Description of geese of the Tula fighting breed, their characteristics and breeding
Among the variety of goose breeds, the breed of fighting geese stands out. Geese of the Tula breed were bred with the intention of using gander for goose fights. This is the main feature of the variety, but it also has other distinctive characteristics. Consider a description of Tula geese, pros and cons, features. And also how to correctly grow, feed, keep and breed poultry.
Description of the breed, its advantages and disadvantages
There is no exact data on who and when the Tula geese were bred. But there is an assumption that the breed was developed in the 17th century for rich people who were fond of goose fights. The best representatives were selected on several grounds, the main ones of which were large body and pugnacity.
The body of the Tula geese is massive, but compact, the constitution of the body is strong. The back and chest are broad and muscular. Short, widely spaced legs, strong wings. Thick short neck. Large head with short thick beak. The feather is gray or clay colored, and also white. Gray birds are similar in color to wild relatives.
Within the breed, 3 types are distinguished, differing in the structure of the beak. In straight-nosed geese, the upper line of the beak is straight, in false-nosed geese it is concave, in steep-nosed geese it is convex.
Characteristics of Tula geese
Since the main characteristics of the breed are fighting, the productive qualities are not at a high level. An adult male weighs 5-6.5 kg, the maximum weight reaches 8 kg. The goose weighs 5.2-5.5 kg, the maximum weight is 7 kg. Egg production of geese - 10-30 pcs. The average egg weight is 180 g. Hump-nosed Tula geese are distinguished by the incubation instinct, so females can be entrusted with incubation of goslings. Young growth already at 9 weeks of age reaches a weight of 3.9 kg.
Due to their pugnacious nature, Tula geese do not get along either with geese of other breeds, or with other poultry.
Requirements for maintenance and care
The breed is unpretentious, birds do not need to organize special conditions for keeping. They can live in an ordinary poultry house, but it must be of such an area that there is enough space - at least 0.5 square meters should fall on 1 adult bird. m. Gusyatnik must be equipped with ventilation and lighting. The length of daylight hours in winter should be at least 10-12 hours.
Be sure to take care of the bedding in the goose bed. Birds should live on clean, dry bedding.It can be arranged by sprinkling on the floor a layer of sawdust, straw chaff, dry old peat. The thickness should be at least 10-15 cm. In winter, the litter will warm the geese's paws.
Geese cannot live locked up, so it is impossible to keep them constantly in the poultry house, without walking. To organize exercise for birds, you need to arrange a walking area next to the goose. You need to drive geese into the pen every day, even in winter, if it is not very cold. Birds can spend the whole day walking. You can also graze on the pond, if there is one nearby. Then in the summer you won't have to feed the geese at all.
Diet
The main food of geese is fresh soft grass, therefore, if there is an opportunity to graze the birds, they can be kept in the pasture. If there is no way to graze, you need to mow the grass and give to the geese. In addition to greens, feed with mash of finely chopped grains, and the grain must be of different types so that the feed is complete. Grated root vegetables and vegetables are added to it.
In order for fighting geese to receive vitamins and mineral elements, the mash is enriched with premixes and vitamin preparations, fish and meat and bone meal.
You need to feed the bird 2 or 3 times a day, goslings up to a month - 4-5 times, grown up - 3 times a day. One adult bird must be given at least 200-300 g of grain per day. Tula geese do not differ in their rapid growth, accumulation of muscle mass, therefore, for industrial cultivation for meat, you need to choose a different breed. But these ordinary geese of medium size are well suited for keeping in the household.
Bird breeding
Tula fighting geese hatch goslings themselves. There are few eggs, but from such a quantity, you can choose a material for breeding. Oviposition begins in February, with young females laying a few weeks later.
Up to 12 eggs can be placed under one goose. The female goslings incubate in good faith and then carefully reared. Tula goslings live with their mother until the age of one month. At this time, the goose with the offspring must be kept separate from the rest so that the goslings do not accidentally trample. When the chicks are 1.5 months old, you can release the brood into a common flock.
Possible diseases
Despite strong immunity and cold resistance, Tula geese can get sick with infectious diseases. The bird gets sick when it is crowded or if it lives in a dirty, damp, dark room. Infection prevention - regular house cleaning, especially changing bedding and cleaning feeders and drinkers. Disinfection must be carried out at least 2 times a year.
With improper, not rational feeding, the geese of the Tula breed affect diseases of the digestive tract and metabolism. To prevent them, you need to create a correct, balanced diet. Give wet mash, not dry, clean water to plenty of. In case of hypovitaminosis, add vitamin preparations, which can be purchased at veterinary stores, to regular feed.
Description of the fight geese
This is a fighting breed, therefore goose fights are still being held. According to the rules, birds do not fight until they bleed, so they are not aggressive and harmless. Geese can only use their wings, you can grab the wing with their beak. Do not touch your head and paws. Those who break the rules are disqualified. The battle time is 20-40 minutes, but everything ends earlier if the enemy escapes. During the fight, the fighting gander is supported not only by the owners, but also by the geese. The strongest fighters are males who are already 4-6 years old.
Tula fighting geese are an old breed that was bred for fighting.But this is not the only purpose. You can keep poultry, like other breeds, for meat. The birds are unpretentious, they do not get sick with careful care, but they also demonstrate disadvantages - a pugnacious nature and unsatisfactory egg production. However, for those poultry farmers for whom these disadvantages are not critical, the Tula breed will be a good option when you need to choose a breed for keeping in a private farm.
