These days when governments are beginning to direct attention to
agribusiness in order to provide enough food and create wealth for its
growing populations and more importantly create more jobs for the
average unemployed youths in Africa.
In the same vein, many
developing countries now recognize the importance of livestock in
integrated production systems to provide the sustainable increase in
food necessary to feed their rapidly expanding population. Geese farming
fits well into such system and are especially well adapted to the humid
tropics.
They can provide healthy meat and
eggs from natural grazing and seems to be more resistance to diseases
than other avian species. Yet, even given these advantages, geese
farming has remained a neglected species. Geese play an important role
in small-scale farming system as an economic and ecological alternative
for weed control and as guard animals.
Raising geese
The
production of this animal gives farmers a big chance to increase their
income and offers an alternative to chicken and also a means of
addressing poverty. It is for these advantages that Jovana Farms
launched a nationwide initiative to promote farming of Geese, Ostrich,
Quail, Mushroom, Grasscutter, Antelope, Rabbit, Snail, etc.
According
to the Managing Consultant/CEO, Jovana Farms, Prince Arinze
Onebunne,Geese farming can commence even with a unit normally called a
foundation stock, which is sold for between N40,000 to N60,000 depending
on the specie. He said, a unit comprises 2-males and 6-females.
Therefore
with N65,000 you are already in good business. It may interest you to
know that at Jovana Farms we have for sale fast growing species of geese
and other animals including large quantity of quail and geese eggs.
“Geese
are found all over the world, but at present, Geese farming is
economically important only in Asia, America, some parts of Africa and
Central Europe.
Breeds of Geese
“Some European
breeds, such as the Emden and Toulouse, have been introduced into
tropical developing countries with notable success. Moreover, Chinese
geese which are widely kept in South-East Asia, seem to be especially
promising for small-holders.
They are very good layers, active
foragers (making them economical and useful as weeders), and the most
alert and “talkative” breed and they produce the leanest quality white
meat”.
Geese as a multipurpose animal
“Small-scale
animal farmers subsist mainly on the product of their own farms,
scarcity of land, labour and capital obliges them to reorient their
livestock production towards species that are cheap and easy to maintain
and that provide animal protein as well as cash income.
Geese are
particularly well suited to such systems. Mature geese are independent,
larger than other poultry species and thus less vulnerable to predator
when kept in small flocks and allowed to roam the farmland, field or
backyard.
They are adept scavengers, requiring less attention than
any other domestic bird. Geese adapt easily to captivity if small
quantity of supplementary feed are provided to boost their rapid growth.
Thus, requiring little extra work, these animals supply nutritious
meat, huge eggs and rich fat for cooking, as well as soft down and
feather for bedding, clothing, upholstery, which makes them particularly
appropriate for providing farmers with a supplementary income..
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