Internal structure of geese. How do beaks differ between different breeds of geese?

Geese are waterfowl that belong to the duck family of the order Anseriformes. The remains of the ancestors of modern geese were discovered in North America in layers that date back to 40 - 50 million years ago. This means that geese are ancient birds. Scientists believe wild geese the first domesticated birds to be domesticated by humans. This process took place in ancient Egypt, Iran, India, Greece, and Rome. Despite the fact that geese were domesticated a long time ago, they have remained virtually unchanged over all this time.

Despite but a large number of species, birds from the duck family have common characteristic features of the structure of the body and organs. The streamlined shape of the body, long neck, small head with a wide beak and flattened at the top and bottom, feet with membranes for swimming, the presence of subcutaneous fat with which birds lubricate their feathers, allow us to distinguish them into a separate family.

By what shape the beak is, you can determine what it feeds on. this type birds. Birds that feed on vegetation have a narrower, stronger beak with a wide nail. In birds feeding in the upper layers of water, the plates are more comb-like and the nails are small. In the process of evolution, mergansers from plates have developed sharp teeth that are good at holding fish, which is the basis of their diet.

The very same characteristic feature is the beak. The structure of the beak depends on the bird’s lifestyle, feeding method and the food itself. Since the main food for geese is grass, this became the decisive factor that determined the shape and structure of the beak. The beak of a goose is covered with a horny layer, flattened on top and bottom. The beak consists of a mandible and a mandible. Along the right and left edges of the mandible and mandible there are cross-shaped plates for filtering water. They act as a sieve when the bird forages for food in the water. The so-called marigold is located at the end of the beak. With this tip of their beak, geese find food and pick plants. The beak is very sensitive, there are especially many receptors at the tip - in the marigold, this is where Herbet's corpuscles are located, which belong to the class of vibration receptors; there are about three hundred such receptors in geese. The nostrils are located in the beak; they are oblong and not end-to-end. On the tongue of a goose, there are filiform papillae on the lateral edges; in addition, together with transverse plastics, they serve to hold food when the bird takes food from the water or filters the water in search of food. While other poultry have little sense of smell, geese have a well-developed sense of smell. This helps when searching for food, orientation during flight, searching for a mating partner, and searching for clean water. Geese have a good sense of taste; taste receptors are located on the base of the tongue and on the roof of the beak.

Some people have difficulty distinguishing a goose from a gander. On ganders, a breed that descends from Chinese geese, there is a large bump on the beak in the forehead area. The difference between ganders and wild geese gray goose minor.

It is also worth noting that different breeds can be distinguished from each other by looking at the beak of the goose. So, geese of the Kholmogory breed have a strong, strongly curved beak; Chinese geese and breeds descending from them have bumps at the base of the beak; Tula, Emden, Romny, Adler, Arzamas geese have a short, straight, massive beak.

So, the beak is a very important organ; for many centuries, geese have been domestic birds and have hardly changed, which indicates that nature has created a multifunctional tool with which geese can not only survive, but also thrive. To better remember the above information, you can look at the photos of the goose’s beak that are posted on the Internet.

Content:

We are talking about butchering a goose after it has been plucked. Unless, of course, you are a follower of Panikovsky from the novel “The Twelve Chairs,” who barely ran away while escaping the crowd. After all, he obtained goose meat not in the store, but in other people's yards. If you are a “comrade” of this literary hero or you grow it yourself, you will have to pluck the bird first.

Plucking

There are several ways to pluck a goose carcass.

• Mechanical. This is the most quick way. It uses various electromechanical devices.
• Manual. The most labor-intensive, but the result is of the highest quality. This can be done in two ways:

1. dry (when they plan to use feathers and down in the future);
2. wet (the carcass is immersed in boiling water).

• Steam. Speeds up manual plucking. To do this you need to do one of the following:

1. hold the bird over the steam;
2. use a steam generator;
3. steam using an iron.

