Waterfowl - Raising Poultry - page 207

I learned long ago to let the geese out onto the snowbanks or they will make everyone
miserable. They simply must take a bath daily.
When it's −20°F (−29°C), and water freezes as fast as I can pour it into the rubber
winter water tubs, geese will jump in and get a quick bath. The thick layer of fat deep
down under a goose's skin is incredibly insulating. Occasionally they jump from these
baths and sit on the ground to preen for a bit longer than is prudent, freezing to the
ground. I am then forced to pour warm water around them to release them from their
frozen stance. This is a minor, but perplexing and humorous problem.
The simple shed described in chapter 2 , Housing and Supplies, works great for geese,
but they must have a large yard to play and forage in to thrive.
Breeds
Once upon a time, geese were classified as dual-purpose fowl: they were raised for meat
breeds and, as weeder geese , used to remove grass and weeds from crops. They star-
ted out in the strawberry fields when spring plants were first emerging, and then, as the
berries set, they moved on to weed the cotton fields. Modern herbicides, however, have
replaced the weeder geese breeds.
Buff