The Geese

In South-West France there used to be many different local varieties of grey geese ('Toulouse' geese, 'Gimond' geese, 'Masseube' geese, 'Landes' geese, etc). The breeding of modern types for the production of 'foie gras' made them either all disappear or become interbred. Today, the only distinct type is the enormous 'Toulouse à Bavette' ('Bib of Toulouse') goose, of which the male can weigh as much as 15 Kilos.

The 'Ferme Conservatoire' also breeds the 'Poitou' geese, whose erstwhile fate was to be used for the production of feathers and duvets.