With manual methods, the sequence of work is usually as follows. First, the large flight feathers are removed. When removing, pull them in the direction of growth. Then they move to the back, then to the abdomen.

Carcass preparation

Regardless of whether you yourself rid the goose of feathers or have already purchased a plucked one, you will need to carefully examine it. It is almost impossible to pluck a goose without leaving stumps, broken feathers and small hairs. All this will greatly spoil the appearance of the dish prepared from it.

You can get rid of all this using the old fashioned method - singeing and pulling out the remaining stumps with tweezers or platypuses. Previously, the carcass was roasted over a burning gas stove burner. This is not very convenient. The goose is heavy, and then the stove will be all dirty. Nowadays miniature gas burners are used more often.

Before roasting, the goose carcass can be rolled in flour. This way it will be drier and small hairs will burn better. After singeing, clean the goose from any soot that has formed (you can scrape it with a knife), wash, and dry with disposable towels.

Start cutting. Just first become familiar with the anatomical structure of birds. It is presented in the figure below.

Knowing the anatomy of birds will help you deal with the offal that you will remove. And when cutting not a store-bought goose, but a farm or domestic goose, you will have to do this.

Cutting stages

After plucking and singeing, it is necessary to remove parts of the carcass that are unsuitable for eating and remove the entrails. This operation is called evisceration.

Evisceration

• If the head was not removed during slaughter, cut it off. But it was the head, not the neck. Therefore, remove it approximately at the level of the second vertebra of the neck.
• Cut off the extreme part, at the elbow joint, of the wings.
• Also cut off the legs at the joint.
• Get rid of the trachea and esophagus. This can be done by tearing them out through the neck or after removing the offal.
• To remove the entrails, cut the carcass. This is done in different ways. Can be cut lengthwise. With this cut it is more convenient to remove the giblets. In this case, you need to cut along the belly from the back of the goose to the front.

Or you can make a transverse incision. It is done in the lower abdomen, under the abdomen. This way the carcass will look neater and it will be easier to stuff it later. But if you are not planning to bake the whole goose, then the appearance is no longer important.

In any case, you must cut carefully. The main thing is not to damage internal organs.

• Take out the giblets. Make sure they don't break through. This is especially true for the gallbladder. If it spills, consider that the goose is spoiled, since everything where the bile gets in will be bitter. This is where knowledge of bird anatomy will come in handy.

Preparation of offal

• Separate the liver from the gallbladder very carefully.
• Free your stomach from pebbles and all other evil spirits. Scrape off the tough inner film. Scald it with boiling water, then it will come off easier.
• Clear your heart of all kinds of films.
• If the trachea has not been removed before, feel for it at the top and pull it out.
• Get rid of excess fat. This doesn't mean throwing it away. You need to carefully cut it out and melt it. You can freeze it to collect more, and then reheat it. Goose fat is used to make pates.
• Cut the claws off the paws and remove the skin. To facilitate this operation, also use boiling water.

Meat ripening

After gutting and cleaning offal, time must pass before it can be eaten. This is called ripening the meat.

Therefore, after drying the goose carcass with a towel, place it along with the offal in large capacity. Cover with a towel, that is, there is no need to create a seal, and keep it in the basement or refrigerator for two days.

Some people hang the carcasses on hooks in their basements. Others put them in muslin bags and hang them too. But the last option will be expensive. There are other uses for muslin. You don't see fabric like this very often. By the way, it got its name from the city of Mosul in Iraq, where it was invented. In the seventeenth century in Europe, elegant dresses were made from it.

Dividing into portions

The goose can be baked whole or cooked in portions. In the second case, you will have to cut it into smaller pieces. This will make it easier to fit into a frying pan or stewing pot.

IN Soviet time in the trade, according to the standard, it was proposed to cut up bird carcasses as shown in the figures below.

