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Toulouse geese are big, soft gray geese from southwestern France, raised for generations for their meat and fat. They’re heavy, calm grazers that make a rich holiday roast, and the dewlap type stands out in any flock, with its loose folds of skin and its deep keel.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Homestead
- What Are Toulouse Geese?
- Toulouse Goose Characteristics
- Toulouse Goose Breed Standard
- Temperament
- Hardiness
- Egg Production
- Raising Toulouse Geese for Meat
- Broodiness
- Grazing and Foraging
- Pros and Cons of Toulouse Geese
- Tips for Raising Toulouse Geese
- Toulouse Geese FAQs
- More Goose Breed Guides
- Raising Geese
There are two types of Toulouse. Production Toulouse are the gray farm geese most hatcheries sell, and dewlap Toulouse are the heavy show type, with a deep keel and a fold of skin under the bill.
The Livestock Conservancy says most gray geese on farms and homesteads are production Toulouse or crosses. Both types are known as calm birds, and the dewlap type isn’t as vocal as some breeds.
The Embden is the other classic big meat goose, an all-white bird. For a medium-size goose with soft buff feathers, look at the American Buff, and for a heavy goose with a knob and a loud voice, the African.
If you’re new to geese, start with my beginner’s guide to raising geese, or compare the whole list of goose breeds. For a lighter goose, there’s the Chinese, the top egg layer, the small Tufted Roman, and the curly-feathered Sebastopol.
Notes from My Homestead
I’ll admit I’m a bit taken with the extra boaty dewlap Toulouse, which are heavier and seem to have jowls and rolls everywhere. They’re hard to find, though, and we ended up with mostly production Toulouse, which look like normal geese without the extra rolls of skin and padding.
One year we had an aggressive Toulouse gander, and he attacked our Embden females. We work to keep a gentle, kid-friendly flock, so he didn’t stay long.
What Are Toulouse Geese?
Toulouse geese come from the Haute Garonne region of southwestern France, centered on the city of Toulouse. The Livestock Conservancy says the breed has been around since the 1400s.
The heavy dewlap type was developed for exhibition in England in the 1850s, according to Metzer Farms. Toulouse came to the United States between the 1850s and the mid-1900s, and the Gray Toulouse joined the American Standard of Perfection in 1874.
In France, specially bred strains are still raised for foie gras. On a homestead, though, most people raise the production type for the table.
Toulouse Goose Characteristics
Toulouse are big, heavy geese, but how big depends on the type. Production Toulouse run about 14 to 20 pounds, while dewlap ganders reach 26 pounds and sometimes 30 or more.
They’re soft gray birds with an orange bill, orange feet, and brown eyes. There’s also a Buff Toulouse, added to the Standard in 1977, and a rare white form.
- Breed type: Meat goose
- Weight: Production type about 14 to 20 pounds, and dewlap ganders 20 to 26 pounds
- Types: Production and dewlap
- Noise: Not as vocal as some breeds, but loud when they do honk
For eggs and goslings, this is what to expect.
- Eggs: 20 to 40 extra-large white eggs a year, depending on the type
- Broodiness: Production geese are often good mothers, and dewlap geese only fair
- Climate: Cold-hardy, but they need shade and water in summer heat
- Conservation status: Watch for the dewlap type, according to The Livestock Conservancy
Toulouse Goose Breed Standard
The dewlap Toulouse has a heavy, folded dewlap hanging from the lower bill and upper neck. It also has a long, deep keel along the breast and a low paunch under the belly, so the body sits close to the ground.
Production Toulouse are smaller and leaner, with no true dewlap, though the sides of the neck are deeply furrowed. Some hatchery birds sold as Toulouse have the right color but not the dewlap or keel of the show type.
Breeders of production birds avoid an extra-deep keel, too. The Livestock Conservancy says an excessive keel can get in the way of breeding.
Temperament
Toulouse are calm, gentle geese, and The Livestock Conservancy says dewlap Toulouse can make good pets. They don’t do well in a flock with aggressive breeds, which can upset them.
Ganders are another story in spring. They get protective of a sitting goose or goslings, and an individual gander can be aggressive whatever the breed, as ours was.
If you want a calm flock, start with goslings and handle them every day, and give a nesting pair some room in spring. Spring behavior is one of the things to know before getting geese.
Hardiness
Toulouse handle cold well, with thick down and plenty of fat. Oklahoma State’s breed guide says they’re popular with breeders for their ability to stand up to cold winters.
Their weak spot is rain. Their soft feathers don’t dry out as quickly as other geese, so give them a dry shelter in a long stretch of wet weather.
