Lambs aren't the only ones smashing records recently, geese are too.
Peel Ridge Stud, Camden has sold a pair of Grey Toulouse for $4250, a new Australian record at the Canberra Royal National Poultry Show.
Peel Ridge Stud is no stranger to breaking records, a pair of their Toulouse geese held the previous record after selling for $3400 at the National Poultry Show in 2016 and a pair of their Camden White Toulouse, a breed created by Peel Ridge Stud, held the record of $3300 before that.
However, Michael Peel of Peel Ridge Stud said this record was a surprise.
"It came out of the blue, a young man came up to me at Canberra and said he wanted to buy a pair so we negotiated, got permission from the show and we sold for the new record price," Mr Peel said.
The young man, was Thomas Spencer, 17, from Bullsbrook, Western Australia.
Mr Spencer is still at school but has been involved with poultry since he was seven-years-old.
"I was given some chickens and took them to a show, after that I caught what they call the "chicken bug," Mr Spencer said.
The chicken bug has expanded into the turkey, guinea fowl and now geese bug as well.
"I've never kept geese so this is going to be a new venture," Mr Spencer said.
He said, along with his silent business partner, they had looked to the Eastern states to obtain a pair of Toulouse geese as there are no exhibition Toulouse in Western Australia.
"I've known of Michael Peel for a while, he's got these renowned bloodlines and some of the best Toulouse in Australia so we thought that's the place to go to get a good start," Mr Spencer said.
"We knew we had to get a really nice pair and when we saw these ones at Canberra and we couldn't resist."
Mr Peel said the pair included a three-year-old gander that was named overall champion geese or gander at the Canberra Royal.
While, Mr Spencer said the pair stood out to him for their correct Toulouse features.
"They've got really strong heads, they're really large, long and well shaped," he said.
Michael Peel has spent years building up the Toulouse breed in Australia.
"An Australian breeder originally imported some of the best stock from overseas but the last importation was around about 1942, so Australia has good genetics here but they've been run down and crossed out with farmyard geese," Mr Peel said.
"I really set myself a mission to rebuild the breed in Australia and get them back up to standard and now we're regarded as having some of the best Toulouse around the world and I am often approached to export overseas."
Mr Spencer said once he's established as a geese breeder he would like to help Peel Ridge Stud continue the Toulouse breed.
But first his record-breaking geese must get to Western Australia, a process that is not cheap or logistically easy.
"They actually have to fly, not with their wings because they're extremely large and they'll never make it," Mr Spencer joked.
The geese are set to be boarded on the five to six hour flight from Sydney to Perth in the coming weeks.
"Someone will be on their normal flight without even knowing that's there $4250 geese down below," Mr Spencer said.
