Nutritional characteristics of grains fed to Canada Geese

Abstract

th e seaso n al n u tritio n a l re q u ire m e n ts o f g e e se m u st b e c o n sid e re d w hen se le c tin g a c ro p to p la n t.R e c o g n iz e d v a ria tio n s in fo o d q u a lity a n d in digestive p ro c e sse s a m o n g p o u ltry h av e led to th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f ta b le s (e .g .E n sm in g e r an d O le n tin e 1978) listing basic n u tritio n a l re q u ire m e n ts a n d th e d ig estib ility o f feeds.C o m p a ra b le d a ta fo r w aterfo w l a re g e n erally lackin g ; only g ro ss n u tritio n a l re c o m m e n d a tio n s h av e b e e n re p o rte d (H o lm and S c o tt 1974).T h e lack o f d a ta co n cern in g p ro te in d ig estib ility a n d m etab o lism by g e e s e m a y b e p a r t ic u l a r ly im p o r ta n t b e c a u se p ro te in , ra th e r th a n en e rg y , m ay b e th e c o n stitu e n t lim iting re p ro d u c tio n in b ird s (R o b b in s 1981).W ith th is in m in d , w e su p p lie d m o n o ty p ic ra tio n s o f co rn , m ilo (so rg h u m ), a n d w h eat k e rn e ls to C a n a d a g eese B ranta canadensis in terio r w ith th e in te n t o f defining co efficients o f u tilisatio n fo r g rain s acco rd in g to seaso n (w in te r v ersu s sp rin g ).C o rn and m ilo a rc th e p rin c ip al su p p le m e n ta ry crops p la n te d on w aterfo w l m a n a g e m e n t a re a s in s o u th e rn Illin o is, U .S .A .a n d th e k e rn els o f e ach m ay be su p p lie d as em e rg en c y ratio n s d u rin g p e rio d s o f sev ere w in te r w e a th er.W h e a t is co m m o n ly grow n in th e w estern U .S .a n d is av a ila b le to geese as w aste grain th r o u g h o u t th e w in ter.