Category Archives: Ohio Geese Control

Effects of Goose Poop on Your Pond

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Did you ever wonder how all of the geese that are congregating in your backyard are affecting the ecology of your pond? Considering each goose can produce 1 to 2 pounds of droppings each day, and a typical Canada goose may poop 28 times a day, it doesn’t look good for homeowners.

In fact, Geese are major contributors of Phosphorus and Nitrogen in ponds. These nutrients come directly from goose excrement and cause pond eutrophication. Pond eutrophication is a natural process that all bodies of water experience. It is the gradual enrichment of nutrients over time. Goose excrement speeds up this process. Leaving extra nutrients for algae and weeds to grow rapidly. A rapid increase in algae can deplete the water of oxygen, damaging the aquatic environment and causing fish kills.

It only takes 1 goose on a 1 acre pond to overload the water with Phosphorus. 

Geese, Algae and weeds in a lake or pond can make it difficult to enjoy the water for fishing, swimming, or boating. We want you to enjoy the outdoors, particularly your ponds in this very hot weather we are having this summer. The best way to get rid of the geese is to use border collies to instill the fear of a predator on site.

Once algae and weeds have accumulated on your pond, our partners, AQUA DOC Lake and Pond Management can assist with pond management, they offer free consultations to identify your water’s needs and provide recommendations for management.

And of course, feel free to set up a free site demo with Ohio Geese Control if you want to understand our process in lowering your geese population for the long term.

Geese Molting Season

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Why are the geese loosing their feathers? Every Summer, Canada geese will rejuvenate their flight feathers for Fall migration. This process of loosing their feathers is called molting. Unlike other song birds, which only loose one feather at a time, geese will loose all of their flight feathers, which does not allow them to fly. What this means, is that if geese are on your property when they are molting, they are not going to leave. This is why Ohio Geese Control provides aggressive tactics before the molting begins.

With the early Spring and the unusual dryness of the season, molting season may come a couple weeks earlier in Northern Ohio (Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, Akron, Canton). Typically, our season is from the end of June through the first week of August. Keep an eye out for those feathers, and that will be the indication that the process has started.

Once the geese begin to molt, there is not much you can do. You can continue to harass the geese to let them know they are not wanted and try to curb them away from populated areas like doorways or parking lots, but they will not go far. The molt process should be over in 4-6 weeks.

If you need assistance in lowering your geese populations before they begin to loose their feathers, please call us at 877-914-3373. We can provide you a free site demonstration and show you how good our services can work, and how quickly. Don’t wait too long.

What a Joy!

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Border collie named Joy

Let me introduce you to our newest border collie, Joy. And what a joy she is! She is 4 years old, and is extremely lovable. She loves to cuddle up on the couch as much as she loves to chase after the geese. She is strong, fast and is extremely intelligent.

Border collies are one of the smartest breeds, and ideal for chasing geese for Ohio Geese Control. Their wolf-like glare and crawl up abilities really instill the fear of a predator. Our dogs may look tough, but they will never harm a goose or gosling. In fact, our tactics of utilizing border collies to harass Canada geese are recommended by the Humane Society and the Department of Natural Resources. It is a very humane and natural way to allow people and Canada geese to coexist.

Canada Geese Egg Depredation Tactics

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Canada geese will typically lay 6-12 eggsOhio Geese Control works with the Division of Wildlife to ensure the overall population of Canada geese is in balance when implementing egg depredation. It is always necessary to implement other harassment techniques to try and remove the Canada geese naturally from a location before egg depredation is incorporated into your Canada geese control program.

If non-lethal tactics have been used in the past, without success, the Division of Wildlife may issue a lethal permit to allow the landowner to manage egg depredation.  These permits can only be used March 11 through August 31.

There are three ways to properly manage egg depredation:

  1. 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.
  2. Addling (or shaking) involves vigorously shaking the eggs until sloshing is heard, thus destroying the embryo.
  3. Puncturing is done by pushing a thin, strong pin through the shell, which introduces bacteria. The pin can be rotated inside the egg to ensure that the embryo is destroyed. The eggs are treated and replaced so that the female goose continues to incubate in a futile attempt to hatch the eggs.

It is suggested that, in the interest of humane treatment, these techniques be performed as early in incubation as possible. If eggs are simply removed, geese generally re-nest and produce another clutch.

Ohio Geese Control will work with our clients when, proper permits are obtained, to manage and record eggs. If you need assistance with your Canada geese pest control methods, contact us for a free site visit at 1-877-91GEESE.

