Goose production and goose products

SUMMARYGoose keeping can expand the choice of basic food materials and provides materials (feather and down) for light industry. There are various ways to produce goose meat using preferably white feathered breeds. Intensively reared broiler geese attain a slaughter weight of 5 kg by 56–63 days of age; under semi-intensive keeping they reach a slaughter weight of 6 kg by 16 weeks of age, and under extensive keeping (grazing) they can be slaughtered by 22–24 weeks of age. Fattened liver is produced with 9–24 weeks old liver type (Landaise) geese via cramming (force feeding) for 14–21 days by which time the liver weight can reach 600–1000 g. Goose fat is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and along with goose meat can be considered as functional foods. The fattened goose liver is a delicacy, while goose eggs are mostly used as propagating material albeit with occasional consumption in some Asian countries. Most of the worldwide feather and down production originates from slaughtered geese; only 1–2% of the global production is removed manually. At scalding, the percentage of feather in body weight amounts to 3.8–5.5% in broiler vs. 3.4–5.3% in fattened goose, respectively. The feather and down obtainable from young geese (8–10 weeks old) per capita at their natural moulting time is 80–100 g on the first occasion. Six to 7 weeks later it amounts to 100–130 g and after another 6–7 weeks 140–170 g, respectively. In the EU only those countries where it is and was a traditional practice are allowed to harvest feathers from and force-feed geese. Some believe the objection and ban of these activities are scientifically unfounded.