Toulouse Geese, sometimes called "Big Gray Geese", are very popular. The Toulouse that are sold by Ideal and most other hatcheries are not Standard Toulouse. They do not have a dewlap, are not as large and their body carriage is not as close to the ground. To purchase the more expensive Standard Toulouse, buyers need to locate exhibition breeders through the American Poultry Association. Toulouse goslings have a "U" at the top of the bill while Africans and Chinese have an arch. Standard Weights: Young Gander - 20 lbs., Young Goose - 16 lbs.

White Chinese Geese are pure white, have a yellow bill, knob on their head and an upright carriage. They are known as "weeder geese" primarily because they are highly efficient foragers and can maintain normal growth on a minimum amount of commercial feed. They are classified as Light Weight Geese with adult males weighing about 12 or 13 pounds and females 9 to 10 pounds. Goslings, which are solid bright yellow, are only available from February through June.

Embden Geese, which are the most popular of all breeds of geese, are used primarily for commercial production of meat. They are pure white and have massive bodies with mature females weighing 13 pounds or more and males weighing 20 pounds or more. They have a unique characteristic of ruffled neck feathers. When geese are present on the farm they are a deterrent to snakes. Embden Goslings have smutty yellow down and are available only from February through June.

Brown African Geese are large, have a knob on the head and the same unique gray color pattern of the Brown Chinese. For many years, because of the similarity of color patterns, Brown Africans and Brown Chinese have been sold as the same breed. The Toulouse paragraph has information for separating Toulouse goslings from African goslings. The Africans that Ideal sell do not have dewlaps and are only available from February through June. Standard Weights are as follows: Young Gander - 16 lbs., Young Goose - 14 lbs.

Brown Chinese Geese are an elegant, attractive, ornamental, gray variety that has become very popular for the farm goose flock. They are highly efficient foragers and maintain normal growth on a minimum amount of commercial feed. Many times they have been confused with African Geese, which are larger, and have a body carriage that is not as upright. The Toulouse paragraph has information for separating Toulouse goslings from African and Chinese goslings. Goslings are available from February through June. Standard weights are as follows: Young Gander - 10 lbs., Young Goose - 8 lbs.