Credits:Biovision-Infonet
Good handling of all livestock requires quiet determination. Geese are large birds and must be handled carefully to avoid broken bones or dislocated joints.
To catch a goose, first corner it so that you can easily access it. Then put one hand around the neck near the body, holding firmly. Next put the other hand on the back of the goose, over the wings.
Let go of the neck and slide your hand, palm side up, under the breast and to the abdomen to support the bird’s body. Lift the goose, holding the legs between your fingers to keep from getting scratched and confining the wings to prevent them from flapping around.
Fatty liver production
Fatty liver production is the process of force-feeding (cramming) geese and is unnatural and cruel to the animal.
It is unacceptable in organic geese production because it is not ecological, not fair to the animal, unhealthy and causes stress.
In a number of countries there is also a ban on the conventional production of fatty liver.
Feather and down production
This section deals with the production and harvesting of fine feathers and down for use in the garment and household linen industries as opposed to the processing of coarse feathers for feather meal. The most valuable product is the down, which is obtained from the breast area of the goose, followed by the fine feathers. Most commercial products contain a blend of both down and feathers; the higher the proportion of down, the higher the value of the product.
To obtain feathers and down at the time of slaughter, the normal process is to first scald the geese in hot water (60-68degC) for 1-3 minutes.
The coarse feathers of the wing and tail are then removed by hand with the remainder of the feathers and down removed either by a plucking machine or by hand.
The feathers are then dried and this is normally done in large commercial tumble dryers. For small amounts, the feathers are spread and stirred frequently to facilitate their drying.
On a small scale, geese can be plucked dry without scalding and, although it takes longer, it does yield dry down and feathers.
Irrespective of the plucking process, the sorting of the down and feathers can be done by weight in air currents.
The harvesting of feathers from live geese can be seen as an important source of income from geese being bred for the production of meat and from those in breeder flocks.
However, it is painful and should not be done if farming to organic principles, keeping high animal welfare standards.
Fatty liver production
Fatty liver production is the process of force-feeding (cramming) geese and is unnatural and cruel to the animal. It is unacceptable in organic geese production because it is not ecological, not fair to the animal, unhealthy and causes stress. In a number of countries there is also a ban on the conventional production of fatty liver.