by Good day! Today we are debriefing Toulouse geese at home. In amateur poultry farming, recent years have been marked by an increase in the popularity of waterfowl, including geese. Of course, we are still far from the population that existed in the Soviet years, but it is moving in that direction.
The following factors contribute to this.
- Geese are unpretentious (even the grass of natural lands and aquatic vegetation are well paid for in terms of production);
- maintaining high levels of productivity at temperatures that are detrimental to other breeding objects;
- a wide range of products obtained from geese:
- The healing properties of goose fat, widely used in folk medicine.
Geese provide valuable organic fertilizer… Believe me, these are not all the advantages of geese. There is no point in listing them all. Let’s move on to a much more interesting issue – the nuances of keeping and feeding Toulouse geese.
Toulouse geese breed description with photos
Poultry lovers respect this bird for its high level of productivity, which manifests itself in the rapid achievement of slaughter condition. By the way, the faster the bird grows, the less feed it uses per unit of production, including for each additional kilogram of weight.
The name of the breed of geese in question corresponds to the name of the French city of Toulouse. The work on breeding the breed was based on the selection of the best offspring from highly productive parental forms. Comfortable conditions and proper feeding contributed to the achievement of the goal pursued by the breeders.
Productive qualities
Externally, a bird of French origin can be identified by its massive body with lush muscle tissue. Large dimensions are the reason for the sedentary lifestyle of popular birds. In the best poultry organizations, farms, 11-12-kilogram geese are found. The average weight of a bird fluctuates between 6,5-7,5 kilos.
Experienced poultry farmers’ experience shows that it is quite possible to fatten birds up to 8-10 kilograms in a private farm. Naturally, males are heavier than females.
By the way, it should have been noted at the beginning of the article that birds of French blood are objects of breeding created for the purpose of obtaining fatty liver. This is an ingredient of a delicacy very popular in France. In some adult individuals, the liver weighs about 0,5 kg.
The main plumage color of Toulouse geese is brown: from light in young birds to dark in ganders and geese. According to experts, this feature was adopted by domestic birds from their wild relatives.
Toulouse Geese by Appearance
At the age of two months, at least one skin fold can be seen on the belly of a bird. On the head of geese of some intrabreed groups there is a so-called purse.
The breed structure consists of several intra-breed groups, which are characterized by their own features regarding the presence/absence of skin formations. There is a bird that has a purse and a fat fold in the abdominal area. Within the breed, there are geese that have a purse, but a special fold is missing. And there are birds that are completely devoid of any “purses” or folds.
Advice! If you are looking for a heavier, calmer and less active bird, bet on the purse-cross breed group of geese. However, here you will have to prepare yourself for the fact that your charges will not be as fertile as their relatives without a purse.
It would be useful to better understand the appearance of Toulouse geese. Compared to many other breeds of birds, the French are characterized by a wider but shorter head and a thick neck.
Other exterior features: Birds of French origin are characterized by a massive and very wide body, short legs with a developed muscular part, and a straight orange beak.
In the natural environment, only individuals with grayish-white plumage are found. The gray color is more in the head area. The neck and back are grayer than the rest of the body. Nature has made the wing tips almost black.
The belly (aka kochen) and rump are covered with white feathers. The tail feathers (those that are part of the tail) are white and gray. A rare bird found in nature is the Toulouse goose, which has partially brown plumage.
Toulouse geese have advantages and disadvantages
About the pros and cons of birds of French blood.
The popularity of the feathered French is explained by their massiveness, high average daily gains in live weight, enviable indicators of meat productivity, and high-quality down. In addition, Toulouse geese produce excellent organic fertilizer and fat, which is widely used in folk medicine.
Among the disadvantages of the breed, I would like to highlight low mobility, which is fraught with obesity, a very loose type of constitution, and the reluctance of geese to hatch eggs. The body of birds does not cope well with low temperatures at high relative humidity. In principle, the last point is typical for birds of all species and breeds.
Conditions for keeping feathered Frenchies
Let’s start with the practical aspects of keeping Toulouse geese. The further north the region, the greater the need for a warm poultry house, since, unlike many other breeds of geese, the bird in question is more sensitive to low temperatures.
The temperature optimum in our case is 20 degrees. Such a temperature regime is a mandatory condition that guarantees the maximum manifestation of genetic potential, including in terms of productivity.
Important point! Even the most comfortable microclimate parameter is not able to ensure high productivity of birds if other conditions of keeping do not meet the standards.
Thus, a temperature of 20 degrees with 80 percent relative humidity is the cause of the “greenhouse effect”, which causes heat stress, which manifests itself in geese as lethargy, poor appetite, and low productivity. An organism under stress becomes more prone to pathologies.
The bedding has a positive effect on the microclimate and sanitary condition of the poultry house. Usually it is clean and dry straw. Less often wood shavings and sawdust are used. The main requirement for the bedding material is a pronounced ability to absorb and retain moisture.
Keeping geese in winter
During the winter months, special treatments are a priority. insulating bedding with bacteria, consisting of peat, shavings and straw. The thickness of its layer should be at least 30 cm. But in the summer, many experienced poultry farmers keep their charges on sand or sawdust. Before forming the very first substrate, slaked lime is poured onto the floor – a kilo per square.
