Livestock
It’s hard to think of roast goose without picturing tables laden with winter feasts and ancient Christmas festivals.
The custom once was that the first goose of the season was eaten at Michaelmas (September 29) the Feast of St Michael and All Angels. Legend has it that Queen Elizabeth I was eating a Michaelmas goose when she heard about the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Her decree was that roast goose should always be eaten on that day.
The geese grown by Gressingham are Embden (common large white goose). All our geese are grown on farms in Norfolk and Suffolk which adhere to aspects of countryside stewardship, sustainability and environmental management.
The whole supply chain for our geese is free range, a “brood and move” system is the basis of our farming protocol. Birds arrive on the farm as day-old goslings direct from the hatchery. After an initial and carefully controlled brooding stage of about three weeks the birds are then moved to a paddock where they can enjoy natural daylight and natural, fresh air ventilation as they develop and grow.
Husbandry
Stocking densities are managed to free range levels ensuring that birds have plenty of space to express natural behaviour. Various forms of environmental enrichment are also provided in the paddocks, such as straw bales and large open drinkers. A veterinary health plan is in use on every farm to assist with best practice and preventative routines. Welfare and husbandry standards cover the whole of the agricultural supply chain from the parent stock (laying birds) and hatchery all the way to the reception and handling at the processing plant.
Feed
The birds are fed on a carefully balanced diet which ensures that they maintain a high state of health, enabling them to thrive in their environment. Their diet is based on wheat and soya with mineral and vitamin supplements and different rations are formulated to suit each stage of the birds’ development. A typical inclusion would be along the lines of 70% wheat, 25% soya, 5% minerals and vitamins.
