Dewlap Toulouse Geese

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Does anyone have any experience with these big geese? I'm somewhat interested in getting a couple and have some questions:

If I get them as young goslings, will they learn to get along with ducks (rouen)? What is their temperament (calm, excitable, noisy, etc,)? Is game and turkey feed (fed to my ducks)a suitable diet, along with forage in the warmer months? Will they overpower or harm my ducks when they reach full size? Some geese are good "watchdogs" and will chase off certain predators. Can I expect that with dewlap toulouse geese? Are they expensive lawn ornaments, or do they have some value around a mini homestead? My ducks free range, but because I live on a road with fast moving traffic, and don't want them visiting my neighbors, a two foot high chicken wire fence through the woods, etc. generally keeps them contained to my property. Is this sufficient for such geese?

Thanks for any help!

-- blue tick (coonhound@mindspring.com), May 22, 2000

Answers

My Toulouse geese get along fine with the other birds we have (chickens, ducks). We got them as youngsters (friends rescued them from a pet store where they were going to be sold as python food.) There is a current thread about Guineas, chickens, ducks, etc. that I think John Leake has going on this forum. I believe there's some geese information in that as well as in the archives. I think there's a topic for geese. If you haven't checked it out, you might want to...

Anyway, I have two females, and they are great at alerting me to anything going on in the barnyard and they hang out all day with the sheep (plus sleep with them.) They have gone broody during the last two years, and would hatch out goslings if I had fertile eggs for them. They do not beat up any animals, although they will peck at or hiss at lambs until they wise up around them. I have four foot Gallagher New Zealand hot wire fence on the perimeter and four foot field fence as cross fencing. The geese usually respect all the fences (they stay put as they get tons to eat) but I have seen them fly about 6 feet off the ground when they get a notion to go somewhere. If I start out to the pasture with a feed pan, and the sheep start running to me, the geese will become airborn to keep up with the sheep. Don't want to miss a meal! I could clip flight feathers, but haven't found it necessary.

I think they are great, and I will see how they do as weeders this summer if I plant corn. Good luck to you!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), May 23, 2000.


Thanks Sheepish!

If all goes well, I'll pick up the geese in a couple of days. They are 3 weeks old, so should acclimate well with the ducks.

-- BLUE TICK (COONHOUND@MINDSPRING.COM), May 23, 2000.


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