Toulouse Geese Thread

[Miss Lydia]

I would gradually bring your humidity down. As for fertility you are correct in that it has to be addressed before breeding season. Good nutrition is the key. Grass is a vital part of a goose diet.. I would be careful of how much other feed to allow them to eat.


The grey geese in the first two pictures are production Toulouse.






this is a young Dewlap Toulouse.

Question what happens when you live when breeding season starts before there is grass to eat. alot of us live in climates that there is no grass from Oct till April.

 

[bebruslenis]

Thanks, P.Sue, I'm pretty sure mine are Dewlaps. what about humidity: first of all, wouldn't it make even more damage if I change it now? it was 50-55% for seven days now. I used these settings, because a friend of mine is breeding heavy geese breeds for 4 or 5 years now and he always uses, 37,5 C and 55%, only when hatching start he drops the temperature and increase humidity even more. he does not have many loses of fertile eggs during incubation, all hardship starts when hatchings starts- keeping an eye and assisting the goslings, when they need. Maybe this dry incubation is used ony for Toulouse eggs? or you use it for all water birds? sorry, maybe I'm way behind and waisting your time, but I really did not know about this methode. the man from whom I bought incubators advised me to start with the humidity of 75-80%... I chose my friends' settings.

About the food: here in Lithuania we have severe winters (up to -25-30 C below), sometimes cold and damp autumn and spring, so climate is bad for birds, they have to spend a lot of time in the coops (chickens) and geese do not have an early grass. so what changes do I need in their diet? also how to calculate exact amount of protein in the feed? I've read that they need 15% of protein in the winter and 18-22% of protein when they are laying?

 

[psue]

Lydia, I give mine hay (the greener the better) to munch on during the winter. I do not use it as their main food.

Thanks, P.Sue, I'm pretty sure mine are Dewlaps. what about humidity: first of all, wouldn't it make even more damage if I change it now? it was 50-55% for seven days now. I used these settings, because a friend of mine is breeding heavy geese breeds for 4 or 5 years now and he always uses, 37,5 C and 55%, only when hatching start he drops the temperature and increase humidity even more. he does not have many loses of fertile eggs during incubation, all hardship starts when hatchings starts- keeping an eye and assisting the goslings, when they need. Maybe this dry incubation is used ony for Toulouse eggs? or you use it for all water birds? sorry, maybe I'm way behind and waisting your time, but I really did not know about this methode. the man from whom I bought incubators advised me to start with the humidity of 75-80%... I chose my friends' settings.

About the food: here in Lithuania we have severe winters (up to -25-30 C below), sometimes cold and damp autumn and spring, so climate is bad for birds, they have to spend a lot of time in the coops (chickens) and geese do not have an early grass. so what changes do I need in their diet? also how to calculate exact amount of protein in the feed? I've read that they need 15% of protein in the winter and 18-22% of protein when they are laying?

If you friend is having good hatch rates at that humidity, then try it first. Different climates require different things. I'm in the States so I'm sure my needs are different. I do all of my waterfowl at the same temperatures and humidity. However I only cool the goose and muscovie eggs.
Questions are never a waist of time... The main goal is for the egg to lose approximately 14% of it's laid weight before hatching. This appears to make a difference in the strength of the gosling.
When I don't follow the misting and cooling routine... my goslings are not as robust.
I don't change the amount of protein for my birds... it's stays in the 15-18% range year round. Have you looked into sprouting grains for your birds? It would allow them some green during the winter. Salad greens would be a good treat as well. It doesn't have to be everyday if that is too much of a hardship, but it brightens up their moods and is good for them.

You can find the protein of your grains on line.

 

[jtn42248]

Even though we have grass pretty much year round here there are times that it is frozen and/or just goes brown and the geese are not really interested in it. Hay and straw is plentiful abound here since it is cattle country but you have to buy a 200 lb. rolled bale most of the time which is not practical. So, I order Timothy (first cut), Orchard (first cut) or a mix of Timothy and Bluegrass mini bales from Binky Bunny. My geese really like the first cut bales because they still have seed and blossoms attached to the hay. For my three I usually order four bales which gets us through the worst of the off season.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Even though we have grass pretty much year round here there are times that it is frozen and/or just goes brown and the geese are not really interested in it. Hay and straw is plentiful abound here since it is cattle country but you have to buy a 200 lb. rolled bale most of the time which is not practical. So, I order Timothy (first cut), Orchard (first cut) or a mix of Timothy and Bluegrass mini bales from Binky Bunny. My geese really like the first cut bales because they still have seed and blossoms attached to the hay. For my three I usually order four bales which gets us through the worst of the off season.

Binky Bunny? Really? I have to go look that up. does sound like something I might be interested in.really hard to find soft grass hay here.

 

[jtn42248]

Binky Bunny? Really? I have to go look that up. does sound like something I might be interested in.really hard to find soft grass hay here.

Yep, binkybunny.com is their web site and I do order online with no problem. Try to get first cut if you can, they are sometimes out of stock. But it is still green and soft. They are actually bunny rabbit suppliers but I don't tell the geese and they don't complain.

 

[bebruslenis]

Thanks for your reply. I gave my toulouses great hay, actualy not hay, but pressed, green grass in winter. So, beside food(protein quantity), they have everything for happy life and fertility, but i guess i will have to try artificial insemination... I've candled the eggs today, only 1 of 12 for toulouses...51 of 61 for cholmogors.
I did not know the importance and advantages of weighting the eggs, until i've come up the post I mentioned earlyer. Nobody who i know uses this technique. But for next eggs i will use it for sure.
Maybe you know what time does artificial insemination takes to show up in fertility? My 2 geese already layed about 30 eggs, so I dont know if I still have time, first year lay should be smaller than 35 eggs per goose?

Maybe someone knows a good post about geese egg turning? I'm turning them horizontaly and turn 180 degree on blunt end. But i do not know if clockwise or counter clockwise have a difference.

BYC newbie question: I would like to attach a photo, but I have no right? How do i earn it and when?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for your reply. I gave my toulouses great hay, actualy not hay, but pressed, green grass in winter. So, beside food(protein quantity), they have everything for happy life and fertility, but i guess i will have to try artificial insemination... I've candled the eggs today, only 1 of 12 for toulouses...51 of 61 for cholmogors.
I did not know the importance and advantages of weighting the eggs, until i've come up the post I mentioned earlyer. Nobody who i know uses this technique. But for next eggs i will use it for sure.
Maybe you know what time does artificial insemination takes to show up in fertility? My 2 geese already layed about 30 eggs, so I dont know if I still have time, first year lay should be smaller than 35 eggs per goose?

Maybe someone knows a good post about geese egg turning? I'm turning them horizontaly and turn 180 degree on blunt end. But i do not know if clockwise or counter clockwise have a difference.

BYC newbie question: I would like to attach a photo, but I have no right? How do i earn it and when?

I think you have to have so many posts before pics can be posted so just keep visiting and posting before you know it you'll have enough, not sure how many post maybe 10 0r more.

 

[perchead]

woke up to my boy and his toulouse

 

[Miss Lydia]

woke up to my boy and his toulouse

How sweet