Toulouse goose

The Toulouse is a French breed of large domestic goose, originally from the area of Toulouse in south-western France. Two types are recognised: a heavy industrial type with dewlaps, the ; and a slightly lighter agricultural type without dewlaps, the. Both types are large, with weights of up to. Birds bred in the United Kingdom and United States exclusively for showing may be still larger, and have a somewhat different conformation.

History

The history of the Toulouse is a long one, going back at least to 1555. It was reared for meat and for foie gras.
Some were brought to the United Kingdom in the 1840s by Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby, who was at that time president of the Zoological Society of London. There it was bred for considerably greater weight; a Toulouse gander weighing over took a prize at the National Poulty Show in 1894. The British breed standard dates from 1865.
Some of these heavier British birds were later exported to North America. The Toulouse was included in the first Standard of Perfection of the American Poultry Association in 1874. It is reared principally in the upper Midwest, where its good tolerance of cold weather is an advantage.

Characteristics

The Toulouse generally has a placid disposition. Ring size is for both ganders and geese. In France weights are usually in the range. The British standard calls for an average weight of about for geese, and nearly for ganders.

Use

The production strain of the Toulouse goose was bred to be fast-growing, gaining weight rapidly when there is an abundance of food and no room for exercise. It may be reared for its meat, for goose fat, or for foie gras. Exhibition strains are slow-growing. Geese of the type without dewlaps lay some extra-large white eggs per year, while geese of the dewlap type lay about. The birds may also be a source of goose down.