That means coating the bird s eggs with vegetable oil to cut off the gosling s oxygen. The egg is then put back in the nest or else the mother will just lay more eggs. For the landscaper or nature center director, the bird is a nuisance. For the farmer, Mother Goose is a pain in the pocketbook. He said when farmers plant winter grains like wheat, barley and rye, the geese literally eat away at the profits.
Summers too are fraught with danger.
Fournier said when goslings hatch next month, they'll munch on soybean plants, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. While everyone agrees geese are a problem, there's no consensus on a solution. Wholesale slaughter isn't an option because a 1916 international treaty signed by the United States, Canada and Mexico protects the bird. Even if there is a farm here and there to hunt on, the fellows may get a couple birds, but then the geese move on. Even more problematic is there are so few places to hunt geese in Bucks.