GROWTH AND CRAMMING ABILITY OF 3 GENOTYPE S OF GEESE

The aim of these experiments was to compare growth in weight, muscular growth and cramming ability of 3 genetic types of geese: Italian gosl ings, Polish goslings belonging to 2 contiguous generations, and Landa is goslings. Data were measured in 4 groups of animals: (i) fattened g oslings slaughtered and carved at 17 weeks of age; (ii) fattened gosli ngs slaughtered and carved at 19 weeks of age; (iii) force-fed gosling s slaughtered and carved at 19 weeks of age; (iv) force-fed goslings s laughtered and not carved between 18 and 23 weeks of age. The animals were managed in such a way that they had the best preparation for cram ming: intensive growth up to 8 weeks of age; and a short allowance fix ed at 200 g of pellets per goose per day from 8 weeks of age to the be ginning of the precramming period (when feeding is stopped up to the b eginning of the force feeding). The precamming period lasted 10 d. The cramming period was no longer than 13 d. The force feeding was made w ith cooked fatted indian com. The performances of Polish goslings were independent of the generation number. Italians goslings, the lightest at 8 weeks of age, kept this disadvantage until the end: the cutting units were also the lightest. The fattening grade was the same as that of Landais goslings but lower than that of Polish goslings. Polish go slings were the heaviest and yield the most developed breast muscle. T he cramming ability of Landais gosling was the best; it was possible t o cram Polish geese but not Italian geese. The fatty liver efficiency of Landais geese and the efficiency in the thigh muscle were the highe st, their peripheric fat efficiency and their efficiency in the breast muscle were the lowest, the efficiency in the breast muscle was best in Polish goslings. Whatever the genotype, the growth of the breast mu scle ended at 17 weeks of age. The growth of the thigh muscle seems to continue up to 19 weeks of age among force-fed animals but not among fattened animals. It is possible that peri- or intra-muscular fat exis ts in force-fed animals. The rate of fat release increased when the li ver weight increased. In Italian and Polish goslings there was no rela tion between the liver weight, the rate of fat release and the record of the 'qualimetre'. This result indicates that the histological struc ture of the fatty liver of these genotypes is different from that of l andais liver. It is concluded that Landais geese confirm their high ab ility to produce fatty liver. Italian geese exhibited low performances of growth because of their reduced size. Polish geese show growth and cramming abilities and, provided the liver weight can increase, the P olish goose can be a dual-purpose animal. If it is used for meat produ ction, it is necessary to define a feeding management fitted to Polish goslings.