Canada Goose Egg Addition

The migratory geese raised sticks and went right on schedule around the spring solstice on March 20. So now we are in the next stage of the year for Canada’s resident goose: nesting season.

Many frustrated property owners are calling for a strict reduction in the number of resident geese. Hence the new demand to add programs. GeesePeace calls this “population stabilization.” Others call it population control. Some even call it premature abortion or euthanasia. Whatever his thoughts on the subject, Canada goose egg handling has become a major weapon in the Canada goose control business.

What is egg addition? In simple terms, it is the practice of treating Canada goose eggs to prevent their further development. Pesky, speedy, old-fashioned wildlife control operatives (perhaps we could just call them practitioners of lethal means of pest control?) prefer the sleight of hand involved in poking eggs with a giant, daring needle to destroy the sacs in the inside. Many do this when the eggs were ugly.

GeesePeace and the Humane Society of the United States consider it inhumane. They prefer the gentler method of submerging Canada goose eggs they find in buckets of water like those medieval witch trials. If they sink, the eggs are coated with corn oil that prevents oxygen from entering and gases from escaping. Embryos do not form. The woman sits outside for the rest of the term. She understands that her brood is not going to produce; she leaves the nest.

On the other hand, if the eggs float, there is air in the sacs (meaning they have been incubated for 14 days or more, long enough for the embryos to be classified as viable); the eggs must be returned to the nest in order for them to hatch.

GEESE OUT! they don’t have a dog on this hunt, but if they tied us up and pulled our nails to give an opinion, we’d tell them to follow GeesePeace protocol. We might think that some of his ideas are messy and self-defeating, but we think they are absolutely right on this point. Many of our clients have seen a marked decrease in the number of geese on their properties where we have been following this protocol for several years. Some don’t even have geese.

For information on how adding eggs is done, we suggest you watch the new episode of “In the Dogged Chase of Geese: Adding Eggs” on our website.