Thünen: Sheep systems

Institute of

OF Organic Farming

Forschungsfelder in der ökologsichen Schafmilchproduktion sin u.a.: Endoparasitenbelastung bei der vorgeschriebenen Weidehaltung, die Lämmeraufzucht sowie Fragen zur Milchqualität und Eutergesundheit.

Projects

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.

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.

Animal Health in Organic Farming - Publications between 1991 and 2011

The aim of the study is to describe the status quo and to identify further research regarding animal health in organic husbandry by literature study.

FAMACHA© color chart in the sheep and goat farming

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?

Optimized sustainable pasture utilisation of the semi-arid savanna in the Kalahari

Grazing is still the most important utilisation of the vast semi-arid savannas of Afrika. This areas are endagered due to climate change and not sustainable herd management (degradation and desertification). With measures of organic farming and holostic management we try to increase the natural biomass production and therefore the production of meat in kg per hectare and year. This will result in better profitability and performance of grassland farming.

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.

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 ...

Bioindicators

One option to measure animal welfare objectively, is the recording of physiological parameters, so called bioindicators, that reflect the immune status of a heard as well as the stress level of the animals and that can be collected by minimal invasive sampling are of great importance for monitoring of animal welfare.

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