Breeding Toulouse geese is a profitable business, and it is rare that a farmer will not want to diversify his income by selling tasty meat and large eggs. This largest breed of domestic geese, bred from gray, wild and large ancestors. Toulouse birds are distinguished by very good egg production and rapid weight gain. They acclimatize well to Russian winter conditions.
Story
As the name implies, the breed was first registered in Toulouse, a small city in the south of France. From there, the fertile geese quickly spread throughout the country, and then throughout Europe. To breed Toulouse they used wild gray geese, the crossing of which with poultry began in the 18th century. By mid-century, farmers were the first to register a new breed of massive meat birds.
Description and characteristics of Toulouse geese
Geese are large and meaty. At two months they can reach 4 kg, and adult birds - up to 10 kg. The body is set horizontally, the neck is long and massive. The plumage is dark gray, somewhat lighter on the chest and belly. The belly may be white. Young birds are dark brown in color, turning gray over time. A distinctive feature of the breed is a “purse” under the beak and a double fold of fat on the belly.
There is a variety of “purseless” Toulouse geese - they are smaller, but are more fertile.
Pros and cons of the breed
The main advantage is its unusually large weight. Even two-month-old chicks are quite suitable for slaughter. From one brood you can get up to 20 kg of pure duck meat. The carcass is distinguished by a large amount of subcutaneous fat, which gives the meat nutritional value. Down is soft and suitable for use as filler. However, if you raise a bird specifically for down, egg production and weight gain suffer.
But Toulouse geese also have disadvantages. The main one is inactivity. It is difficult for birds to move due to their massive body, so the meat turns out to be quite fatty. Geese have a reduced function of the sexual instinct and fertilization, so geese are often very reluctant to hatch eggs. The breed is demanding in terms of feeding and living conditions.
Requirements for maintenance and care
The main requirement for keeping Toulouse geese is the absence of drafts in the room. Due to a draft, young animals can easily get sick, and treating them is not always economically profitable.The optimal temperature in winter is 12-15 degrees Celsius. The litter should be dry and clean - sawdust, peat, sand. Before adding a fresh portion, you need to add a small amount of slaked lime. The average consumption of slaked lime per square meter is 1 kg.
The poultry house is cleaned at least once a day. Monitor the humidity in the room - too high a moisture content has a detrimental effect on ducklings and leads to diseases. Large numbers of heads should not be allowed to accumulate in a limited area. It is better to place the house as close to the water as possible or dig a small pond specifically for geese.
What to feed
Goslings need to be fed immediately after birth. For the first five days, provide food at least 8 times a day. Adult geese can be fed 2 times a day. The main food is given at night. In the summer, the herd is released to pasture. An adult goose can eat up to 1 kg of grass, but since the bird moves a lot, the meat is not so fatty. The finished food should not be too juicy or concentrated. Wheat, corn, and a small amount of sunflower cake work well.
There should always be clean water in the drinking bowl. The drinking bowl should be of sufficient length so that each goose can drink to its heart's content. The optimal length is 4 cm per bird. The drinking bowls are washed at least once every two days, and the water in the bathing trough is changed every day.
Bird breeding
Geese begin laying their first clutches in late February and early March. For earlier egg production, it is recommended to irradiate the chicken coop with ultraviolet light.Nest boxes must be clean. You cannot touch the nests or move them from place to place, or turn over the eggs.
If breeding occurs by incubation, eggs with live embryos must be carefully selected. To do this, it is recommended to use an ovoscope - the embryo should be in the center of the egg. The optimal size of an egg is 7-9 cm long, weighing up to 200 g. There is no need to wash dirty eggs before placing them in the incubator - water will disrupt the air exchange of the fetus.
It is allowed to store eggs before they are placed in the incubator for a period of no more than 8 days. In this case, the eggs should lie on their side. The optimal humidity of the incubator is 70-80%, and the temperature is not higher than 38 degrees.
Frequent illnesses
Toulouse geese are sensitive to the most common goose pathologies - viral enteritis, salmonellosis, colibacillosis, pasteurellosis. All these are bacterial and viral infections that enter the poultry house along with new geese that have not served the required quarantine, poor-quality feed and water.
Sick birds are immediately visible - they are lethargic, with disheveled plumage, refuse food and feed, and often lie motionless. The body temperature is elevated, and brown or yellow mucus is released from the nose and eyes.
As a rule, pathologies arise due to violations of housing and feeding conditions. Therefore, a simple way to prevent the disease is to carefully observe all sanitary and hygienic standards and adjust the diet in accordance with the time of year. Birds that have recovered from the disease should not be allowed for breeding, because the virus circulates in the blood for the rest of its life, and they can infect the goslings, which will quickly die. Therefore, after an outbreak of infection, almost the entire poultry house will have to be used for meat.
