Overall impression of the herd
(including animal behaviour)
- Normal behaviour of the animals:
- Active
- Alert
- Reaction to the presence of people through chattering and movement
- No geese in the flock show clinical symptoms indicative of illness or injury
- The animals are not crouching (no tucked-in head)
- No conspicuous noises (e.g. sneezing/wheezing)
- No noticeable movement disorders
- No ‘circling’ (In a panic situation, the flock runs frantically in circles. This poses a risk of crushing, particularly for younger animals. Such behaviour can be triggered, for example, by predators entering the animal enclosure.)
(Image: Jule Schättler, LWK Lower Saxony)
Anomalies in the distribution of animals across the usable area
- Even distribution across the available area in accordance with their herd behaviour
- No crowding
- No animals crowding against the outer walls
Feed consumption
- Rapid growth and plumage development require that the birds are provided with a diet tailored to their needs, particularly during the rearing phase. Adequate feed intake is essential for meeting daily nutritional requirements and should therefore always be monitored.
- From the 6th week of life, the animals can be offered an additional portion of grain, e.g. in the form of whole oats. This promotes the development of the gizzard.
- Feed consumption per animal is influenced by several factors, such as temperature or feed quality, but also by the fattening method.
Age (weeks) | Concentrate | Cereals | Grass |
| 1–3 | 90 g starter | - | 150 g |
| 4–7 | 50 g Finishing feed | 100 g | 500 g |
| from 8 | - | 80–100 g | > 1000 g |
Water consumption
- Clean, fresh water must be made available to the animals via the drinking troughs. Water is an essential component of the body and plays a role in many metabolic processes. It therefore plays a vital role, particularly in the development of young animals, but also during the later stages of fattening. Some of the water is also taken in through feed.
- Water consumption depends on the outside or barn temperature (in summer, a significantly higher water intake by the animals is to be expected), on the dry matter content of the feed and, in particular, on the watering technology.
Condition of the skin and plumage
- Clean
- Age-appropriate
- From the 6th week of life, the gosling is fully feathered and has completed the transition from down to adult plumage
- From the 9th week of life, the first juvenile moult begins
- Subsequently, at intervals of about 7 weeks during further development, the secondary plumage is replaced
- In adult birds, a complete moult takes place after the end of each breeding season, during which the entire plumage is gradually replaced
- Well-groomed (not ruffled or matted)
- Water-repellent (not soaked)
- No injuries / intact
- No feather pecking or cannibalism
Avian Influenza Regulation (Section 4(1) and (2))
(1) If, within a 24-hour period, losses of
- at least three animals within 24 hours in a herd or a spatially defined part of a herd comprising up to and including 100 animals, or
- more than 2 per cent of the animals in a flock or spatially defined part of a flock of more than 100 animals, or if there is a reduction in the usual laying performance or average weight gain of more than 5 per cent in each case, the keeper, subject to paragraph 2, must immediately have a veterinarian rule out the presence of infection with the highly pathogenic or low pathogenic avian influenza virus by means of appropriate tests.
(2) If, in a flock or a geographically defined part of a flock in which only ducks and geese are kept, over a period of more than four days
- losses amounting to more than three times the usual mortality rate of the animals in the flock or the spatially defined part of the flock, or
- a reduction in the usual weight gain or laying performance of more than 5 per cent
, the keeper shall immediately have a veterinarian rule out the presence of infection with the highly pathogenic or low pathogenic avian influenza virus by means of appropriate tests.