Here on Seme “A” it is shown how to divide the carcasses of smaller birds - chickens and ducks. And in the larger diagram “b” there are geese and turkeys. In addition, then a piece of neck should have been attached to each portioned piece. If it was a goose, then the neck was divided into eight pieces. In times of scarcity and averages constant prices it was more profitable that way trade organizations.

At home, poultry is usually divided into smaller pieces. So, as shown in the bottom photo.

The bottom row shows by-products that can be used in food. When dividing the bird into pieces, try to cut along the articular cartilage.

Having butchered the goose as described here, you can begin to cook it. But that is another story.

Geese occupy the second largest population of poultry in the world. They are second only to chickens. There are about 3,000 goose breeds and subspecies in the world, and breeders are constantly developing new ones.

Breeding your own breed is a painstaking and long-term task. It requires careful selection of individuals and maintenance of at least four independent genetic lines. However, every farmer can carry out breeding work with an existing breed and raise his own young animals.

External signs of a gander

To breed young animals, it is necessary to select a breeding gander for the main and replacement herds. A flock of geese is called a “herd”. A breeding gander is not just the leader of the herd, but also an exemplary representative of its breed. It must meet all stated standards. Please note:

• on feather coloring;
• eye color;
• beak shape.

A thorough check of external characteristics is necessary to maintain the purity of the breed.

Each breed has its own distinctive characteristics. For example, the Danish Lagarth breed should have a solid white color without black and brown spots, a bright orange even beak and black eyes.

Representatives of the Tula Humpnose breed should have a black beak with a greenish tint and a characteristic hump on the bridge of the nose, as well as blue eyes. Goslings have black eyes.

A goose suitable for breeding must not have a crooked beak, wing defects or any other abnormalities.

Anatomy of a goose

Geese that match their external characteristics must undergo anatomical selection. It is necessary to inspect the wings of the individual. The first row of flight wings must contain at least 10 feathers, the second - at least 12.

It is very important to pay attention to the “scissors” - a pair of feathers at the tip of the gander’s wing. The top feather should be narrower and longer than the bottom one, otherwise the goose will only cover one goose. The tail should have 18 to 20 feathers.

There should be a distance of four fingers between the pelvic bones of the gander. The manufacturer has a double fat gland on his back. It is believed that a goose with such a gland will be the most fertile.

Pay attention to the number of tubercles inside the beak. If there are from 10 to 18, then the goose has entered puberty. The more tubercles a gander has in its beak, the more fertile it is considered. The weight of the manufacturer should exceed the standard weight of the breed by 1-2 kg.

Any farmer who keeps poultry in his household is obliged to at least superficially know all its features. Probably, few of them thought, for example, why a goose’s paws are red, or why a duck can swim. In our article we will look at this and other information that is of interest to many.

Some types of geese have truly red feet, while other breeds may have yellowish hues. If a person is not particularly interested in breeding poultry, then it is unlikely that he has ever paid attention to such differences. Most often, the paws are still red, the hump above the beak of geese is the same color.

The color of the legs of these domestic birds is explained simply; here you only need to remember long-forgotten lessons in biology, namely the topic “Crossbreeding”. The heterozygous breed of geese naturally has legs and a hump above the nose of a reddish tint, while other breeds have a yellow color.

If a heterozygous goose breed is crossed with a yellow-footed goose, the birth of a gosling with red/yellow feet will be 50/50%. If the breed is not mixed, the gosling will have exclusively red feet. There is nothing mysterious here, just an ordinary biological pattern.

The question continues to torment me: why are the paws red? Has anyone ever wondered why people have red-haired babies? The answer should be asked to Mother Nature.

On numerous forums, farmers and housekeeping enthusiasts still prove their versions to each other, discussing this issue with particular interest. There are many interesting opinions, for example, this plan:

All these versions have the right to exist and are true in one case or another. But, most often, young goslings have yellow legs, but in older individuals they become red. What versions do you have? Write about it in the comments.

Important! The color of the limbs of geese may well be affected by cold weather or other severe disasters.

