Fengcheng Grey Goose

Fengcheng Grey Goose

　　Fengcheng Grey Goose

　　Breed Description

　　Origin and Distribution: A medium-sized meat-type goose breed. Mainly produced in Fengcheng City and Nanchang County, Jiangxi Province, with the central production area located along the banks of the Gan River and Qingfeng Mountain Stream, as well as the extensive water network areas of the Gan-Fu Plain. It is widely distributed across cities and counties such as Zhangshu, Lichuan, Jinxian, Xinjian, Anyi, and Gao'an.

　　Appearance Characteristics: Medium body size. The head is semi-oval, with a relatively large semi-circular fleshy crest on the forehead. The crest of the male goose is tall and protrudes forward, black or orange-yellow in color, while the female goose has a flatter crest. The head and neck are held high. The eyes are large and bright. The ear holes are light yellow, the eyelids are pale yellow, and the eyeballs are silver-gray or soy sauce yellow. The neck is arched, thicker and longer in males, shorter in females. There is a 2–3 cm wide grayish-brown mane stripe running from the head to the tail along the center of the back of the neck. The feathers on the back, waist, tail, and wings are gray, while those on the underside of the neck, sides, and abdomen are grayish-white. The chest is deep, broad, and full, the abdomen is wide and flat, and the tail is narrow and pointed. The skin is white. The shanks are thick and long. The shanks and webs are orange-yellow.

　　Breed Performance:

　　① Growth Rate and Meat & Down Production Performance Average Weight: Birth – 88 grams; under primarily free-range rearing conditions, male geese reach 1000 grams at 30 days old, females 750 grams; at 60 days, males 2125 grams, females 1625 grams; at 90 days, males 3750 grams, females 3250 grams; adult males 4280 grams, females 3500 grams. Adult geese have an average semi-eviscerated slaughter rate of 79.50%, and an average fully eviscerated slaughter rate of 68.80%. At slaughter, adult geese can yield an average of 300 grams of down, including 30 grams of down feathers. Breeding geese can be live-plucked for down 3–4 times during their 5–9 month molting period, averaging 30 grams per plucking (excluding 0); reserve breeding geese can be live-plucked 3–4 times from May to September, averaging 30 grams per plucking.

　　② Egg Laying Performance and Reproductive Performance Female geese begin laying eggs at an average age of 220 days. They lay an average of 38 eggs per year, with an average egg weight of 158 grams. Eggshells are white. Male geese reach sexual maturity at 150 days, and are suitable for breeding at 300 days. The recommended male-to-female breeding ratio is 1:5 or higher. The average fertilization rate of breeding eggs is 85.0%, and the average hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 86.4%. Male geese have a useful life of 2–3 years, and female geese 3–5 years.