winter when the weather is cold or during the breeding season. Both young and old geese are plucked and the average yearly production of feathers per goose is about one pound. When the quills of the feathers are dry and do not contain any blood, the feathers are ripe for picking. In plucking, a stocking is placed over the head of the goose and the goose held on the lap and between the legs during the process.
An assistant to hold the goose during the plucking simplifies the work greatly. In plucking, part of the soft feathers of the breast, sides, abdomen and back are taken but these sections should not be plucked clean. It is especially important that enough short feathers be left to support the wings.
After plucking, the feathers must be cured before they are shipped. This may be done by spreading them out on a floor as described for the feathers taken from slaughtered geese or they may be placed loosely in burlap sacks and hung up in a garret or loft. Hanging in this way and in the loosely woven sacks, they are subjected to a good circulation of air and will dry out without heating. Sacks of feathers should not be piled or packed closely together, on top of one another or even be allowed to lie on the floor until they are thoroughly dry as otherwise they are almost sure to heat and mold.
INDEX
A
Absence of crest in Crested White Duck, 34
African Goose, 156, 157
Age of breeding ducks, 55, 123 breeding geese, 152 duck eggs for hatching, 72 ducklings for market, 96, 102, 136 green geese, 187 Muscovy duck, 31
Amount of feed per pound of market duck, 95 for noodled geese, 197 Amount of land for duck plant, 46 for goose fattening farm, 208
Arrangement of cars for shipping live geese, 202
Arrangement of duck plant, 45
Artificial water yards for ducks, 62
Aylesbury duck, 23
B
Baby ducks, selling, 78
Bantam ducks, 27, 29
Bean, definition of, 13 black in, 22, 23, 35
Bedding brood coop for goslings, 180 duck breeding houses, 60 duck brooder houses, 87 goose breeding houses, 168 pens for fattening geese, 195
Beef scrap, feeding, to ducks, 64
Bib in Blue Swedish ducks, 33 Buff ducks, 36
Bill, definition of, 13 black in, of Black East India, 29
Black East India duck, 29
Black in bean of Aylesbury, 23 Crested White Duck, 35 Pekin, 22
Black bill in Black East India drakes, 29
Black head, greenish, in Buff drakes, 35 head, in Fawn and White Runners, 37 in face of Muscovy, 32 plumage of Blue Swedish, 33 on head of young White Muscovy, 32 tail coverts, greenish, in Fawn and White Runners, 37
Bleeding ducks, 105 geese, 206, 209
Blue cast in Buff ducks, 36 Muscovy, 32 Swedish ducks, 33 wing bar in Buff ducks, 35
Body shape in breeding ducks, selecting for, 19
Braining geese, 206, 209
Breaking up goose matings, 154 broody geese, 175
Breast-bone as index of age in ducks, 56
Breeding drakes, securing, 58 ducks, opportunity to produce, 6 ducks, prices for, 7 season for ducks, 124
Breeds of ducks, 9 Aylesbury, 23 Blue Swedish, 33 broodiness of, 18 Buff, 35 Call, 27 Cayuga, 25 common or puddle, 9 Crested White, 34 East India, 29 egg, 11 egg production of, 15 Mallard, 10 Mandarin, 10 meat, 11 mule, 9 Muscovy, 29 ornamental, 11 Pekin, 21 popularity of, 14 Rouen, 23 Runner, 36 size of, 14 Wood, 10
Breeds of geese, 147 African, 156 Canadian, 159 Chinese, 158 common, 148 Egyptian, 160 Embden, 156 mongrel, 148 Sebastapol, 148 Toulouse, 155 Wild, 159
Brood coop for goslings, 179
Brooder capacity on duck plants, 47 houses for ducklings, 80-90
Brooders for goslings, 180
Broodiness of ducks, 18 geese, 152 geese, breaking up, 175
Brooding ducklings, 80-90, 131 goslings, 178 by artificial means, 180 with geese, 179 with hens, 179 without artificial heat, 180
Brown Chinese goose, 158
Brownish color in Cayuga ducks, 26
Buff Ducks, 35
Button head in Call ducks, 28
Buying geese for fattening, 200
C
Call ducks, 27
Canadian goose--see Wild
Capacity of car for geese, 202 farm for fattening geese, 208 incubator for duck eggs, 130
Capital, invested, for duck plant, 53 working, for duck plant, 54
Care of duck eggs for hatching, 73, 128 goose eggs for hatching, 172 growing goslings, 181 hen sitting on goose eggs, 174
Carrying ducks, 39 geese, 162
Caruncles on face of Muscovy, 29
Cases, shipping, for duck eggs, 119, 137
Catching ducks, 39 geese, 162
Cayuga duck, 25
Celery seed, feeding, to fattening ducks, 93
Changing feed for fattening geese, 205
Chestnut colored head in Buff drakes, 35
Chilling of goslings by rain, 181
Chinese goose, 158
Chocolate colored ducks from Colored Muscovy, 32
Claret in breast of Rouen drakes, deficiency of, 24
Classification of breeds of ducks, 11
Cleaning brood coops for goslings, 179 duck breeding houses, 60 brooder houses, 87 yards, 61, 97 goose breeding houses, 168
Cleanliness of plumage as indication of health, 19
Color of duck eggs, 17 goose eggs, 152
Colored flights in Fawn and White Runners, 37 Penciled Runners, 38
Colored Muscovy, 31
Commercial duck farming, opportunity for, 4 distribution of, 42
Condition of breeding geese, 169 ducks ready to kill, 96 geese for fattening, 200 geese ready to kill, 206
Conditioning exhibition ducks, 38
Conditions for duck raising on the farm, 120
Confining goslings to yards, 181
Considerations, general, in making duck matings, 18-21 goose matings, 154
Consistency of feed for ducks, 65, 126, 133 fattening geese, 205
Construction of brooder houses for ducks, 82
Cooking geese to overcome greasiness, 194
Cooling duck carcasses, 108 eggs during incubation, 75, 131
Cooling goose carcasses, 207, 211 eggs during incubation, 175
Coop, growing, for goslings, 182
Cooperative feed buying, 101 marketing, 110
Copper colored head of Buff drakes, 36
Cost of picking ducks, 107 geese, 207
Creaminess in plumage of Aylesbury, 23 Pekin, 23
Crest, tendency toward, in the Pekin, 22 of Muscovy, 29 of Crested White, 34
Crested White duck, 34
Crippled ducks, 97, 104
Critical period with young ducks, 98
Crooked back in ducks, 19 in Runner ducks, 37
Crooked crest in Crested White, 34
Crooked tail in ducks, 19
Crossed feathers on neck of Pekin drake, 22
Crossing African and Brown Chinese geese, 157
Curing duck feathers, 117 goose feathers, 211, 213
D
Darkening pens for fattening geese, 195 for noodling geese, 196
Dewlap in Toulouse geese, 155 African geese, 157
Diarrhoea of ducklings, 99 of goslings, 185
Diseases of ducklings, 98-100 of goslings, 185 of mature ducks, 69 prevention of, 98
Dished bill in Rouen, 24
Distinguishing sex in ducks, 13, 135 in geese, 165 young from old ducks, 55
Distribution of duck raising, 3
Dogs a source of loss in ducks, 69
Double crest in Crested White ducks, 34
Down, removing, from market ducks, 108 from market geese, 207, 210
Drake, definition of, 12 adult, meaning of, 13 young, meaning of, 13
Drakerel, definition of, 13
Drinking dishes for ducklings, 86 for goslings, 183
Driving geese from railway to farm, 202
Drowning ducks, 31, 128, 135
Dry, keeping goslings, 181
Dry land duck farms, 44
Dry picking ducks, 107 geese, 206