There is another true story or fairy tale related to the topic of our question. Once upon a time there lived in a village a goose with yellow legs. He was very proud of the color of his limbs and bullied everyone. This is his boorish behavior The local bull was very indignant. He got angry with him and drove him into the wild forest. The goose ran for a long, long time until night fell. In the darkness, he fell into a deep puddle filled with red clay. The poor bird tried for a long time to get out of this mess, and when the goose succeeded, he discovered that his paws had turned red. So he has been walking since then with red limbs.

This is such a funny fairy tale.

Why does a duck swim?

Ducks feel just as great in water as they do on a hard surface, and maybe even better. Anyone who has seen how quickly they can move through water and dive cannot quite understand how exactly this happens.

Ducks by nature have some features that allow them to move remarkably well on the water surface. What helps a bird stay afloat, and at the same time without special effort? Let's try to figure this out.

1. A special bag filled with air becomes an assistant for the birds here. Thanks to this formation, the bird's specific gravity on the water is significantly reduced.
2. Ducks have a special structure of their torso and legs.
3. Plumage also plays an important role in how a duck stays on the water.
4. Secretion of glands.

At the physiological level, domestic ducks develop excellent abilities that help them stay on the surface of the water in the same way as individuals living in the wild.

Ducks' helper - fat secretion

Above the tail of feathered creatures, in the area of ​​the tailbone, there is a special gland filled with fatty secretion. Waterfowl also have it, but it is especially well developed in duck breeds.

The coccygeal gland is quite small in size. It is located between the vertebrae above the tail. If you press it a little with your finger, a special oily liquid with a specific odor will begin to emerge from it.

The composition of the coccygeal secretion includes the following components:

• Glycerides;
• To a small extent wax;
• Antibacterial components.

The bird uses this fluid to lubricate its plumage. With her beak she takes out part of the secretion, and then gradually rubs it into the feathers. The duck's head rubs against the side surfaces of the body and thus lubricates it. After this procedure, the bird flaps its wings vigorously to distribute the fatty lubricant evenly throughout the entire plumage.

After lubricating, the feathers become waterproof, which allows the duck to perfectly stay on the water surface and also dive. At the same time, the feathers remain beautiful, elastic, they wear out less and do not get wet in water.

If waterfowl did not have such an assistant as fatty secretion, their down and feathers would become very wet in the water, they would not only not be able to fly into the air, but could even drown.

Important! Ducks constantly clean their plumage, since fatty secretions can only stick well to clean feathers. If a bird's plumage is contaminated, for example, with oil waste, then it may well drown while on the water.

The structure of the body and legs of ducks

Thanks to the special structure of their legs, these feathered creatures are considered excellent swimmers and divers. Ducks have a small head, attached to a flexible, short neck. Let's look at the structural features of duck feet.

Mother nature has endowed these feathered individuals with some useful features, thanks to which they can cope perfectly with bad climatic conditions. For example, in winter the duck does not freeze at all. The down, located closer to the carcass under the feathers, helps her in this. The bird's coccygeal oily secretion and paws provide additional assistance in winter.

In the old days, ordinary people could predict the weather using ducks: whether it would change or not, whether it would be cold or warmer. For example, if a flock of ducks are frolicking in the water, you can expect rainy weather.

Geese: all about these domestic birds

Domesticated geese belong to the ancient feathered classes. This bird is quite independent, so its grazing does not require strict control. As a result of long-term selection work, modern domestic breeds appeared in the world. Wild geese were involved in breeding work.

The end result of the scientists was to breed a goose breed that has a decent weight. It is in this way that new goose subclasses were formed, the carcass weight of which can reach a live weight of more than 8 kg.

Characteristic differences of goose breeds

Geese of all breeds have a well-developed and functioning digestive system. These birds have interesting feature organism - their intestines are much longer in size than the body, about 10 times. Thanks to this, geese can easily eat grassy foods, since the stomach can easily digest fiber.

