Toulouse Geese Thread

[Poultry mad]

Thanks

 

[Iain Utah]

poultrymad, I get the feeling you are disappointed with your pair. While I do not think the picture you took does them justice, I expect in their relaxed frame, you will see visible dewlaps as well as a more horizontal back position. They are in very nice feather and are overall lovely birds. I do not know their ages, but this breed takes up to 3 years to develop properly (ie dewlaps, keels and large double lobes) and will continue to fill out and develop more dewlap with age. There are also varying types of dewlaps and many breeders like to distinguish between standard dewlap Toulouse and exhibition dewlap Toulouse, which I compare to the "show type" aussie shepherd vs the "working type" aussie shepherd. Unless you were planning to enter them into competition (which I would never personally do to any of my birds), I'd be extremely pleased with them. They look beautiful and compliment to your lawn perfectly.

 

[Poultry mad]

 

[Iain Utah]

Aww.... they are adorable and appear to be full of personality. It looks like they would have potential to develop a "fatty" look. How long have you had them? How old are they? What do you feed them?

 

[Poultry mad]

I have had them for a month they are 5 months old I feed them layers crumbs

 

[Iain Utah]

I thought they were juveniles. With the right diet and special attention to keeping their stress level low, they should develop quite well for you.

I would not personally feed them layer crumbles. I use mazuri waterfowl, flockraiser, and supplement in colder months with whole corn. I also give them watermelon and fresh eared corn for high sugar/calorie treats.

 

[Poultry mad]

Would it be stressful for them when they are with turkey's hens ducks and an lama

 

[Iain Utah]

I guess that would depend on the amount of space, feeding areas, and watering areas you have. Also, while dewlaps get along great with female ducks, older male ducks can be aggressive. I believe the same would be said for male turkeys and roosters, but I have little experience with those types of birds.

 

[gryeyes]

I love these photos the best. That regal "I am Goose" head held high, the "I have something to say about THAT!" honk, all that personality packed expressions and stance. Wonderful. (Because I am not all that fond of the Dewlap Toulouse, I really like the way yours look right now....) Are those Cayuga ducks in some of the pictures? I have 20-some Cayuga ducks, too. I think they are a nice complement to my Toulouse. I also have five turkeys and about fifty chickens. Everybody ranges freely together, but the waterfowl do tend to hang around in their own groups. After all, they share the 10 X 15 foot pond I had built for them.... I feed everybody Nutrena All Flock, with black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) or uncooked, dry oatmeal as daily hand-feeding treats. Plus apples, a bale of alfalfa for nibbling, and the occasional bag 'o salad greens, or melons every now and again. Pumpkins this time of year, too.

 

[kukupecpec]

I thought they were juveniles. With the right diet and special attention to keeping their stress level low, they should develop quite well for you.

I would not personally feed them layer crumbles. I use mazuri waterfowl, flockraiser, and supplement in colder months with whole corn. I also give them watermelon and fresh eared corn for high sugar/calorie treats.

Is there much a nutritional difference between whole corn and cracked corn?
I supplement all my birds with born in the winter, but alot of my seramas are too small to eat whole corn so I have only bought cracked so far this year.