Toulouse Goose - Two New Family Members

About three weeks ago, we added two new members to our family - two Toulouse Geese.  Jean and I have always wanted to have Geese, and are frankly more than a bit surprised that we actually got some.  We've been enjoying their company, and the kids have already named them - Lucy and Ethel.  They are still goslings, although they are growing quite quickly, and have been much happier since we put them in their outside pen.

The Toulouse Goose is actually one of the larger goose breeds reaching 18 to 20 pounds for standard Toulouse, and up to 20 to 26 pounds for the Show Toulouse.  They originated in France near the city of Toulouse, and were originally bred for pate de Fois Gras.  They will have white eggs, but luckily only average about 35 per season (Phew! we have eggs coming out of our ears right now from our chickens -- 18 to 20 every day!).

Geese imprint the easiest of any waterfowl.  We've already experienced this as Lucy and Ethel follow Jean and Benjamin around the yard all day long while the kids are in school and I'm at work.  As they grow, they will truly believe they are part of our family!  This has caused us to build a permanent (and separate!) pen for the Geese, as they can't be held with other birds.

We have been questioned by some as to why on earth we got geese.  "Don't you know they bite you??" is a common question.  But Toulouse Geese (in addition to being beautifully colored) have a very placid disposition and are quite docile.  I've read that they are relatively quiet, calm and slow-moving birds.  Luckily, they are also quite tolerant of cold, which is handy in our neck of the woods!

We are also hoping that they will serve as "Watch-Geese" for our other chickens (and two turkeys) that roam free during the day.  The Toulouse are not wanderers beyond what they consider their "home" so, we shouldn't need to worry about having to wonder where they went, but they will serve as a good alarm to approaching coyote or other predators.

You can read more about on WikiPedia's entry on Toulouse Geese.