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Welfare oriented nutrition and lamb rearing in organic dairy goat husbandry - Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
Project
Project code: 2822OE141
Contract period: 01.10.2023
- 30.09.2026
Budget: 201,923 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: animal feed, husbandry techniques, small ruminants, milk, nutrient supply, animal welfare, goats, organic farming
Dairy goat husbandry represents a production system that both avoids food competition with humans and is highly efficient at the same time. It also makes an important contribution to the diversification of livestock production and pasture use. In the field of pasture management, questions such as feed intake on pasture, N-use on pasture, the assumed energy demand as well as the movement activity of the animals on pasture are investigated in this project; these variables are compared with goats kept indoors. Scientific bases for ensuring the energy requirement of lactating goats on pasture are largely lacking. In addition, a survey of the feeding situation on 20 practical farms is being carried out. Due to the particularly high feed competition in goats, this depends decisively on the design of the feeding place in the barn. The effects of the feeding place design and the feeding management on the social and feed intake behaviour as well as the condition of the animals are therefore investigated on the participating farms. On the same farms, feed and nutrient intake and herd performance will be recorded. Simple animal-specific indicators for feeding will be assessed. The data also allow an evaluation of the accuracy of the current nutrient recommendations for goats in organic farming. For consumer acceptance and the optimisation of animal welfare, lamb rearing with contact to the dam can become a strong quality feature of a farm. Therefore, in addition to the direct advantages for the lamb, the project will also investigate the effects of such rearing on the social learning of the animals and their feeding behaviour. Particular attention will be paid to animal-based indicators that facilitate or support decisions in animal management.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal nutrition
- Organic Farming
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute - Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI)
