If you’ve noticed gaggles of goslings hanging around each spring, it’s probably because a pair of mating geese are nesting on your property. Geese return to the same location year after year to build their nests – unless the process is interrupted by hazing dogs. If you’ve noticed a goose on a nest in the spring, usually in April, they are either currently laying eggs or recently did so.
Canada geese reproduce somewhat prolifically; each mating pair can produce 6-12 offspring annually. Goose parents often stick together and raise huge groups of goslings. We’ve seen as many as 50 goslings with only four sets of parents. Sadly, the large number of offspring is often offset by predators, car accidents, and disease, which take a portion of each year’s goslings. However, we rarely see the goose parents on our clients’ properties lose any goslings. They’ve chosen a favorable location for their nest, often near water, and their goslings are relatively safe. This is good news for geese, but bad news for the humans who would prefer to keep them away.
At Driven Wild Goose Control, we never harass nesting geese or geese with goslings. The goslings are unable to fly for several months as they are not born with flight feathers. Not only would the harassment process be terrifying and cruel to the birds, it would also be ineffective. Once babies have hatched, there isn’t much that can be done until late summer. So, how do we prevent geese and goslings from inundating your property with droppings, loose feathers, and torn up grass? The humane and effective solution is Canada goose egg addling.
Athletic Fields
Driven Wild can help you even the score against Canada Geese.
Corporate Campuses
Let us handle the geese so you can focus on what really matters.
Housing Complexes
We know Canada Geese are a nuisance to housing complexes.
City Parks
Our highly trained dogs will help keep your park safe and clean.
Springtime Goose Egg Addling in Minnesota
Egg addling is the process of testing eggs for viability and treating non-viable eggs to ensure they do not begin to develop. The eggs are then left in the nest, and the female goose may continue to incubate them. This is the preferred method because it does not trigger the goose to lay more eggs, which often happens when the eggs are removed and destroyed.
We follow a strict Canada goose egg addling protocol to ensure we handle the animals humanely. Goose eggs need time before they begin to grow a viable embryo, sort of like how chickens lay eggs even when they are not fertilized. If a gosling is already growing in the egg, we do not interrupt that process. However, we can stop the eggs from becoming goslings by addling soon after they are laid.
The process of goose egg addling is heavily regulated due to the Canada goose’s protected status in the United States. Outside of hunting season, it is illegal to harm geese, their eggs, or their nests in the United States without permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Driven Wild Goose Control registers with Fish and Wildlife annual and reports the eggs addled at each location we visit. We handle all the nest management paperwork on behalf of our clients to ensure everything is done legally.
Goose Nest Removal
Once the geese have abandoned their non-viable eggs, they can be humanely harassed away from their nest. The eggs must then be disposed of and the nest removed. Nest removal is included in our egg addling services, so your employees or landscape company will not be forced to deal with the feathers and other debris.
We recommend starting a harassment program as soon as nesting geese have left your property. This is a must to keep geese away all season. When you implement a comprehensive Canada goose mitigation program, you won’t have to worry about nesting geese in the coming years.
Click here to learn more about our approach to Canada goose harassment using our trained dogs.
Goose Hazing and Harassment in Minnesota?
We provide free consultations at your property and will draft a comprehensive quote for the entire season of goose control. Our dogs start as soon as geese start flying north to Minnesota in the spring, and they don’t stop until winter. This is the last goose control method you’ll ever need!
Contact us to schedule a free, no obligation consultation.