Duck, definition of, 12 adult, meaning of, 13 young, meaning of, 13
Duck raising as a side line, 120 distribution of, 3 for egg production, 5 for ornamental purposes, 7 kinds of, 4 on the general farm, 5 opportunities for, 4, 120
Ducklet, definition of, 13
Duckling, meaning of, 12
Ducks, number of, in leading states, 3 in U. S., 3 value of, in U. S., 3
Dun colored ducks from Colored Muscovy, 32
E
Egg class of ducks, 11
Egg production, duck raising for, 5 of breeds of ducks, 15 of breeds of geese, 150 of Pekins on commercial plants, 66 selection of breeders for, 21
Eggs, duck, color of, 17 for hatching, age of, 72 care of, 73, 128 frequency of setting, 72 packing and shipping, 40 prices of, 7 selection of, 73 washing, 130 marketing, 118 size of, 16
Eggs, goose, care of, for hatching, 172 color of, 152 size of, 151 washing for hatching, 172
Egyptian goose, 160
Electric lights for breeding ducks, 67 for duck plants, 51 for ducklings, 94 for fattening geese, 205
Embden goose, 156
Equipment of pens in duck brooders, 86
Examining geese to determine sex, 165 fattened geese for market condition, 206
Extent of duck industry, 3 goose industry, 141
Eye as indication of health in ducks, 19
F
Faded gray in Brown Chinese geese, 158
Fading of color in Buff ducks, 35 Cayuga ducks, 27 Gray Call ducks, 28 Rouen ducks, 25
Fasting geese before fattening, 203
Fattening farms for geese, 199
Fattening geese, by noodling, 196 methods of, 194 on farms in the east, 200 on farms in the middle west, 199 on large fattening farms, 199-208 pen, 195
Fattening houses or sheds for ducklings, 48
Fattening summer geese, 202
Fawn and White Runner, 37
Fawn colored breasts in Rouen females, 25
Fawn on neck, too much, in Fawn and White Runner, 37
Feather eating in ducklings, 100
Feathered legs in ducks, 19
Feathers, saving duck, 117 saving geese, 207, 211 plucking from live geese, 212
Feed, cooperative buying of, 101
Feed cooker for ducks, 49 cutter for ducks, 49 last, for market ducklings, 103 mixer for ducks, 49 storage for duck plant, 49 troughs or trays for ducks, 66 troughs for fattening geese, 205 wagon for ducks, 65 for geese, 205
Feeding breeding ducks, 63 breeding geese, 169 Call ducks, 27 ducklings, 92, 132 fattening geese, 195, 196, 203 geese during shipment, 202 goslings, 183 growing and fattening ducklings, 92-94, 132 noodles to geese, 198 show ducks, 39 show geese, 161 supply geese on fattening farms, 202 track on duck plants, 51, 65
Fences for ducks, 52, 128 for fattening geese, 203 for geese, 168
Fertility of duck eggs, 20, 77
Fireless brooding goslings, 180
First feed for ducklings, 92 for goslings, 183
Fish, feeding, to ducks, 63, 92, 134
Fits in ducklings, 99
Flat breast in Aylesburys, 23
Flatiron shape in Call ducks, 28
Folded feathers on neck of Pekin drake, 22
Foreign color in back of White Runner ducks, 37
Free range for ducks, 120 for geese, 168 for goslings, 182
Freezing of ducks to the ground, 62, 128
Frequency of plucking live geese for feathers, 212 of setting duck eggs, 72
Frightening breeding ducks, 67 ducklings, 94 fattening geese, 205
G
Gains in weight made by ducklings, 94 secured in noodling geese, 198 secured in pen fattening geese, 195 secured on goose fattening farms, 208
Gander, definition of, 149
Gapes in ducklings, 99
Geese as weed destroyers, 145
Goose eggs for hatching, care of, 172 washing, 172
Goose fattening farms, 199
Goose raising, as a business for farm women, 144 as a side line, 141 distribution of, 141 on general farms, 142 opportunities for, 142
