Toulouse geese~anybody raise them and can tell me about the breed?

[Cek goose]

thank you for your response. she gets a complete feed...hopefully it has the nician. egg bound is my big fear...she is moving around tho but not like before.

 

[RURU]

It could be niacin but another thing also is that when the geese lay eggs they lose calcium from their bones and it needs to be replenished back into their bones so you need oyster shell out there for them as well as a source of calcium for laying geese!! I use shelled bird nut feed and add just a bit in their food when I feed in the evening before putting them up for the night.
You could always throw some shelled nuts out for them to help keep the calcium in their bones. A goose can die from lack of calcium.... She becomes weak and the just dies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

hoping you are still on this page since you have toulouse. suddenly one of mind can't stand or walk without extreme diffuclty..her tail feathers looked rough at the edges, all in one day. once up she can hobble and then walk a few feet and plop onto the ground. if you know, let me know! I cam cek goose on this barnyard page!

What age?and has she been laying up until now? when did she lay her last egg?

 

[Cek goose]

thank you for this. I will get some...also her legs didn't look as orange (or I am now noticing everything that might not even have changed!) and she was moving some better. she is feisty and aggressive and doesn't seem in discomfort...just the difficulty in getting up. I will try that and any other things you can think of!!

 

[Cek goose]

also what do you mean shelled nuts? what kind? is oyster shell similar?

 

[Miss Lydia]

also what do you mean shelled nuts? what kind? is oyster shell similar?

At Walmart they have a wild bird mix called patio mix it has shelled nuts in it.

 

[mollierhea]

RE' Toulouse geese....we have experience with females toulouse for years now. When the Canadian geese come in and land in our pond, they always hatch a flock of baby geese and the toulouse and our CHinese goose always want to adopt so badly. They try to capture a baby and take it from the other geese but the babies are already very clever and dive under water to escape.
On one occasion we were able to purchase a female baby toulouse and brought it home to see what they would do with it. They adopted it immediately and both were the greatest mothers, Never any jealousy either They shared the responsibility. The geese know their names too and come when called. They are gentle and make only a honking noise to scare you off. They have a pond and a shelter area where we place their pellets and cracked corn daily. We break open a small area when the pond freezes over in winter. Keep in mind that they are warmer while in the pond water because it is above freezing. LAst year it was far too cold for them , they were making a moaning sound of misery at night but they were easy to corral and put in the chicken coop for overnight with a bucket of water for drinking. They tend to be afraid of chickens but there was no problem there.. they were glad to get in the coop and no issues. They lay eggs and build a nest with hay and weeds . I used a large beach umbrella over their nest one year other times they went under the porch and built their nest. They share the nest. They are devoted but of course we do not have a male and that's why we adopted a baby female toulouse for them. We do not want a male because we get too many geese coming in as it is but would like to adopt a baby female for them again.
I am sure they are disappointed when their eggs do not hatch and produce. We get the flock raiser crumbles for the geese. They do not get enough to eat from grazing .I would not raise geese without a pond though. Knowing how the geese love the water, that would seem cruel to me. The pond is also their escape from wild critters and is their safety net. They live well over 16 years
and have been a source of enjoyment to have at our home. I just wish we could find a hatchery which would sell one or two baby females because we love the breed. Good luck to you.

 

[Duckymomlol]

RE' Toulouse geese....we have experience with females toulouse for years now. When the Canadian geese come in and land in our pond, they always hatch a flock of baby geese and the toulouse and our CHinese goose always want to adopt so badly. They try to capture a baby and take it from the other geese but the babies are already very clever and dive under water to escape.
On one occasion we were able to purchase a female baby toulouse and brought it home to see what they would do with it. They adopted it immediately and both were the greatest mothers, Never any jealousy either They shared the responsibility. The geese know their names too and come when called. They are gentle and make only a honking noise to scare you off. They have a pond and a shelter area where we place their pellets and cracked corn daily. We break open a small area when the pond freezes over in winter. Keep in mind that they are warmer while in the pond water because it is above freezing. LAst year it was far too cold for them , they were making a moaning sound of misery at night but they were easy to corral and put in the chicken coop for overnight with a bucket of water for drinking. They tend to be afraid of chickens but there was no problem there.. they were glad to get in the coop and no issues. They lay eggs and build a nest with hay and weeds . I used a large beach umbrella over their nest one year other times they went under the porch and built their nest. They share the nest. They are devoted but of course we do not have a male and that's why we adopted a baby female toulouse for them. We do not want a male because we get too many geese coming in as it is but would like to adopt a baby female for them again.
I am sure they are disappointed when their eggs do not hatch and produce. We get the flock raiser crumbles for the geese. They do not get enough to eat from grazing .I would not raise geese without a pond though. Knowing how the geese love the water, that would seem cruel to me. The pond is also their escape from wild critters and is their safety net. They live well over 16 years
and have been a source of enjoyment to have at our home. I just wish we could find a hatchery which would sell one or two baby females because we love the breed. Good luck to you.

For the life of me I cannot find the website but call this number, they're a hatchery out of California but they ship single goslings. You may have some extra chicks in the box to keep your baby warm until it arrives unless you show up in person. Anyhoo here's the number they sell Toulouse & just about every other breed of poultry or waterfowl +1 (661) 822-7437 the guy is super helpful!

 

[cedar hill farm]

I am interested in getting a few Toulouse this spring and wanted to know about the characteristics of the breed.

Are they gentle?

Hardy?

Good breeders, layers, mothers?

Predator considerations, such as special precautions?

Shelter they like best?

Nesting areas? How do they like them?

Compatibility with other animals/livestock/poultry?

Feed? Will they continue to forage and graze well in the winter?

Any info would be appreciated!

I have raised them from babies and they have become a joy! not noisy or aggressive and very docile, except a little protective during nesting season. great weed and grass eater, but don't have too many or they strip the ground!