Focus on the experience of established goose breeders: in order to improve the sanitary condition of the poultry house and optimize the microclimate in it, experienced goose breeders add to the traditional substrate bacterial litter, which contains an association of beneficial microflora. These microbes process the waste products of birds into physiological heat, which makes the temperature regime more comfortable for the flock of geese.
In addition, microorganisms of the fermentation bedding inhibit the development of pathogens, the spent composition is considered an excellent organic fertilizer. As a rule, bacterial bedding lasts up to two years. And also – it eliminates unpleasant odors.
Naturally, all these effects are positively correlated with the productivity and health of birds.
It is important to adhere to the recommended frequency of cleaning – daily up to twice.
To prevent parasitic diseases in the walking area, ash-sand baths are placed in the poultry house.
If the flock consists of more than fifty birds, their dwelling is divided into sections. The young are kept separately from the parent flock in any case. Normally, there should be up to one and a half females and one male per square meter of floor.
The watering and feeding front is from 10 and 16 cm.
The nests are installed at the wall farthest from the door, where the light is less bright. The types of nests and the nuances of their manufacture are discussed here.
Walking area and pond for geese
Starting in spring, a corral system of keeping waterfowl is recommended – in a walking area.
One of the advantages of geese is that they are suitable for the free-range (pasture) system of keeping. The birds go out to graze during the day and return to the poultry yard only for evening feeding.
If there is no water nearby, you can limit yourself to keeping the herd in a fenced area. Fencing options:
- from a chain-link mesh;
- a wooden fence, such as a picket fence.
In the countryside, the paddock is often fenced off with reeds. Old-fashioned, but effective.
To prevent heat stress and hypothermia due to precipitation, the walking area is equipped with a light canopy.
When there is no river, lake or any other natural body of water nearby, a bathing area is placed in the paddock. This can be a large trough filled with water.
Feeding Toulouse Geese at Home
As for feeding, it is twice a day. If you follow the rules of standardized feeding, the daily rate of each feed is established taking into account the age, sex, weight and purpose (fattening, reproduction of the herd, etc.) of the bird.
Feeding behavioral reactions of geese include their feeding at night. Therefore, every day before going to bed, it is necessary to ensure that the bird has access to feeders with food.
The feed base for geese in private poultry farming consists of grain (wheat, corn, etc.), compound feed, mash, worms, aquatic vegetation (in other words, algae).
There is no feed that would fully cover the birds’ need for biologically active substances, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Therefore, experienced poultry farmers buy premixes. The latter, by the way, can be medicinal – contain veterinary drugs.
Today, the absolute leading premixes are the following compositions: modern probioticsThey are designed for each type of poultry.
The main purpose of keeping geese is to obtain meat products from them, which is achieved through fattening.
Options for feed used in goose breeding:
- dry feed (e.g. grain) mixtures;
- wet mashes;
- a combination of the two previous types of feed.
Toulouse geese grow and gain weight more intensively when they feed on a variety of herbs, silage, root crops and tops left after harvesting the vegetable inhabitants of the bed. It is recommended to feed the goose fresh fish, pumpkin, chopped cabbage, kefir and whey.
Toulouse geese fattening by feeding types
Let’s look at the features of different types of feeding.
Feeding with dry mixtures. This approach to feeding has one significant drawback – low average daily live weight gains of geese. When adult livestock is involved in the process of herd reproduction, it is better to abandon such feeding.
Feeding with wet mash. Such feeds are prepared on the basis of water and mixed feeds. This is perishable food, so it should be eaten by birds within 30-40 minutes. After each feeding, the feeders are emptied of the remains of the mash. Neglect of these moments is the cause of poisoning.
Using a mash that only contains grain is somewhat costly.
To reduce the cost of purchasing the grain portion of the diet, it is partially replaced with chopped beets, carrots, greens, boiled mashed potatoes, chopped zucchini, eggplant, fresh chopped cabbage, etc.
Combined feeding system based on a combination of dry and wet food.
Feeding geese in summer and winter
Theoretical and practical aspects of summer feeding of geese. As already noted, summer provides an opportunity to save on feed. Natural lands are a source of the most valuable feed – greens, which contain vitamins and other biologically active substances.
Young grass is rich in vitamin E. This compound is necessary for the normal manifestation of reproductive abilities and other physiological processes.
The daily requirement for green fodder is approximately two kilos.
When the free-range system of keeping poultry is unavailable for one reason or another, then the herd is fed with mown green mass. This is the so-called green stuff. If it is mown early in the morning, it is slightly dried. The daily norm of green stuff is 1 kg, it is supplemented with root crops – 0,5 kg / head. per day.
The winter diet consists of grass meal – 0,4 kg/head per day, boiled and fresh vegetables and fruits (fed slightly warm).
Three times a week it is useful to feed the birds with sprouted wheat. This food contains many minerals. Geese are also fed with yeast, whey, table salt and phosphates – 35, 45, 1,5 and 1,5 g respectively.
In order to provide the herd with amino acids and carbohydrates, the diet is supplemented with silage, grain flour, oilcake and sprats.
An approximate morning feed mixture, relevant in winter, is presented:
- grain – 100 g;
- grain flour – 100 g;
- sources of minerals – 10 g.
The lunch mixture consists of boiled vegetables – 0,5 kg, grain and flour – 100 g each. In the evening it is better to give a grain mixture, including legumes.
