Toulouse vs American Buff?

[lecobb]

I think we've pretty much narrowed it down to these two geese, and are having a hard time deciding between them.

These will be our first geese (or fowl for that matter, chickens to come later). We plan on having a pair or trio. They will have an enclosure, but be allowed to free range within the yard or pasture along with the horses (2) as well. We want something friendly and generally not too noisy. We're in NC, so we need something able to tolerate our extreme humidity in the summer. We like the idea of having the buffs, since they're listed as critical (though they seem common around here), but are also leaning toward the toulouse. I would love to have goslings in the future (though that's probably the last thing I need to be thinking about right now!

) so if one was more inclined to raise young well, that would be nice.

I've read a lot of information about both online, but neither is standing out stronger than the other right now. Any pros or cons to add?

This is probably going to seem like a dumb question, but one i've been pondering about chickens as well. Being in the horse world (dog, cat, etc) for so long, i'm so used to everything purebred being registered with their breed's association. It doesn't seem like this is the case with birds? How do you know what you are purchasing is what they say it is? Is it just a matter of phenotypically appearing to be x breed? Have I just missed poultry registrations in my research?

 

[Olive Hill]

I vote American Buff, but can admit to maybe being slightly biased. Maybe.

The Americans tend to be slightly smaller and are generally classified as a bit calmer/more docile, but the Toulouse is known for being rather calm as well and they tend to be a bit more prolific if that's of concern.

As far as the chickens go, yes, it's a phenotypic classification. If you cross a Rhode Island Red with a Silver Laced Wyandotte and it comes out looking like a leghorn, it's a leghorn. Now, obviously that particular example is exaggerated to make a point, but it's phenotypic through and through.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Nope registrations are rare in Poultry. Partly it is due to the egg vs live birth thing. With live birth you can be fairly sure of who the Mother was at least (though the father may be doubtfull.) If you buy from a Show breeder they are likely to have records of who was in the breeding pens while the egg was laid but even they sometimes get eggs confused. Another dirty secret is that bird breeders sometimes do a cross to strengthen a required feature of a line (like your American Buffs). Since show resultsare based on phenotype there is no reason not do so.

 

[Addicted2Quack]

I vote American Buff also..ours are very docile and we just love them.

 

[lecobb]

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

The non registration is such a bizarre concept to me, with my background. I never stopped to think about the egg vs. live birth, so that makes a lot more sense now. I know some horses that would be worth a lot more if they too could be sneakily make into x breed + y breed = z breed!

 

[Omniskies]

If you need quiet, docile geese then go with American Buffs. Toulouse can be fine, but they are much more chatty and bred more for production, with less emphasis on personality.

American Buffs were standardized by the same breeder who worked with Pilgrims: you are specifically supposed to look at personality as one of the important qualities when selecting who to keep. Because of that, they are very mild mannered and find fewer reasons to sound off the alarm than the average Toulouse.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Quote:
Those are buffs?? they are so large. I love them. I have been looking for a lg. goose, but coldn't afford the Giant Dewlap Toulouse at hundreds of dollars a piece...

 

[Omniskies]

They aren't as large as Dewlaps, but they are classified as a large goose. In the large goose category they are one of the smaller breeds, if that makes sense.

Be careful where you get your American Buffs from. Most of the inexpensive stock I have come across has a lot of grey and is on the smaller side. Large, heavy geese that are a nice shade of Buff will cost more, but are worth the price.

 

[StevenW.]

heres both of mine that r living at my dads aunts pond rite know...... im thinking about getting some more american geese???

 

[sydney13]

i vote american buff. i have a toulouse and she is the perfect goose being calm, quiet and well behaved. we ordered her at the end of the year and when buffs where sold out so toulouse was our second pick. In general toulouse and american buffs are really similar and both great breeds except for the buffs being critical so for that matter i would go with the buffs to help preserve them.