Within a week, 61 goat kids were born at the Farm Animal Science Teaching and Research Station on the Dahlem campus. Prof. Dr Edna Hillmann, who conducts research at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) into animal husbandry, animal welfare and the behaviour of farm animals, reports: “This is an exceptionally busy time for the animals and the team looking after them. As with many animal species, most kids are born at night, so every morning brought a new surprise as to who had joined the flock.”
From the barn out to the pasture
As a rule, births proceed without complications, and human assistance is rarely required. Immediately after birth, the mother goats lick their kids dry: an important moment for bonding between goat and kid. This bond intensifies every day, and after just a few days, kids and mothers recognise each other by their scent, their voice and, later, their appearance.
As not all mothers have enough milk, bottle-feeding the kids is also part of the team’s daily routine at the university. In the ‘lamb shelter’ created especially for them, the little ones are given special feed and can rest there away from the hustle and bustle, completely away from the adult goats. In April, the young animals then move to another barn.
After just a few days, the young goats are already quite active: they jump, romp about and climb onto anything they can find, including their mothers and aunts, who usually put up with it patiently. As soon as the weather warms up and the grass grows, they are all allowed out onto the pasture together.