Keeping goats species-appropriate

In practice, goats are usually kept in unstructured stalls. These active, intelligent animals quickly become bored and fights over rank break out. Recumbent niches are suitable for satisfying the need to climb and for a quiet place with an overview in the stable. We have investigated how recumbent niches can be easily integrated into the loose housing. 

Important practical tips:

• Recumbent niches are suitable for milking herds. 10 square metres per 100 animals is sufficient.
• There should be two stairways so that there is no need to jump down when there are fights between the cows.
• The individual floors should not allow the animals to stand (less than 90 centimetres high) so that they do not defecate there.
• Recumbent niches should be designed like stairs so that each area is easily accessible. They do not need to be littered.
• Lambs should have a separate place near the cubicles (fawning behaviour).
• They must, however, be secured against falling over, must be easy to clean and must not interfere with mucking out.

On many organic dairy goat farms, the horns of the lambs are burnt off so that they do not wear horns as adults. The animal owners are afraid of injuries in case of fights and fear problems with the barn technology (feeding herds, milking parlour). At the Thünen Institute for Organic Farming, we have developed criteria that allow horn-bearing herds. We have carried out part of the studies together with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna (Prof. Waiblinger).

Important practical tips:

• It is possible to keep horned dairy goats in loose housing without much risk of injury. In ten years there have been very few injuries (udder bumps, bruises) in the herd.
• The barn must be structured (partitions, climbing facilities, escape rooms) and large enough to maintain the comfort zones of the animals. 2.5 square metres per dairy goat plus a run are required.
• Feeding areas must be provided with bumper screens.
• There should be more feeding places than animals in the pen. Racks in the pen allow lower ranking animals to hide and feed.
• Herds should be rearranged infrequently.
• The waiting area should be non-slip and narrow enough to prevent serious fights from taking place.

Goats must have two identification tags from the age of nine months. One of them must be electronically readable. Ear tags are commonly used for this purpose, but they can easily tear out and injure the ear. We have looked at the welfare aspects of electronic animal identification and alternatives to ear tags: 

• Ear tags must be inserted centrally in the ear without damaging veins.
• Netting, grids and groves can cause ear tags to be pulled out.
• Electronic ear tags can be used to better control and manage the animals.

It is common for lambs to be separated from their mothers immediately or a few days after birth. This is ethically problematic, as the young animals then grow up motherless. The lambs must then be fed from buckets or automatic feeders - a major challenge in terms of labour economy and hygiene.

Important practical tips for mother-bound rearing:

• Lambs can stay with their mothers for up to 45 days. They drink about 70 litres of milk during this time.
• Suckling lambs are livelier and fitter than watered lambs. Losses are low with an appropriate housing environment.
• The labour input for mother-bound rearing is much lower, even if the income from milk is reduced.
• From an animal welfare point of view, mother-bonded lamb rearing is advantageous. The economic losses are justifiable due to the labour savings.

Outdoor runs are not compulsory for ruminants if grazing is offered in summer. Nevertheless, it is advisable to offer goats a run of the following type:

• Runs must be 2.5 square metres per adult goat and 0.5 square metres per lamb (this is more than ethologically required, but mandatory).
• Fencing should consist of vertical elements that do not provide opportunities for climbing up.
• Climbing opportunities must not lead to injuries (jamming of head or legs, sprains, abrasions, injuries from protruding nails, etc.).
• The runs should be levelled. Concrete is not a problem as they are rock climbers with hard claws.
• Runs should be dry and sealed with groundwater. Excrement and urine must not get into the groundwater.
• Runs must be easy to clean.

Keeping goats on pasture should be a matter of course, but it is not. Endoparasites and increased labour are the main reasons for not allowing them to graze. There is also the fear of escaping animals. Yet grazing is animal-friendly and compulsory in organic farming.

Important practical tips:

• Grazing is also possible for lactating goats.
• With good pasture management, the risk of worming is reduced.
• Individual animals must be wormed if they suffer.
• The pasture must have feed suitable for goats. It must be varied and "exciting" for the curious, active animals.
• Goats love woody plants as a forage base.
• Goats do not like wet weather: Therefore, a shelter or nocturnal stabling is appropriate for the animals.  

Goats love grazing, i.e. eating leaves and fresh bark. They also like to climb and stretch for this purpose. This is the best way to offer woody forage:

• To avoid negative effects on milk quantity and quality, leaves and bark should not comprise more than 25 % of the feed base, 10 % is best.
• Thorn-free and palatable woody plants that can tolerate grazing should be grown. These include above all willow species, but also hazel, ash and hornbeam.
• Poisonous woody plants must be avoided.
• Woody plants must be easily accessible to the goats to avoid injuries when they try to reach them.
• Woody plants should be planted in single rows.
• The first grazing is possible after five to six years, thereafter every three years.
• Branchy woody plants should be cut down for reweeding and put on the ground in winter.
• Harvesting leaves is too labour-intensive.
• In winter, conifers can be fed in the barn.

The usual pasture management is done with mobile electronic nets. These are an obstacle for wild animals and also horned goats.

Important results:

• It is possible to fence pastures with strand fencing.
• Goats do not jump over strand fences, but climb or climb through them.
• Three to four strands with 4000 to 6000 volts of guard voltage and a maximum of 5 joules of impulse energy are necessary.
• Grass growth along the fence must be kept short.
• Stranded fences must be accepted by the animals and their handling must therefore be learned (imprinting). This imprinting takes place at lamb age (controlled exercise on the poultry net).
• If a fence is no longer accepted by an adult animal, it must be removed from the flock (it teaches the other animals the wrong behaviour).
• Good and sufficient food is the best fence.
• Dogs must be discouraged from entering the pasture.

Integrating research results into practice is always difficult. Often there is already a lack of knowledge about good goat and sheep husbandry practice. The practical book "Organic sheep and goat husbandry - 100 questions and answers for practice" by Gerold Rahmann, the head of the Thünen Institute for Organic Farming, answers the most important questions. (in German)