Goose septicemia, 186
Gosling, definition of, 149
Grading growing ducklings, 87
Grass yards for goslings, 182
Gray Call duck, 28
Gray, faded, in Brown Chinese geese, 158 in plumage of Blue Swedish ducks, 33 stippling on Penciled Runner drakes, 38
Greasing heads of goslings for lice, 178
Green bill in Aylesbury, 23 in Buff ducks, 36 in Crested White ducks, 35 in Pekin, 22 in White Runner, 37
Green ducks, 102
Green feed for breeding ducks, 64 for breeding geese, 169 for ducklings, 92, 133 for fattening geese, 204 for goslings, 183
Green geese, 149, 187
Grit for breeding geese, 170 for fattening geese, 204 for goslings, 183
Growing green feed for ducks, 64
Growth of goslings, rapidity of, 184
Gypsy face in Muscovy ducks, 32
H
Handling ducks, 39 geese, 162 geese during noodling, 197
Hatches of duck eggs, 78
Hatching duck eggs with an incubator, 70, 130 with hens, 129
Hatching eggs, duck, packing and shipping, 40
Hatching goose eggs with chicken hens, 173 with geese, 174 with incubators, 175
Health, selection of breeding ducks for, 19 indications of, in ducks, 19
Heating apparatus for duck brooder house, 83
Heavy bottoms in Runner ducks, 37
Hemorrhagic septicemia of geese, 186
Horse power required on a duck plant, 50
House capacity for breeding ducks, 46 for fattening ducks, 48
Houses for breeding ducks, 59 for breeding geese, 167
Hump back in ducks, 19
I
Identification of ducks by toe punching, 12
Incubation, period of, for ducks, 47, 129 for geese, 173
Incubator capacity on duck plants, 47, 71
Incubator cellar, 70
Incubators, kinds of, for duck eggs, 70
Injury to ducks, 57, 62 to goslings, 182
Insect pests of ducks, 69
K
Keel, deep, in Aylesbury, 23 in Call, 28 in Pekin, 22 in Rouen, 24
Killing ducks, 105 geese, 206, 209 house for duck plants, 50
Knob on head of African geese, 157 of Chinese geese, 158 of Muscovy drake, 29
L
Labor required on duck plants, 52 in noodling geese, 198
Lameness of ducklings, 99 of goslings, 185
Land required for duck plants, 46
Laying ration for ducks, 126 for geese, 169
Laying season for ducks, 66, 124 for geese, 167
Lay-out of duck plant, 45
Length of time in brooder house for ducklings, 88 brooding necessary for goslings, 180
Lights for breeding ducks, 67 for ducklings, 94 for fattening geese, 205
Live ducks, shipping to market, 116
Live geese, shipping to market, 208 plucking for feathers, 212
Location of duck plant, 42 of goose fattening farm, 208
Lopped crest in White Crested ducks, 35
Loss in ducklings, 98 in geese during shipment, 202
Lost, goslings becoming, 182
Lots, fattening, for geese, 203
M
Making a start in duck raising, 121
Making new goose matings, 154
Mallard duck, 10 summer plumage of males, 25
Mandarin duck, 10
Marketing duck eggs, 118, 136 ducks, 102, 135
Markets for geese, 187
Marking ducklings, 12 goslings, 153
Mating ducks, general considerations in, 18 geese, general considerations in, 154
Meat class of ducks, 11
Mixing feed for ducks, 65 for fattening geese, 204
Moisture for duck eggs during incubation, 76, 131 for goose eggs during incubation, 176
Molt of ducklings as indication of market condition, 102
Mongrel goose, 148, 201
Mortality of breeding ducks, 69 of geese during shipment, 202
Mosquito larvae, destruction of, by ducks, 8
Mule ducks, 9
Muscovy duck, 29
N
Narrow shoulders in Call ducks, 28 in Pekin ducks, 22
Nest, preparing the, for hatching goose eggs, 173
Nomenclature of ducks, 12 of geese, 149
Noodles, making, for fattening geese, 197
