Mating

Adult Canada geese three years of age begin “pairing up” for nesting and mate for life and will only take on a new partner when a mate dies. The actual mating ritual takes place on water and for convience sake nesting typically occurs near water.

Nesting

Canada geese tyipcally return to the same nesting areas each year beginning in March and running into April in most regions. Both female and male defend the nest during nesting season. The female typically builds a nest out of twigs, grass, leaves and other vegetation. Once two or three eggs are laid she will line lined the nest with feather down from her chest. She will hide her nest from predators by lowering her onto the nest and stretches her neck out, blending in with the surroundings.

Eggs

The Canada goose laids an egg approximately every one and a half days and only incubated by the female. The eggs are creamy white in color and are approximately 3 times larger than a chicken egg. Clutch size varies from 1 to 10 eggs but generally consists of 4-6 eggs. The 25 to 30 day incubation process begins after the last egg is laid. This helps to ensure that all the eggs will hatch at approximately the same time. Once the eggs are laid, the embryos begin to grow rapidly, absorbing the white and most of the yolk. The temperature of the eggs must be kept relatively constant, around 90 degrees. The eggs are gently rotated, exposing them on all sides to the warmth of mother’s body. Rotating also prevents the membranes from sticking to the shells. The mother is quite devoted to her eggs. She will only leave the eggs for a very short period of time to eat or drink. She is notorious for knowing how to cover the eggs before leaving, using the resources she has around her such as her own feather down straight off her own chest. This camouflaging action will hopefully keep her eggs save from predators that may be nearby. The gosling egg is considered porous, allowing oxygen to be able to penetrate through the shell and then the goslings begin to make noise. The lime of the shell actually becomes absorbed into the bones of the goslings and the shell then becomes weaker and weaker. Baby birds are known to have a bump on their beaks called an “eye tooth” and this is used to peck its way out of the shell. This process can take about 1 day before being exposed to the world around it. The sex ratio for these birds is generally 1 to 1.   One method we use to control Canada Geese at this stage is Egg Addling.

Goslings

Once emerging from the egg, these light yellow newborn goslings with greenish-gray heads are wet and only weighs a mere 3 to 4 ounces. Unlike some newborn animals, these birds are able to eat, see and walk around immediately. They can even go for a swim in the water within 24 hours of hatching. They have down feathers that are very fluffy and will help the bird stay afloat in the water. But the mother is in overdrive mode protecting her babies from danger at this young age. She keeps them very close to her. She forms a very strong bond with her goslings at this point. But if the mother was absent during this stage, the gosling would form a bond with whomever would take care of him and nurture him.

Taking Flight

So when will these geese take flight for the first time? The smaller geese species can fledge between 40 and 46 days and the larger geese can fly at between 71 and 73 days old.

The Mixing of Broods

Brood mixing is prevalent amongst geese and began occurring because neither the parent or the gosling could recognize who they belonged to. They do not recognize one another.

It isn’t until the gosling is about 2 to 3 weeks old, that the parent could actually tell which babies belonged to her. At this point, the brood mixing stops and mom takes over. It has been a proven fact that brood mixing has been beneficial and has increased rate of survival in young geese.

Geese Relief works within all the Federal Fish and Wildlife Regulations in regards to egg depredation. Before attempting egg depredation we recommend that client utilize goose dogs (Border Collies) to control geese on their property as resident birds frequently return to their nesting areas year after year. However, if clients already have a nesting problem on their properties we recommend egg depredation.

If non-lethal tactics to remove geese have been used in the past, without success, Geese Relief works closely with clients in the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia to obtain the necessary authorization from the US Fish and Wildlife division to manage Canada goose nests and eggs on their property.

By law clients can effectively manage Canada Goose nests and eggs on their property between March 11 through August 31. There are 3 way we work with clients to manage egg depredation:

1. Addling (otherwise known as shaking) involves shaking the Canada goose eggs vigorously until the embryo is destroyed.

2. Puncturing or Piercing the egg is done by pushing a pin through the shell. This introduces bacteria into the egg and the pin can be rotated inside the egg to ensure that the embryo is destroyed.

3. Oiling eggs prevents gases from diffusing through an egg’s outer membranes and pores in the shell, thereby causing the embryo to die of asphyxiation. Typically, the eggs are taken out of the nest, covered with an oily substance by brushing, dunking, or spraying, and then replaced in the nest.

