France trip, Oct 2009 - Gavage

Gavage refers to the force-feeding of ducks or geese in order to fatten their livers in the production of foie gras. We were in the region of foie gras and we feel we should see how our food come by and we visited a goose farm.

Luckily, there are a number of farms which are opened to visitors. At the goose farm of "Des Granges", you can just walk into the feeding shed during any of its feeding time.


In general, the geese were free to roam and they were constantly picking at the ground, looking for food. They look clean and healthy, much better than I expected.

During the feeding, the geese are herded into the feeding shed and locked into compartments with 8-10 birds to a compartment.

It is not that crowded but small enough so that the feeder doesn't have to do too much chasing to get to each bird.

He held each bird's head with his hands and then locked its body into position with his thighs. There is a machine which holds all the food and the food is distributed through a slim metal feeding tube. The feeding is performed 2–4 times a day for 2–5 weeks.

A bird after the feeding

Then the birds are slaughtered and prepared into various geese products which you can buy at the shop. It seemed that no parts are wasted in France. Even the neck is saved for stuffing.

The goose farm grows their own corn for the feeding. The corn is left to dry and then they are picked and stored away for future use.

This photo is taken elsewhere but it shows how they store their corn.