Noodling geese, 196
Number of breeding ducks required, 46 of ducklings marketed per breeding duck, 46 of ducklings to a pen, 85, 90 of ducks in leading states, 3 of ducks in U. S., 3 of ducks to a drake, 57 of geese carried on fattening farms, 208 of geese in leading states, 141 of geese in U. S., 141 of geese noodled by one man, 198 of geese to the acre, 164 of times ducklings are fed, 92 geese are fed on fattening farms, 203 noodled geese are fed, 197 pen fattened geese are fed, 195
O
Objections to duck farms, 43 to geese, 145 to goose fattening farms, 208
Odor from goose fattening farms, 208
Opportunities for duck raising, 4 for goose raising, 142
Ornamental purposes, ducks for, 7 class of ducks, 11
Output of duck plants, 42, 45
Oyster shell, feeding, to breeding ducks, 66 to breeding geese, 170
P
Packing dressed ducks for shipment, 109 geese for shipment, 211
Packing duck hatching eggs, 40 goose hatching eggs, 162
Pasturing geese, 164 goslings, 183
Patte de fois gras, 199
Pay for picking ducks, 107 geese, 207
Pekin duck, 21
Pekin duck on commercial plants, 42
Penciled Runner duck, 37
Penciling in Buff ducks, 35 Fawn and White Runner females, 37 Rouen females, 25
Penciling, lack of, in Penciled Runner females, 38
Pen fattening geese, 195
Pens for fattening geese, 203 for noodling geese, 196 in brooder house for ducklings 84, 89
Percent hatch of duck eggs set, 78 loss in ducklings, 98 in goslings, 184
Period of incubation for duck eggs, 129 for goose eggs, 173 for Muscovy duck, 30
Period of feeding noodled geese, 198 pen fattening geese, 195
Picking house for duck plants, 50
Picking market ducks, 106 market geese, 206
Pin feathers, removing, from ducks, 107
Pinioning ducks, 28 wild geese, 159
Pneumonia in ducklings, 99
Popularity of breeds of ducks, 14 of geese, 150
Pounds feed to produce pound of market duck, 95
Prejudice against roast goose, 194
Preparing ducks for the show, 38 geese for the show, 161
Prevention of disease in ducklings, 98
Prices of duck breeding stock and eggs, 7 of duck feathers, 118 of goose breeding stock and eggs, 163 of goose feathers, 212 of market ducks, 110 of market geese, 188 of mongrel geese, 208 of specially fattened geese, 208
Prince Edward Island geese, 201
Production, yearly, of feathers from live geese, 213
Profits from duck farming, 54
Protecting feed of geese from other stock, 171
Puddle ducks, 9
Pulling broken feathers in ducks, 38 in geese, 161
Purple barring in Black East India ducks, 29
Purple rump in Rouen drake, 24
Q
Quilling in ducklings, 100
R
Range for fattening geese, 199 for geese, 164
Rapidity of growth of goslings, 184
Rations for breeding ducks, 63, 125 for breeding geese, 169 for ducklings, 92, 132 for fattening geese, 195, 197, 203 for goslings, 183
Rats as source of loss in ducklings, 101
Red in plumage of Blue Swedish, 33
Removing baby ducks to the brooder, 80 newly hatched goslings from the nest, 176
Reviving goslings chilled by rain, 181
Rhode Island geese, 200
Ribbon or wing bar, absence of, in Gray Call, 28
Ring, white, in Buff ducks, 36 in Rouen, 24 width of, in Rouen, 24
Roach back in ducks, 19
Rouen duck, 23
Roughage for fattening geese, 195, 199, 204 in rations for geese, 170
Round head in Runner ducks, 37
Runner duck, 36
S
Sand, feeding, to breeding ducks, 66 to ducklings, 86, 93 to goslings, 183
Scalding market ducks, 105 geese, 209
Sebastapol goose, 148
Selection of breeding ducks, 19 on commercial plants, 56 on general farms, 134