There’s a New Dog in Town

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That’s right, a new dog named Joker has moved into the neighborhood. He’s not just any dog, but a working dog. He works for Ohio Geese Control to humanely manage the number of friendly waterfowl in the Toledo area. And he loves it! Joker is one of Ohio Geese Control’s top employees; he has spent the last six years reducing Canada goose numbers at a golf course.  Now he’s putting his talent to work in Toledo.

Joker’s job is to work with his human partner, Amy Hurst, visiting clients’ properties up to three times a day, every day in the Toledo, Ohio area. Frequent visits ensure that geese don’t pollute the neighborhood or become aggressive towards people during nesting season. He will chase the geese, but never harm them. His presence makes geese believe that there is a predator on site. The geese will ignore barking and random chasing by other dogs, but they’ll relocate when they see a collie trained for this work.

People like to see a few geese on a pond; they can be attractive and fun to watch. But two geese can easily turn into two hundred, and with big birds come big problems. One Canada goose produces 1 or 2 pounds of droppings every day, and that leaves quite a mess. Goose droppings not only limit people’s use of the outdoors, but can also pose a health risk and alter the ecology of ponds.

The Best Coyote Decoy…

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The best coyote decoy is using a real trained border collie.

We constantly get asked about those fake coyotes, and if the decoy actually works to get rid of geese. And our answer is yes and no.

The purpose of the coyote decoy is to instill the fear of a predator at your location. The best way to instill the fear of a predator on site is to use a live, skilled border collie that has many similarities to a coyote. Their wolf-like glare, and crawl up motion make the geese think that they are a predator. Yet they are trained to work with their handler to chase the geese away, but never harm them.

Canada geese are intelligent animals. They can understand when a fake coyote is placed in their neighborhood, especially if the coyote is not moved constantly. They become use to it being there, just like humans do, and they understand it will cause them no harm.

We do, however, incorporate them when an integrated approach to Canada geese management is needed. They are effective when used in combination with the border collies. Especially in areas that are not conducive to the dog running around, like islands, rooftops, and particularly rough areas. The decoy alone will not be as effective, as when combined with the border collie. The coyote decoy must still be moved several times a day, and not be stagnate in one location. Using a fake coyote decoy by itself with no additional tactics will have limited success, and not be an effective long-term solution.

For more information about our Canada geese management programs, simple request a free site demo and we provide you some initial consultation to assist with you with lowering your Canada geese population.

Canada Geese are Back for Nesting Season

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Spring is in the air in Northeast Ohio, and that means Canada geese are migrating back to the area for their nesting season. Although if you have resident geese on your property (geese that do not migrate in the winter), you have probably seen the geese beginning to pair up even earlier due to the mild winter we have been having.

It is important to start your Canada geese control program to get rid of the geese prior to nesting season. As soon as you see the first pair back, it is time to start a harassment program. Geese are creatures of habit, and will come back to the same location year after year for nesting. So what starts off as a lovely couple of Canada geese on your pond, quickly swells into 50 to 100. And with geese come geese droppings. Here are some tips you can take this spring to help alleviate the geese problems.

Do not feed the geese signageStep 1: Do not feed the geese. Feeding waterfowl and other birds is a popular pastime for many people, but it is also a major cause of high urban bird populations. Feeding waterfowl encourages them to congregate in an area and may make geese more aggressive toward people.It is also not healthy for the geese. Put up signs to educate and discourage feeding. Ohio Geese Control can supply your property with outdoor signs, just contact us.

Step 2: Modify landscape. People enjoy well manicured lawns, and unfortunately, so do the geese. Modifying the landscape around ponds and grassy areas can make the property less attractive to the geese. Limiting the use of fertilizer and watering less is a good start, but letting grassy areas grow up around the ponds and planting tall shrubs will make the geese feel less secure. Our experts at Ohio Geese Control, can provide you tips on landscape modification that can meet your properties needs.

Step 3: Begin harassment programs. It is important to start harassment programs as early as possible in the Spring, preferably February when the geese are just starting to pair up and migratory ones are coming back. Border collies are the most effective way to instill the fear of a predator at your location. You may combine this with other visual scare devices, but the skilled border collie will still have the biggest impact.

For more information and a free site visit for initial consultation and dog demonstration, contact us or call 1-877-914-3373. We want to create a healthier and happier environment by humanely managing migratory bird populations.