Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
How about I introduce you to some of the nursery rhyme characters here at the farm. How we
doing over there, kids? Come on, kids, have a little water. You know, when people come
to the farm and visit, they always comment on these big French geese. What I love about
this particular breed, which is called a Giant Dewlap Toulouse geese, is they look like Mother
Goose characters -- something you'd see in a nursery rhyme. It's because of their scale,
their big, round, oval bodies. These birds will weigh up to, maximum, 30 pounds, which
is still big for a goose. They're one of the largest breeds. They stay together. You can
see, they love hanging as a flock. So if you have some geese, you wanna make sure that
you have more than one, more than two -- actually, more than three. So you end up with what's
called a gaggle of geese. And this is a gaggle. These geese have been in the news lately.
There's been a lot of flapping around about foie gras. And what we have here are the breed
of geese that is really selected for the production of those lovely goose livers. You see, this
breed will put on weight in a hurry. And this is the breed that are often force-fed -- that's
the controversy, whether these animals should be force-fed and then slaughtered to actually
expand and amplify in size. I strictly raise them because these birds are threatened. They're
not strictly endangered yet. But the ALBC, or the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy,
reckons that in America, there are probably only 250 of these birds remaining. You'll
find that these Dewlap Toulouse have a gentle disposition. They don't carry on and make
a lot racket like other breeds of geese. They are good watchdogs, and that's one of the
reasons farmers keep them. Because if someone strange shows up, then they'll begin to honk
and carry on. It was common to see geese on farms, years ago, because they were used for
many purposes. They were great watchdogs, they're good to turn loose in the garden to
eat grass -- they're voracious eaters of grass. Too bad it's gotten so dry this summer. We
only have patches of green for them to eat. That's why I have them up underneath this
tree, today. They were also used for their fat, for their flesh, and their feathers.
My grandmother used to pluck geese to stuff in pillows and mattresses. Hey, if you're
enjoying these Farm Raised segments, check in with us regularly and subscribe to eHow
Farm Raised. Okay, come on. Get some water -- it's hot. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.