Egg Production
Toulouse are moderate layers. Production geese lay about 25 to 40 extra-large white eggs a year, and dewlap geese about 20 to 35, according to The Livestock Conservancy.
Metzer Farms measures Toulouse eggs at about 9 1/2 inches around the long way. Here’s more on how goose eggs differ from chicken eggs, plus a long list of goose egg recipes.
Raising Toulouse Geese for Meat
Meat and fat are what Toulouse were bred for. Production birds grow quickly to about 14 to 18 pounds, according to Cackle Hatchery, and they put on a lot of fat.
The Livestock Conservancy gives a market weight of 16 to 20 pounds. Breeders also cross an Embden gander with a Toulouse goose for a common commercial meat goose.
Goose meat is dark and rich, and to me it tastes more like beef than chicken. When you’re ready to cook one, here’s how to roast a goose, and leftover goose recipes for the days after.
A Toulouse gives you a lot of fat, too. Rendering goose fat is worth the time, and you can can goose meat if you have more than the freezer can hold.
Broodiness
Production Toulouse often raise their own goslings, and Metzer Farms ranks them among the top breeds for hatching and raising their young. Dewlap geese are less reliable, and The Livestock Conservancy suggests a broody surrogate or an incubator to improve the hatch.
Give a broody goose a big, quiet nest on the floor of her shelter. Geese don’t roost, and they can’t reach a raised chicken nest box.
If you’d rather use an incubator, goose eggs need more moisture than chicken eggs, and the routine is different from hatching chicken eggs. Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry covers geese along with chickens, ducks, and turkeys.
Grazing and Foraging
Sources disagree on how well Toulouse forage. Metzer Farms rates its production Toulouse good weeders, but University of Kentucky Extension says Toulouse aren’t good foragers, and The Livestock Conservancy calls the dewlap type home bodies that don’t wander far from their food.
In the growing season, grass and weeds cover much of their diet, and we also start trays of microgreens for our geese every week. They’re heavy birds, though, so keep them out of new garden beds where they’d trample seedlings.
Pros and Cons of Toulouse Geese
Toulouse are a good pick if you want a big roasting goose and a calm grazer. They’re less of a fit in a hot climate or a small yard.
Pros:
- Big, meaty birds with plenty of fat
- Calm and gentle, and not as vocal as some breeds
- Cold-hardy, with thick down
- Production geese often raise their own goslings
Cons:
- Soft feathers dry slowly in long, wet spells
- Dewlap types are hard to find and slow on pasture
- Heavy birds that take some strength to handle
- Ganders can get aggressive in breeding season
Tips for Raising Toulouse Geese
Know which type you’re buying. Most hatcheries sell production Toulouse. If you want the heavy dewlap type, look for a breeder who raises exhibition birds.
Give them shade in summer. The Livestock Conservancy says Toulouse need water and shade to cool off in hot weather. A kiddie pool in the shade does the job.
Watch the gander in spring. A big, protective gander can get rough with gentler geese in a mixed flock. Separate or rehome any gander that turns on the rest of the flock.
Toulouse Geese FAQs
These are the questions that come up most about Toulouse geese, from their size to the difference between the two types.
Production Toulouse usually weigh about 14 to 20 pounds. Dewlap Toulouse are heavier, with ganders at 20 to 26 pounds and geese at 16 to 20, and a few reach 30 pounds or more.
Dewlap Toulouse are the heavy exhibition type, with a folded dewlap under the bill and a deep keel. Production Toulouse are smaller and leaner, with no true dewlap, and they’re the type most hatcheries sell.
Usually, yes. Toulouse are calm, gentle geese, and The Livestock Conservancy says dewlap Toulouse can make good pets. Like any breed, though, a gander can turn aggressive in spring.
Most lay 20 to 40 extra-large white eggs a year. Production Toulouse tend to lay a few more than the dewlap type.
Yes. They’re a classic meat goose, raised for generations in France for their meat and fat. Here’s how to roast a goose when you’re ready to cook one.
More Goose Breed Guides
A few more breeds to consider for your flock.
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Raising Geese
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Thank you! I very much enjoyed reading your post.
Thank you for this article on geese! I have several geese that are over 1yr. will they be okay to butcher? And I am proficient at butchering chickens and turkey, how different are geese?
Geese are exactly the same for processing, the main difference is plucking. Personally, I’ve found dry plucking by hand to be most effective for waterfowl, and I haven’t had success scalding them. Their feathers are waterproof, so it’s tricky to get a good scald to get the feathers to release. It takes me about 1/2 hour to pluck a goose by hand, the down comes out easily from the chest, but you’ll need a good pair of pliers for the wing feathers. Best of luck!