Toulouse goose

Toulouse

The "à bavette" or "with dewlap" type
Conservation status
Other names
  • French: Oie de Toulouse à bavette
  • French: Oie de Toulouse sans bavette
Country of origin France
Use meat, foie gras[2], down feather[3], eggs [4]
Traits
Weight Male: 9–9.5 kg[5][6]
  Female: 7–8.5 kg[5][6]
Egg color white[4]
Classification
APA Heavy Goose[7]
EE yes[8]
PCGB Geese: Heavy[9]
Goose
Anser anser

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 French: Oie de Toulouse à bavette;[6] and a slightly lighter agricultural type without dewlaps, the French: Oie de Toulouse sans bavette.[5] Both types are large, with weights of up to 9 kg.[10] Birds bred in the United Kingdom and United States exclusively for showing may be still larger, and have a somewhat different conformation.[11]:378

History

The original grey-coloured breed is a very old one and the name has been recorded back as far as 1555. The breed was first brought to the United Kingdom by Lord Derby in 1840, who imported some of them to England,[11]:378 and from then onwards the French Toulouse were used as breeding stock with the consequence that by 1894, English breeders had produced a massive bird. The 'Toulouse' in France, although kept in greater numbers, have never quite equalled such weights. The breed was later brought to North America, where it became popular in the upper Midwest due to its ability to withstand cold winters.[3]

Characteristics

Poor foragers[12], the breed generally has a placid disposition.[13] Geese typically weigh between 10-13lbs and ganders 12-15lbs.[12] Ring size is 27 mm for both ganders and geese.[14]

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.[12] It is thus an important meat producer and, with its oversized liver, a source of foie gras.[3] Geese of the type without dewlaps lay 25–40 eggs extra-large white eggs per year, while geese of the dewlap type lay 20-35.[4] Additionally, the goose's fluffy feathers are a good source of down feather.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed February 2016.
  2. ↑ Chickens. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dohner, Janet Vorwald (2001). The encyclopedia of historic and endangered livestock and poultry breeds. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 472. ISBN 9780300138139.
  4. 1 2 3 Toulouse Goose. The Livestock Conservancy. Accessed February 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Breed data sheet: De Toulouse Sans Bavette (type agricole)/France. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Breed data sheet: De Toulouse A Bavette (type industriel)/France. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2016.
  7. ↑ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Accessed February 2016.
  8. ↑ Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
  9. ↑ Breed Classification. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Accessed February 2016.
  10. ↑ Hugo, Susanne (1995). "Geese: the underestimated species". World Animal Review. 83 (2): 64–67. Archived from the original on 13 January 2003.
  11. 1 2 Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 9781405156424. p. 378–380.
  12. 1 2 3 Jacob, Jacquie; Pescatore, Tony. "Selecting Geese" (PDF). University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Native Poultry Breeds at Risk. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Accessed February 2016.
  14. ↑ Liste des races et variétés de Gallinacés et Palmipèdes domestiques et diamètres des bagues en mm (in French). Fédération française des volailles. Accessed February 2016.

Further reading

Media related to Toulouse goose at Wikimedia Commons

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