Toulouse

The Toulouse goose is a French heavy goose named for Toulouse and the surrounding area of southwestern France. It began as a gray farm goose selected for size, fattening ability, and a calm manner, then developed in different directions as it spread through Europe and North America. Utility Toulouse are broad, useful table birds, while exhibition dewlap Toulouse are much larger, with a loose throat dewlap, deep keel, and paired abdominal lobes. The classic color is soft gray with a pale belly, orange bill, and orange legs; buff and white varieties are also encountered in some standards and flocks.

For smallholders, Toulouse geese are pasture grazers that can produce large carcasses and steady breeding stock, but their bulk changes the way they are managed. Heavy birds do best with firm footing, dry bedding, ramps or low-sided pools, and room to walk so they do not become overfat. Fertility may drop in very heavy or poorly conditioned lines, so breeding geese are often kept on moderate feed rather than pushed like market birds. Buyers should know whether they want the practical farm type or the massive dewlap exhibition type, because the space, feed use, and show expectations are quite different.