Am I going to have to hunt for nests all spring long?

[r4eboxer]

It seems my geese are getting smart to my egg stealing. They have been laying in the thick layer of hay I have covering my strawberry plants. DH built two very nice goose houses for them and they have laid eggs there too. I found an egg in the strawberry patch yesterday and again today. Now I have a gander sitting on a nest under one of my raised buildings. Will they keep moving their nests like this? I'm tired of hunting eggs but I don't want to pen them up as they are great foragers and free range.

 

[The goose girl]

Last season (her first) my goose built three different nests before she was finally happy with her fourth nest location. Maybe your geese are trying out different locations to find their perfect spot?

Geese may move their nests if all their eggs get "stolen". I left a golf ball in my goose's nest to trick her into thinking there's always an egg there - she accepts it as an egg; turns it and piles up hay on it to hide it and keep it warm. Supposedly, geese can't count, so they won't go "hey, what happened to the rest of my eggs?".

Most of my goose's eggs she lays in her nest. But once in a while it seems an egg catches her by surprise and she'll just lay it whereever she happens to hang out. Most of these stray eggs are shellless. But usually she wants to go to her nest when she needs to lay an egg. When she's at her goosesitter's - a friend of mine - she'll start honking incessantly and try to lead him to his bicycle. He has learned that that means she wants to go home. When he has followed her home, she then heads straight for her nest.

 

[rarely bored]

Most of my goose's eggs she lays in her nest. But once in a while it seems an egg catches her by surprise and she'll just lay it whereever she happens to hang out. Most of these stray eggs are shellless. But usually she wants to go to her nest when she needs to lay an egg. When she's at her goosesitter's - a friend of mine - she'll start honking incessantly and try to lead him to his bicycle. He has learned that that means she wants to go home. When he has followed her home, she then heads straight for her nest.

That's amazing!

 

[AlaskaChicks]

Last season (her first) my goose built three different nests before she was finally happy with her fourth nest location. Maybe your geese are trying out different locations to find their perfect spot?

Geese may move their nests if all their eggs get "stolen". I left a golf ball in my goose's nest to trick her into thinking there's always an egg there - she accepts it as an egg; turns it and piles up hay on it to hide it and keep it warm. Supposedly, geese can't count, so they won't go "hey, what happened to the rest of my eggs?".

Most of my goose's eggs she lays in her nest. But once in a while it seems an egg catches her by surprise and she'll just lay it whereever she happens to hang out. Most of these stray eggs are shellless. But usually she wants to go to her nest when she needs to lay an egg. When she's at her goosesitter's - a friend of mine - she'll start honking incessantly and try to lead him to his bicycle. He has learned that that means she wants to go home. When he has followed her home, she then heads straight for her nest.

That's amazing!

agreed! too cool

 

[pete55]

That just shows how intelligent geese can be and how powerful maternal instinct can be. Great story