CARRYING CAPACITY OF RICEFIELDS FOR SNOW & BLUE GEESE

1. Snow and Blue Geese must consume 3/10 of a pound or 4.8 ounces of rice per day on the average just to sustain a health/life. (3/10=x/16= 4.8)*
   
   
2. At this rate just to sustain health/life, it takes 3.3 geese to consume one pound of rice per day. (16/4.8=3.33)
   
   
3. There are 45 pounds of rice in a bushel.
   
   
4. It therefore takes 149.85 geese to eat one bushel of rice per day. (45x3.33=149.85)
   
   
5. Average yields of rice per acre at Bald Knob NWR by previous farmer was 110 bu./ac. Therefore it takes 16,483.5 geese to eat an acre per day. (110 bu/ac x 149.85 geese/bu = 16,483.5 geese)
   
   
6. Therefore, it would take 1,648,350 geese to consume 100 acres of rice in ONE day.
   (16,483 x 100 acres = 1,648,350)
   
   
   
   
   1. How long then would it take for a concentration of 50,000 geese to consume 100 acres of rice? Answer: 32.9 days (1,648,350 / 50,000 = 32.9)
      
      
   2. How long would it take for a concentration of 100,000 geese to consume 100 acres of rice? Answer: 16.5 days (1,648,350 / 100,000 = 16.5)
      
      
   3. Same question by 150,000 geese? Answer 11 days
      (1,648,350 / 150,000 = 11)
      
      
   4. Same question by 200,000 geese? Answer 8.2 days
      (1,648,350 / 200,000 = 8.2)
      
      
   5. Same question by 250,000 geese? Answer 6.6 days
      (1,648,350 / 250,000 = 6.6)

* Source: Personal communication with Dr. Kenneth J. Reinecke, USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center