Processing a goose

[Soccer Mom]

I'm nervous because we've never done a goose before, but I have one gander in my flock of geese who has earned the right to be my Christmas dinner. Is it much different from processing a chicken? Will a chicken cone even work on a goose? This guy is a pretty good sized African goose. He has a knob and I don't know if it will fit in the cone. Should I buy a turkey cone?

I know I need to be sure and get the extra oil gland at the base of the tail. I'll probably remove the tail altogether.

Anything else I need to know?

 

[canada-goose]

I'd assume you would need a really big cone. It might not even be possible. Have you checked out The Book of Geese by Dave Holderread? I believe it has a section on butchering.

 

[Soccer Mom]

I dug out my copy of Holderread's book and he recommends hanging or using turkey cones. I think the turkey cones could work for a shorter necked breed, but with an African I'll probably just chop. Thanks for the advice. I'm a bit nervous about processing this gander. I suspect that he will not go gentle into that good night.

 

[danielle82]

We've done 4 geese so far. I use the marital "we" here. I mean my husband. I don't really want to invobled in the actual killing and gutting part. My nephew helps him. What they do is have my nephew hold their legs, body, wings (I'm not sure which needs to be held the most) and they lay the gooses nech and head out over the chopping block, and then the hubby chops it off. They tell me they have all died quick, no pain that way. I guess even without their heads they will flap and do something with the neck, so they still need to be held. Then they tie them up and drain upside down for a while. Then they completely skin them and gut them, By then (when they look like meat and not so much a goose haha) its my turn to step in. I soak them in the icewater/saltwater (brine) for 24 hours, then I cook them. They come out very tastey that way.

 

[Soccer Mom]

Thanks, Danielle. That's good to know. Yes, I imagine those wings will need restraining. Geese actually have knobs on their wings that they can flog you with, so I'll be sure we have those contained somehow.

 

[Big George]

Practical Poultry magazine had an article about six months ago on processing geese. They put it on the ground neck out front and put a broom stick just be low the head and stepped on broom until the eyes turned red around rims. Maybe this article could be on line, it was pretty comprehensive. Good luck nothing like roast goose. Oh when I roast a goose or duck I save and strain the fat in the pan portion and freeze. You'll love what it does for dressing or fried potatoes, etc.

 

[bargain]

We had our first homegrown goose yesterday. And yes we coned him. I wish we had kept him in a fattening up pen. With only 4 eating goose, he was mostly finished yesterday. He was the hit. Also, Goose is very greasy so add a little dawn detergent to the scalding water as the feathers are slow to release. Everything else is the same.

Have a blessed one!

 

[minifarmer]

You could probably substitute a 5 gallon bucket for the turkey cone, just cut a 6" hole in the bottom, then pull the head through and slice or 'prune'. I used a machete on a log and hand plucked mine, last Christmas. Seemed to take a bit longer to bleed out than my chickens that I use a knife on. Hand plucking took about 20 minutes and I didn't have to deal with the wet bird smell that you get from chickens. Karla

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Like this?

 

[Soccer Mom]

Excellent advice and pictures! Thanks!

Don't be afraid of geese. I have had a flock of 10 and no problems until now. I recently lost 2 females in a predator attack and now have 5 males and only 3 females. There is a reason that the males have suddenly gotten out of hand, but I know how to fix the male to female ratio.

I've ordered some Duck wax to get the feathers. I'm going to try hand plucking and then use the Duck Wax for the down. I've never plucked a waterfowl before so this will be a learning experience.

I love that set up, Buster. It looks like what we need. We're getting turkeys next year so that would be great to put together now. I won't be alone processing. My husband will be there to help out. I'm not sure I'd like to try shooting him (the gander, not the husband). I'm not afraid to catch the rotten thing. I do it all the time. Whenever he charges me, I snatch him up and carry him around until he is properly cowed.

I like the idea of penning the rascal and fattening him a bit. Africans are a meat variety anyway so hopefully he will dress out nicely. I'll be sure and take pics when we do this.