Goose egg addling is a wildlife management technique used for population control mostly of Arizona geese but it is also used on some other species. The process involves temporarily removing eggs from a nest that is being brooded, the egg is then tested for an embryo, if one is found the embryo is terminated and then the egg is placed back in the nest, hopefully misleading the goose into believing that nothing has happened to its egg. If the goose figures out that something has happened to its egg it would just lay another one and if it does that then the egg that has been tampered with would probably be rejected.



If the Phoenix goose picks up any of the following changes in an egg it will rejected it out of hand, so whoever does the addling must make sure they do not change the odor of the egg, the appearance or the texture of the egg as most geese can easily pick up any of these things. You can get information about techniques to addle eggs from either the Humane Society of the United States or the Internet Center for wildlife damage management. Before you even attempt the addling of any eggs you should know that all migratory birds, which Arizona geese are, come under the United States migratory bird Treaty act of 1918, under the act is illegal to harm Arizona goose eggs in the US without a permit from the US Fish and wildlife service, division of migratory bird management.

The reason the authorities permit addling of some goose eggs every season is to keep the populations of Arizona geese in particular down to what is considered, reasonable numbers. It is not as easy as some people think to have an effective addling program, generally it must encompass a substantial area that the birds have set up nesting sites around. It has been decided that the most humane way of limiting flock sizes and flock growth is by addling, not by extending hunting seasons or by professional culling.

Some people believe that if you take the eggs away from the adult Phoenix geese as they lay them then that will also be effective but studies have shown that if you take a few eggs at the start of the breeding season the pair will just move the nest site and probably avoid their eggs being taken again, actually taking the eggs does not encourage the pair to stop breeding. Arizona geese flocks have been almost completely wiped out by using effective addling programs in areas where having a flock of geese is undesired or even dangerous, like close to a major international airport.

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