Goose · breed notes
Toulouse Goose
The Toulouse is the big gray goose with the low, heavy body that almost brushes the ground. Below is what two early books on ducks and geese say about it, quoted line by line. The two books disagree on its weight and on how fast it grows.
Where it comes from
The name is a place. Howard says the breed is named for the French city of Toulouse, where it was bred in large numbers, and that American farmers were keeping it in large numbers too by 1897. He also passes on a nickname, the Christmas goose, and explains it: the Toulouse is later to mature than other geese, so it reaches its best size just around the holidays.
Gray Toulouse geese (fig. 29) are named for the city in France of that name, where they are extensively bred.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThey are termed a Christmas goose, as being later in maturing than the others they are just about right at the holiday time.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
More from the books (1)
In this country they are bred in large numbers by farmers
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
By 1922 Lamon and Slocum rate it the most popular goose in the country, with the Embden close behind, and they give two reasons: its large size and its quick growth. They count it among the four breeds commonly kept on farms, as opposed to the Wild or Canadian and the Egyptian, which they describe as mostly ornamental.
Toulouse is undoubtedly the most popular in this country probably due to its large size as well as to its quick growth.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (2)
The Embden follows the Toulouse closely in popularity.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and GeeseThe first four of these breeds are the ones which are commonly kept in domestication.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
How to recognise one
Look at the outline first. Both books describe a goose built low and deep. Howard calls it more compact than other geese and says a bird in good condition has a belly that almost touches the ground. Lamon and Slocum go further: the body should be so full behind that it tends to drag as the bird walks, with folds of skin at the rear. Howard adds a large, short head, a short bill that is stout at the base, and a neck of medium length carried well up.
in birds in good condition the belly almost touches the ground.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe body should come well down in front and should be so deep and full behind that it tends to drag on the ground when the bird walks.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (3)
The skin of the rear portion of the body should have folds.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and GeeseToulouse geese are more compact in shape than other geese, and are preferred by many for this reason.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe head is rather large and short, and they have a comparatively short bill that is stout at the base; the neck is carried well up and is of medium length.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
The colour is gray all over, darker on the head, neck and back and lighter on the breast, fading to white on the belly and around the tail. Howard stresses that the gray is plain, with no penciling on the feathers. He gives dark brown or hazel eyes and a deep reddish orange for the bill, shanks and feet. Lamon and Slocum say the breed comes true to colour, with one occasional slip: one to three white flight feathers in the wing, which disqualify a show bird.
In color of plumage they are a dull gray, without penciling.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThe principal difficulty which is encountered is the occasional appearance of one, two or three white flight feathers in the wing.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (3)
The body plumage is light gray, which grows lighter and becomes white on the belly
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementTheir eyes are dark brown or hazel in color; their bills, shanks, toes, and webs are of deep reddish-orange color.
Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and ManagementThese white flights constitute a disqualification and must of course be avoided in the breeding.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
The 1922 book adds a feature the 1897 description of the Toulouse does not mention: the dewlap, a loose fold of skin hanging under the throat. The standard wants one, but Lamon and Slocum say few birds show a well developed dewlap and that it tends to come with age, so a young Toulouse without one is not unusual.
A dewlap, that is to say, a pendulous flap of skin on the throat, is desired but comparatively few birds show a well developed dewlap.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (1)
It is more likely to appear with age than it is in the younger birds.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
Temperament and habits
Of the standard geese, the Toulouse is the one least likely to hatch its own eggs. Lamon and Slocum class every other breed as broody and make the Toulouse the exception. Some individual geese will still sit, they say, but as a rule they cannot be relied on. Elsewhere in the same book they put the Toulouse and the Chinese together as the least broody breeds, sometimes called non-broody.
All of the breeds of geese with the exception of the Toulouse may be classed as broody breeds
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
More from the books (2)
Not infrequently individuals of the Toulouse breed will do this also but as a rule they are not dependable for this purpose.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and GeeseToulouse and Chinese are perhaps the least broody of the breeds and are sometimes termed non-broody.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
It takes a long time to finish growing. Lamon and Slocum say heavy breeds such as the Toulouse do not reach their full growth until about a year and a half old, and keep filling out after that. That sits alongside Howard's remark that the breed matures later than other geese; how the two books differ on its growth is set out below.
As a rule the heavier breeds such as the Toulouse do not get their full growth until they are about 18 months old.
Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
The two books side by side
| Point | Howard, 1897 | Lamon & Slocum, 1922 |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Compact; belly almost touches the ground“the belly almost touches the ground” (Howard, 1897) | Low, deep, massive; tends to drag“it tends to drag on the ground when the bird walks” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Dewlap | Not described in this book | Desired; comes with age“A dewlap, that is to say, a pendulous flap of skin on the throat, is desired” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Plumage | Dull gray, no penciling“they are a dull gray, without penciling” (Howard, 1897) | Breeds true to colour“In color the Toulouse breeds quite true.” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| White in the wing | Not described in this book | White flight feathers disqualify“These white flights constitute a disqualification” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922) |
| Eyes | Dark brown or hazel“Their eyes are dark brown or hazel in color” (Howard, 1897) | Not described in this book |
| Bill, shanks, feet | Deep reddish orange“their bills, shanks, toes, and webs are of deep reddish-orange color” (Howard, 1897) | Not described in this book |
Old standard weights
| Book | Adult gander | Adult goose | Young gander | Young goose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard, 1897 | 20 lb | 20 lb | 18 lb | 15 lb |
| Lamon & Slocum, 1922 | 26 lb | 20 lb | 20 lb | 16 lb |
The books agree on the adult goose at 20 pounds. The 1922 adult gander is 6 pounds heavier, and Howard gives gander and goose the same adult weight. Both are historical show standards from their own year, not the current American Poultry Association standard.
As printed in Howard, 1897: The standard weight of the adult gander is 20 pounds; adult goose, 20 pounds; young gander, 18 pounds, and young goose, 15 pounds.
As printed in Lamon & Slocum, 1922: Toulouse 26 lbs. 20 lbs. 20 lbs. 16 lbs.
Where the two books disagree
Howard describes the Toulouse as later to mature than other geese; Lamon and Slocum credit its popularity partly to quick growth. Neither book comments on the other's view.
as being later in maturing than the others they are just about right at the holiday timeHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
Birds of this breed are of large size and make quick growthLamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
Questions readers ask
Why is it called the Toulouse goose?
Howard says it is named for the city of Toulouse in France, where it was bred extensively. When or how it first reached America, the books do not say.
Why was it called a Christmas goose?
Howard explains that the Toulouse matures later than other geese and so is just about right at the holiday season. Lamon and Slocum do not use the name.
Will a Toulouse goose sit on her eggs?
Sometimes, but not reliably. Lamon and Slocum call it the one standard goose that is not a broody breed, while noting that individual geese do sit. Howard says only that almost all breeds of geese are good sitters, without singling out the Toulouse.
What is the loose skin under the throat?
Lamon and Slocum call it a dewlap: a pendulous flap of skin on the throat. The standard wants it, few birds show a well developed one, and it is more likely in older birds. Howard's description of the Toulouse does not mention one.
How many standard breeds of geese were there?
Howard lists seven, counting the Brown and White Chinese separately. Lamon and Slocum list six, treating the Chinese as one breed with two varieties. The birds named are the same.
The books quoted here
- Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management, George E. Howard (1897; USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 64). Full text and catalogue entry.
- Ducks and Geese, Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum (1922; Orange Judd Publishing Company, New York). Full text and catalogue entry.