We always recommend that the eggs are depredated and replaced so that the female goose continues to sit on the eggs and does not re-nest. If eggs are simply removed, geese generally re-nest and produce another clutch. In the interest of humane treatment, it is recommended that the Canada Geese egg depredation methods above be performed as early in the nesting cycle as possible.

During this time is important to maintain diligent Canada geese control process to remove the breeding pairs prior to the nesting season. As soon as you see the first breeding pair arrive on your property is it extremely important to begin a harassment program to make the geese feel unsafe nesting on your property.

As clients have witnessed, if they don’t take these preventative measures upon seeing the few first breeding pairs arrive on their property they will inevitably see dozens of geese running about a few months later.  And with dozens of geese comes droppings and all the other problems resident geese present.

To help alleviate Canada geese problems on your property here are a couples tips you can employ immediately.

First, NEVER feed geese on your property.  If geese think your property is a free source of food they will continually return to forage.   Many people feed waterfowl as a fun activity to do with the family at the local parks, but it’s also a major cause of urban waterfowl problems.  Feeding geese and other waterfowl not only encourages geese to frequent an area on a regular basis but it can also lead to geese becoming aggressive toward one another and even toward people.  If you manage a public property put out signs to discourage feeding.

Additionally, and most importantly, begin an active harassment program as soon as possible. Goose control dogs are the most effective way to instill the fear of a predator on your property that will be necessary to make the geese seek a safer location.  We offer clients a regular visit from our professionally trained Border Collies to help effectively and humanely manage your geese problems.

For more information and a free consultation please call us at 1-203-847-4939

FROM:   Geese Relief, LLC, PMB 213 – 15 East Putman Ave  Greenwich, CT  06830  USA (www.geeserelief.com)

CONTACT:   Chris Santopietro, Owner, 203-847-4939 chris@geeserelief.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Is there a humane, environmentally safe and cost efficient way for homeowners, grounds keepers, and property managers to keep their properties free of Canada Geese? If there is, Geese Relief, LLC is announcing today  that they do so with professionally trained Border Collies.

Stating they understand the pressures and challenges that grounds keepers, property managers and homeowners have in keeping their properties free of Canada geese in a humane, environmentally safe and cost efficient manner, spokesperson, Chris Santopietro,  said Geese Relief has successfully implemented a goose control system to help businesses, golf courses, schools, cemeteries and all types of property owners, with amazing results.

“We use specially trained working border collies to keep nuisance Canada geese from decimating beautifully groomed properties,” said Chris, who started Geese Relief LLC as an environmentally safe and humane Canada Geese control/maintenance company.

“We safely remove the Canada Geese from a particular piece of property where they are unwanted,” he added.

According to Chris, their goose control dogs do not harm the geese in any way, but make them feel unsafe or unsettled in a particular area, therefore sending the geese fleeing to safer grounds.

Goose control dogs instill a natural fear in the geese that result in them immediately leaving an area for fear that their lives, and create a feeling that they would be in danger if they stayed.  According to Chris, the dogs are allowed to chase the geese away but are not allowed to actually catch them. “Our Border Collies are always accompanied by a professional trainer who oversees that the job is done properly and respectfully.  The dogs are never left to work alone,” he added.

Border Collies are specially trained herding dogs that are very effective in keeping geese out of unwanted areas in an environmentally safe and effective way. Our system of humane goose control has provided hundreds of clients with amazing results!!!

In 1997,  the company was started with just Chris and one amazing Border Collie, “Laine”.  This  specially trained working border collie was used to keep nuisanceCanadageese from decimating beautifully groomed properties. Geese Relief currently employs seven professionally trained handlers and ten specially bred and trained working border collies.

For further information, please contact:  Chris Santopietro, Owner, 203-847-4939, chris@geeserelief.com, or visit www.geeserelief.com)

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Geese are very adaptable to multiple surroundings and settings. They even become comfortable in an environment where there are many people, loud noises, even playing children, but they by no means get used to the threat of a predator lurking in their territory.  A Border Collie’s presence will cause enough warning for these geese to abandon an area for good.

Geese Relief would like the opportunity to come out to your property for a one-on-one consultation on Geese Control.  We can discuss different methods to help solve you Goose Management efforts.  But when it comes down to it, the best solution is the dogs for eliminating your goose problems once and for all.

Geese Relief specializes in Geese Management for the following areas: