One hundred twenty Dongbei White male geese (a
local breed; BW = 878 ± 13 g; 28 d old) were randomly
and equally divided into 2 treatments with 6 pens of
10 geese per treatment. The 2 treatments consisted of
birds fed ad libitum a corn-based feed. One-half of the
birds had no access to pasture (control) while the other
half had access to an alfalfa based pasture (pasture).
Before the start of the experiment, from d 0 to 28,
geese were raised in battery brooders in a temperaturecontrolled
room under standard brooding practices.
At d 28, geese were moved to the pastured pens, and
they were maintained for an additional 42 d until
slaughtered at d 70. The portable pen (4 by 3 by 0.5 m,
providing 1.2 m2 per bird) allowed birds to directly
contact the alfalfa-based pasture, promoting pasture
intake. Water and feed were available ad libitum
throughout the experiment and were provided in 2
automatic drinking nipples and an individual hanging
tube feeder, respectively. Approximately one-third of
the top area of the pen was covered with transparent
whitewashed plastic to protect against harsh climatic
conditions. To promote pasture intake, the portable
pens of the pasture treatment were moved daily so that
geese could eat pasture every day.