For domesticated birds, sufficient drinking water and food are important factors. Every day, birds should receive 4 liters of liquid per 1 kg of prepared feed. Due to the rapid digestion of food, geese often excrete droppings.

Twice a year, adults molt and lose many feathers. Let's take a brief look at exactly when geese begin to lose their feathers:

• In mid-July, the mating season of geese ends and after that the first stage of molting begins. Interestingly, in one cycle, geese completely renew their plumage.
• The second stage of molting usually occurs in late autumn. During this period, peculiar spines begin to appear on the skin under the main feathers. These are new growing feathers.

Goose breeds have quite warm plumage, so domestic birds are quite capable of withstanding cold weather in winter with temperatures down to -30°C.

The process of domesticating geese

This process occurred everywhere and almost simultaneously in all corners of the world, where people began to raise poultry for their own food. Several thousand years ago, geese became domesticated poultry, just like chickens, pigeons or ducks.

Important! Although geese are considered low-maintenance birds, they also need to be looked after.

Geese are independent and headstrong birds; they do not really like to obey household rules or be locked up in enclosures. They can search for food on their own, and in sufficient quantities. But when humans domesticated birds, they became more comfortable eating specially prepared food. People also benefit from this - excellent meat products.

In many countries, geese have become symbols of cities. For example, in the Roman Empire in ancient times, geese were considered sacred creatures. As the legend goes, they began to cackle wildly when the Gauls attacked the city. With their cry they were able to wake up the soldiers and thus save the entire population.

For domestication, gray wild geese were first tamed. But over time, thanks to the work of breeders, breeds with different colors began to appear. The main feature of all domestic geese is that they fly very poorly. You can read more about keeping geese at home in.

Loud geese

Geese are considered intelligent domestic birds. They voice all their movements, thoughts, or simply communicating with each other with the sound “ha-ga.” What could they mean? According to poultry farmers raising domestic geese, possible designations for their sounds may be as follows:

• If the sounds are pronounced hastily, it means that you need to run;
• If the sound “ga-ga” is pronounced by a bird with space, abruptly or briefly, you need to stay in place, there is no danger;
• Geese cackle quickly and too loudly - danger has arisen;
• The hissing of geese means that the bird is angry.

It is commonly believed among common people that if a goose has pooped 7 times, it invites its family to feast on thick and juicy grass. If “ga-ga” is said 6 times, you need to go look for a new place to pasture. Whether this is true or not, no one knows, because a person does not speak goose language.

Goose feet: why do goose feet have red feet?

Most often, the question of why a goose has red feet is asked by children to their parents. They are especially interested in where the goose got its paws so dirty that they turned red. There are many fables and stories among the people about this: interesting, true and not so true. But in fact, the color of geese's feet depends on their breed.

According to some experts, the color of crow's feet may directly depend on the effect of a special pigment on the body. Biological scientists offer their own versions: geese have many blood vessels in their paws that help warm their limbs during the cold season. The skin on the paws is thin, so it glows, making the capillary networks clearly visible.

Riddles with a trick to logic

All adults were once small children, went to preschool institutions and school. Therefore, they will remember the old days with interest, and the kids, perhaps, will learn something new and useful for themselves from our article.

Usually, educators or teachers conduct various entertaining activities with the children, among which, in addition to motor exercises, there are riddles, logical tasks, puzzles or interesting puzzles. Some kind of competitions are held between children. Everyone wants to be the first to answer the question and become the winner.

We present to your attention our small entertainment sector, consisting of tasks for the development of logic.

Table. Logic riddles with answers

Logic problem

A man had ducks at home, to whose care he devoted most of his time. They are always well-groomed and well-fed, so he decided to buy them comfortable houses. If each house includes a duck, then one of them will not get it. If two ducks spend time in each house, then one will remain empty.

Question: Think about how many ducks the man has, and how many houses he bought for them?

Answer: A man has 4 ducks, and he bought 3 houses.

Video - Geese in the household