Selection of breeding geese, 154
Selection of duck eggs for hatching, 73
Selecting the breed of ducks, 122
Separating growing goslings from old stock, 182
Septicemia, goose or hemorrhagic, 186
Sex in ducks, distinguishing, 13, 135 in geese, distinguishing, 165
Shade for breeding ducks, 60 for fattening summer geese, 202 for goslings, 182 for growing ducklings, 92
Sharp backs in Runner ducks, 37
Shaving market geese to remove down, 209
Shelter for fattening geese, 199, 203 for growing goslings, 181
Shipping dressed ducks, 109 dressed geese, 208 hatching eggs, duck, 40 geese, 162
Shipping live geese for fattening, 201
Short legs in Runner ducks, 37
Shrinking in shipping ducks alive, 116
Size of breeding ducks, 19 of breeds of ducks, 14 of breeds of geese, 150 of duck eggs, 16 of duck farms, 42, 44, 46 of flocks of breeding ducks, 46 of flocks of ducks on general farms, 121 of flocks of fattening geese, 195, 196, 199, 202 of goose eggs, 151 of male and female Muscovy, 30 of mating in ducks, 20, 123 of mating in geese, 152 of sitting of duck eggs, 7, 129 of sitting of goose eggs, 163, 174
Slate on backs of young Embden geese, 156 of young White Chinese geese, 159
Smooth head in Muscovy duck, 29
Sore eyes in ducklings, 100
Sorting growing ducklings, 87 market ducklings, 104
Split crest in Crested White ducks, 34
Steaming ducks for picking, 107 geese for picking, 210
Sticking or braining geese, 206, 209
Stippling, gray, on Penciled Runner ducks, 38
Stunning geese, 206, 209
Summer geese, fattening, 202
Summer plumage of Rouen drakes, 25
Swimming, preventing goslings from, 181
Temperatures, incubation, for duck eggs, 74 for goose eggs, 175
Temperatures, brooder, for ducklings, 81 for goslings, 180
Testing duck eggs, 74, 130 table for candling duck eggs, 75
Time of feeding breeding ducks, 63, 126 geese on fattening farms, 203 noodled geese, 196 pen fattened geese, 195
Time of first feed for ducklings, 92 for goslings, 183
Time of laying with ducks, 67 with geese, 167
Time of marketing breeding ducks, 68 of plucking live geese for feathers, 212 to purchase breeding ducks, 121 breeding geese, 166
Toulouse goose, defects in, 155
Tray, feed, for ducks, 66
Triple crest in Crested White ducks, 34
Trough, feed, for ducks, 66
Turning duck eggs during incubation, 75 goose eggs during incubation, 174, 175
Twisted wings in ducks, 19
U
Uses for duck feathers, 118 for goose feathers, 212
V
Value of duck feathers, 117 of ducks in the U. S., 8 of goose feathers, 207
Vegetables, feeding, to ducks, 63
Ventilation for goslings, 179 of brooder houses, 88 of incubator cellars, 71 of incubators when hatching, 77
Vigor, selection of breeding ducks for, 19
W
Washing duck eggs for hatching, 130 goose eggs for hatching, 172 show ducks, 39 show geese, 162
Water for breeding ducks, 61, 127 for breeding geese, 165 for ducklings, 96, 135 for fattening geese, 195, 198, 204 for geese during shipment, 202 for goslings, 183
Water site for duck plants, 42
Water supply for duck plants, 52
Water yards for breeding ducks, 61 for growing and fattening ducklings, 96, 135
Weed destruction by geese, 96, 103
Weight of ducklings when ready for market, 96, 103 of geese from fattening farms, 208 of goslings when ready for market, 185 of green geese, 184, 187 of noodled geese, 198
Weights of Black East India ducks, 14 of Call ducks, 14 of duck eggs, 14 of goose eggs, 151 of Mallard ducks, 10 of standard breeds of ducks, 14 of standard breeds of geese, 150
