Toulouse geese: breed description and characteristics, breeding and care

Toulouse geese breeding is a lucrative business, and a rare farmer does not want to diversify his income by selling delicious meat and large eggs. This is the 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 perfectly acclimatize in the conditions of the Russian winter.

History

As the name implies, the first time the breed was registered in Toulouse, a small town in the south of France. From there, prolific geese quickly spread throughout the country, and then across Europe.Toulouses were bred with wild gray geese, the crossing of which with poultry began in the 18th century. By mid-century, farmers first registered a new breed of massive meat birds.

Description and characteristics of Toulouse geese

Geese are large and fleshy. 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, slightly lighter on the chest and belly. The belly may be white. Young birds are dark brown, turning gray with age. A distinctive feature of the breed is a "purse" under the beak and a double fat fold on the abdomen.

There is a variety of "bagless" Toulouse geese - they are smaller, but more prolific.

Pros and cons of the breed

The main advantage is an 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. The down is soft and suitable for use as a filler. However, if you raise a bird specifically for fluff, egg production and weight gain suffer.

But Toulouse geese have their drawbacks. Chief among them is immobility. It is difficult for birds to move because of the massive body, so the meat is quite fatty. Geese have a reduced function of sexual instinct and fertilization, so geese are often very reluctant to incubate eggs. The breed is demanding on feeding and keeping conditions.

Maintenance and care requirements

The main requirement for keeping Toulouse geese is the absence of drafts in the room. Because of the draft, young animals can easily get sick, and it is not always economically profitable to treat them. The optimum temperature in winter is 12-15 degrees Celsius. The litter should be dry and clean - sawdust, peat, sand.Before pouring a fresh portion, you need to pour a small amount of slaked lime. The average consumption of slaked lime per square meter is 1 kg.

The house is cleaned at least once a day. Keep an eye on the humidity in the room - too high a moisture content has a detrimental effect on ducklings, leading to diseases. It is impossible to allow the accumulation of a large number of heads in a limited area. It is better to place the house as close to the water as possible or to dig a small pond especially for the geese.

What to feed

You need to feed goslings immediately after birth. The first five days, giving 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. Good for wheat, corn, a small amount of sunflower meal.

The quantity and taste of meat will depend on the quality of the feed. To increase the immunity of birds, it is recommended to add vitamins and minerals to the feed, for example, egg shells.

There should always be clean water in the drinking bowl. The drinker should be long enough so that each goose can get enough to drink. The optimal length is 4 cm per bird. Drinkers are washed at least once every two days, and the water in the bathing trough is changed every day.

Bird Breeding

The first clutches of geese begin to be made in late February-early March. For earlier egg production, it is recommended to irradiate the chicken coop with ultraviolet light. Nest boxes must be clean. You can not touch the nests or shift them from place to place, turn 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 the egg is 7-9 cm long, weighing up to 200 g. Dirty eggs do not need to be washed before laying in the incubator - water will disrupt the air exchange of the fetus.

It is allowed to store eggs before they are laid in the incubator for a period of not 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 diseases

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 house along with new geese that have not completed their quarantine period, poor-quality feed and water.

Sick birds can be seen immediately - they are lethargic, with disheveled plumage, refuse to eat and feed, often lie motionless. The body temperature is elevated, and brown or yellow mucus is discharged from the nose and eyes.

As a rule, pathologies occur due to violations of the conditions of detention and feeding. Therefore, a simple way to prevent the disease is to carefully observe all sanitary and hygienic standards and regulate the diet in accordance with the season. Birds that have recovered from illness should not be allowed to breed, because the virus circulates in the blood for the rest of their lives, and they can infect goslings, which will quickly die. Therefore, after an outbreak of infection, almost the entire poultry house will have to be used for meat.

Recommended