Effect of line and floor type on growth performance and feather characterization during the growth period of White Roman geese

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether goose growth and feather characteristics are influenced by their line and feeding surroundings, inclusive of floor materials and types, since there are no reports regarding these factors.Methods: The 240 White Roman geese which were hatched and sex identified came from 3 commercial goose farms. They were randomly distributed to 24 pens depending on a completely random design. The study continued for 13 weeks and included 3 lines of commercial geese and 2 floor types (cement strip floor [CSF] or cement floor [CF]).Results: The day one gosling weight from A farm was lower than other two farms (96 g vs 107 and 115 g; p<0.001). Afterwards, the body weight, back length, keel length, chest girth and main wing feather length among 3 farms showed no significance difference prior to 12 weeks. The CF group showed heavier body weight, shorter back length, longer keel length, shorter chest girth and shorter main wing feather length than the CSF group prior to 12 weeks. The down weight in the CF was heavier than the CSF group (57.1 g vs 41.8 g; p<0.01) prior to 13 weeks.Conclusion: The body weight showed the positive relations for dry feather weight (r = 0.59), down weight (r = 0.69), percent of the down weight of live body weight prior to 13 weeks (r = 0.61).

Effects of Swimming Pool Conditions and Floor Types on White Roman Geese’s Physical Condition Scores and Behaviors in an Indoor Rearing System

“…The discrepancy in the findings might be related to differences in animal species, water pool designs, water pen space ratios, litter materials, floor designs, and stocking density [ 16 , 17 , 31 , 50 ]. The stocking density in this study was lower than that in other studies using perforated floors (0.74 goose/m 2 vs. 1.01 to 7.5 goose/m 2 ) [ 31 , 33 , 61 , 62 ].…”

“…Although we did not observe any effect of the floor type on the feather quality score of geese, the proportion of geese whose feather quality was damaged by injurious pecking decreased when geese were raised on perforated plastic floors at the age of 84 days. Lin et al [ 33 ] reported that geese raised on a cement strip floor had longer main wing feathers at the age of 84 days than those raised on a cement floor. Chen et al [ 36 ] observed that ducks raised in plastic nets had better feather quality scores.…”

“…Perforated floors are increasingly being used for intensive duck and goose farming [ 8 , 16 , 17 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. By reducing the likelihood of birds being exposed to manure, dust, and pollutants, perforated floors maintain biosecurity more effectively than litter floors [ 32 ].…”

The association of social rank with paternity efficiency in competitive mating flocks of Zi goose ganders (Anser cygnoides L.)

“…In China, domestic geese are generally reared in large groups on the floor and allowed to mate naturally ( Lin et al., 2020a ). The breeding efficiency of males has always been a concern for goose breeders ( Jerysz and Lukaszewicz, 2013 ), and there are seldom reports concerning the relationship between SR and PE in geese because of the inability to distinguish and observe individual ganders’ MA and trace the genetic relationship between parent and offspring in large breeding populations ( McDonald et al., 2017 ).…”

Using multiomics to explore the weight differences between genders in Muscovy ducks

“…Among Anseriformes, most are similar to the Muscovy duck. Male geese have a significantly higher body weight, back length, sternum length, and chest circumference than females at 13 to 25 wk of age ( Lin et al, 2023 ). At 113 wk of age, Dworka ducks of breeding strain D11 yielded significantly heavier carcasses compared to Pekin ducks of conservative strain P9 ( Kokoszynski et al, 2022 ).…”