The Christmas Goose

Wet summer bodes well for Christmas goose

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The Christmas goose has become fashionable again with the commercial hybrids providing the ideal sized carcase. If rearing geese you will have grazed them throughout the summer but as winter approaches you will need to supplement this grazing with either corn or finishing pellets. A goose does very well on grass so still try and provide plenty of grazing but the extra feed will lay down fat. Often the goose doesn’t start to put weight on until after the first frost.

The Michaelmas goose is sometimes known as ‘green goose’ as it has been raised on grazing grass and was the chosen meat for the Michaelmas feast at the end of September, a feast that is largely unknown today except as a quarter day for rent.