Goose Nesting Season is Here: Act Now to Prevent Hatching
Minimizing the health and safety risks associated with Canada geese populations on your property is especially important during nesting season. Canada geese lay 5 to 7 eggs in one clutch and will defend them aggressively.
Managing problem goose populations at this time of year comes with layers of additional complications — and deadlines. Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and neither eggs nor active nests can be disturbed without registration and permits. In addition, it is illegal to destroy eggs in a nest at a point where eggs are close to hatching, so testing to tell whether eggs can be destroyed or managed may be required.
With limited time left to begin geese deterrent strategies like dog services and laser geese deterrents to encourage geese to find alternative nesting areas, egg addling is an effective way to manage geese who have already settled in and are sitting on a clutch of eggs.
Canada Goose Egg Addling: Safe, Humane and Effective
These geese will not be easily discouraged into leaving their nests. Egg addling works to ensure not only that the eggs will not hatch, but also that the goose will return to sit on the non-viable eggs rather than abandoning the nest and starting over.
It works by removing the eggs from the nest, coating them in oil, or sometimes shaking them, and then carefully replacing them. The oil prevents oxygen from entering through the shell which stops the embryo from developing, but is undetectable by the goose, who will resume sitting on the eggs throughout the standard incubation period of approximately 28 days, instead of populating another nest.
While it’s a routine process for an experienced wildlife professional, goose egg and nest management is not a job for amateurs. In addition to the consequences of running afoul of the many regulatory requirements, geese are strong birds, capable of inflicting serious injury when they are protecting a nest.
Egg addling, of course, requires a bit of disturbance to get the goose off the nest long enough to collect the eggs.
Professional Goose Management for a Worry-Free Nesting Season
At Rusty’s Animal Control, we have an experienced team of technicians with deep knowledge of regulatory requirements and goose behaviors and an array of safe, humane and effective strategies. Our egg addling services includes all registration, permitting and reporting requirements along with multiple site visits to ensure all nests are located and addled eggs are removed at the end of the season.
We make it easy for residential and commercial property managers to enjoy a worry-free nesting season. Reach out to a member of our team to learn more or to schedule services for egg and nest management.