White around eyes of Blue Swedish, 34 of Cayuga, 26
White bib in Blue Swedish, 33 in Buff ducks, 36
White Call duck, description of, 28
White Chinese goose, 159
White in breast of Black East India, 29 of Cayuga, 26
White in fluff of Rouen drake, 24
White in wings of African geese, 157 of Blue Swedish ducks, 33 of Brown Chinese geese, 159 of Buff ducks, 35 of Gray Call ducks, 28 of Rouen ducks, 24 of Toulouse geese, 156
White Muscovy duck, description of, 32 black on head of young, 32
White on head of Colored Muscovy, 32
White on neck of Cayuga, 26
White Runner duck, 37
Wild or Canadian goose, 159
Windpipe as indication of age in ducks, 56
Wing bar, absence of, in Gray Call females, 28
Wood duck, 10
Y
Yards for breeding ducks, 58, 128 for breeding geese, 168 for fattening ducklings, 91 for fattening geese, 203 for goslings, 181
Yellow bills in Blue Swedish, 34 in Rouen females, 25
Yellow, loss of, legs and bills of Pekin with laying, 56
Yellow on knob of African geese, 157 of Brown Chinese geese, 158 of White Chinese geese, 159
Yield of feathers from live geese, 213
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes
Apart from minor changes to formatting, table alignment and punctuation, the only changes made to the text from the original are as follows:
Preface (2nd page): "minumum" changed to "minimum" (... with the minimum of initial investment and of labor.)
"Sebastapool" changed to "Sebastapol" in List of Illustrations (Egyptian Gander and Sebastapol Goose) Figure 50 caption, and twice in the index. This is consistent with the use of "Sebastapol" in the text.
Page 20: "neccessary" changed to "necessary" (... it becomes neccessary to mate a smaller number of females ...).
Page 30: missing page reference added (See Page 14).
Page 72: comma deleted after "Of" (Of course, eggs sufficient to fill the entire incubator capacity ...).
Fig 28 caption: "yords" changed to "yards" (Long brooder house and yards with feeding track.)
Page 107: duplicate word "the" deleted (... hung in a steam box with the heads outside ...)
Page 131: "chickens" changed to "chicken" (Ducklings can be brooded if desired by means of chicken hens.)
Page 136: missing page reference added (... in accordance with the directions given on page 106).
Page 137: missing page reference added (See page 119).
Page 141: "1920" changed to "1910" (The census figures of 1920 compared with those for 1910 ...)
Page 145: "in" changed to "is" (An objection to geese often expressed but without good foundation is that they will spoil the pasture for other stock.)
Page 154: "Ameriacn" changed to "American" (... the American Standard of Perfection.)
Page 155 Footnote: "standard" changed to initial upper case "Standard" (American Standard of Perfection).
Page 163: missing page reference added (The same method of packing the eggs should be employed as with duck eggs described on page 137.)
Page 165: "thoughout" changed to "throughout" (... green feed available throughout the summer and fall ...)
Page 166: "penus" changed to "penis" (... the penis will protrude.)
Page 182: "close" changed to "closed" (It should have a board floor and be capable of being closed ...)
Page 194: "pleasanty" changed to "pleasantly" ( ...one will be pleasantly surprised at the rich taste which the roast goose possesses.)
Page 211: missing page reference added ( ... in the same way as when packing ducks as described on page 109.)
Page 222 (Index): "stipling" changed to "stippling" (Gray stippling on Penciled Runner drakes).