Martina Gerken

• University of Göttingen

The coat is the first defense layer protecting animals from direct sunlight, influencing radiant-heat absorption and loss. Dark coat colour may increase animal heat impact because of higher absorption of solar radiation.

In the native region of South American camelids (SAC), the High Andes, llamas (Lama glama) face the dual confrontation with seasonal water scarcity and the risk of water salinization. The present aims are to provide more insight into drinking behaviour of llamas and their behavioural strategies in discriminating and selecting different concentratio...

Human food production is the largest cause of global environmental changes. Environmental benefits could be achieved by replacing diets with a high amount of animal-sourced foods with more plant-based foods, due to their smaller environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to assess the environmental impacts of the three most common plant...

Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in reducing the consumption of animal-based foods for health, sustainability, and ethical reasons. The food industry is developing products from plant-based ingredients that mimic animal-based foods’ nutritional and sensory characteristics. In this study, the focus is on plant-based milk alternatives (...

Horses lose high amounts of Na through excessive sweating. These fluid losses can often not be replaced completely by voluntary water intake, requiring saline solutions as rehydration therapy to regain electrolyte balance. The experiment aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and tolerance of Shetland ponies towards different Na concentrations in their...

Global climate changes increase the risk of salinization of soil and water imposing possible health risks on livestock, especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Andes, the habitat of wild and domestic South American camelids (SAC), e.g. the llama (Lama glama). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and tolerance of...

Simple Summary Tail biting, a well-known problem in modern pig production, reduces pigs’ welfare and causes economic losses. It is influenced by several external and internal factors, such as housing condition, management, genetics, and age of the animals. Within the internal factors, the individual predisposition to tail biting is difficult to ide...

To examine the adaptive physiological responses to increasing salinity of drinking water in a choice situation, twelve female non-lactating Boer goats were used. After a control period with fresh water, in phase 2 the choice between different salt concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5% NaCl) and tap water was offered for two weeks. