Thünen: Goat keeping

Institute of

OF Organic Farming

Finished projects in Goat keeping

"Feed less Food"

Is it necessary to feed so much potential human food to livestock? Too many people face hunger. Are high proportions of concentrate good for animal health and welfare? These questions are relevant for organic farming. Already the standards of organic farming reduce the level of concentrate feed to dairy livestock. But, is it possible to reduce it further? How will be the production performance and the animal welfare? In a 6 years trial these questions have been elaborated with the dairy goat herd at the experimental station in Trenthorst.

Animal welfare aspects on electronic animal identification for goats

Electronic identification of sheep and goats is mandatory in Europe since 01.01.2010. There are many concerns about injuries related to identification tags. Thus the objective of our study was the evaluation of an early identification of goat kids together in their housing and on pasture.

Animal welfare in goat keeping

Goats are able to produce even without best keeping conditions. In organic farming is the target to have high animal welfare standards and good production performance. Several projects have developed high animal welfare standards for goats kept in stables and on pasture. Avoidance of manipulation is part of the research.

Better milk quality with less concentrate feeding

Objective of the project is an application of a pasture-based feeding system to increase the contents of essential fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), vitamin E, xanthophylls and antioxidants in goat's milk and cheese.

Biotope management with goats and sheep

Many areas in Germany are protected for nature purposes and suffering by shrub invasion. Goats like shrub browsing. The ability of goats to maintain protected biotopes was developed.

Control of endoparasites by Duddingtonia flagrans

Grazing of sheep and goats is compromised by gastrointestinal strongyles. Many worms have developed Anthelmintic Resistance. Promoting the natural predation of worm stages on pasture could possibly reduce the infection pressure for the livestock.

Decision Trees for Deworming

Control of gastrointestinal worms of grazing ruminants is crucial to animal health and farmer’s economic success. At the same time the smallest possible amount of drugs is to be used.

Decision Trees for Deworming

Control of gastrointestinal worms of grazing ruminants is crucial to animal health and farmer’s economic success. At the same time the smallest possible amount of drugs is to be used.

Development of an animal-friendly feeding system for horned goats

Dairy goat farming is a growing business in Germany since more then one decade. In the same manner, there is a growing demand on extension for dairy goat farms regarding husbandry and management. Although there is some knowledge present, there is a lack of transer into practical dairy goat farming. That is the starting point for our new initiative Stable Schools for dairy farmers.

Establishment of web-based decision trees for parasite prophylaxis through future-oriented pasture management in agricultural practice and consultancy

Pasture husbandry is considered to be particularly animal appropriate and is, according to polls, desired by consumers. However younger animals in particular are often afflicted with infections by gastrointestinal parasites while at pasture. Previously developed decision trees available online could be an aid in future-oriented pasture planning. How do farms perceive the work with this online tool? Can it provide support in pasture management to individual farms? Does it reduce the stress on the animals or does the use of the decision tree lead to less use of anthelmintics? These questions are ...

Establishment of web-based decision trees for parasite prophylaxis through future-oriented pasture management in agricultural practice and consultancy

A stomach parasite can cause life-threatening anemia in sheep and goats. The pallor of conjunctivae, compared with a color chart developed in South Africa indicates those animals that need to get dewormed. Is this method also useful and applicable in German farms?

FAMACHA© color chart in the sheep and goat farming

Kid rearing and fattening

Rearing kids from dairy goats is not easy. How can kids rearing be improved with mother suckling systems in comparison with bucket and automatic feeding systems? The other question is the fattening of kids. Which feeding regime is recommendable for animal welfare, high production performance and last but not least for profitability?

Stable Schools for goat farmers

Udder health and milk quality

Dairy goats can have mastitis like cows, mostly sub-clinical. In comparison with cows, there were no clear definition and indicators to measure udder health and "good" milk qualities.

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Institute of

OF Organic Farming

Finished projects in Goat keeping

"Feed less Food"

Animal welfare aspects on electronic animal identification for goats

Animal welfare in goat keeping

Better milk quality with less concentrate feeding

Biotope management with goats and sheep

Control of endoparasites by Duddingtonia flagrans

Decision Trees for Deworming

Decision Trees for Deworming

Development of an animal-friendly feeding system for horned goats

Establishment of web-based decision trees for parasite prophylaxis through future-oriented pasture management in agricultural practice and consultancy

Establishment of web-based decision trees for parasite prophylaxis through future-oriented pasture management in agricultural practice and consultancy

FAMACHA© color chart in the sheep and goat farming

Kid rearing and fattening

Stable Schools for goat farmers

Udder health and milk quality

Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute

Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries