Geese are resilient and simple to handle in general. Because they are so well adapted to modest sustainable agricultural operations, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization dubs them “The Underestimated Species.” They’re “cheap and easy to maintain, and they supply both animal protein and financial income,” according to the researchers.
They feed on grasses and create a social gaggle, which is a term for a gathering of people on the ground. They’re a flock on the go. Cotton Patch Geese were named from the farm labour they undertook. They ate the grass and weeds in the cotton fields. They’re choosy eaters who can tell the difference between grass and crops like cotton and tobacco. Weed and pest treatment that’s good for the environment!
Humans have a long history with geese. Consider Mother Goose! As they travelled across the natural flyway between Africa and Eurasia, the Egyptians domesticated Asia’s Swan Goose and Europe’s Graylag Goose 5,000 years ago. Thousands were caught in nets, then held in enclosures and bred.
Ancient Romans and Greeks considered geese to be sacred. The white geese who dwelt in the temples of Juno, queen of the gods, wife of Jupiter, and defender of Rome, are said to have saved Rome from a Gaulish siege, according to legend. The alarm was squawked, and the guards were woken.
Saint Martin of Tours, a fourth-century martyr, is the patron saint of geese. The attention they drew with their loud honking is a significant theme in St. Martin’s storey once again. He hid in a barn with the geese because he didn’t want to be the bishop. The faithful were drawn to his hiding location by their honking. In 372, he was consecrated as a bishop. On his feast day, November 11, the customary bird is the goose.
Consider why those stories emphasise the raucousness of geese. Neighbors may raise objections. Geese are fantastic watch dogs. Chinese and African Geese, in particular, are prone to making themselves known.
Domestic geese still have some wild characteristics nowadays. Wild geese can be domesticated very readily and are capable of breeding with farm flocks. Domestic geese, like their wild counterparts, are seasonal egg layers. Chinese Geese are excellent natural layers, laying up to 100 eggs every season. Other breeds can lay anything from 20 to 40 eggs every season.
Domestic geese can still fly, as long as they have enough time to take off and a clear runway. They won’t go far if you keep them happy and comfortable.
Geese can adapt to a variety of environments, but not to extensive industrial barns. Geese became extinct when industrial techniques of poultry rearing became more popular. Few people consider roasting a goose for a holiday supper. With a little planning, they’re simple to prepare. The fat layer will flow off into the roasting pan as a result of penetrating the skin, naturally basting the bird.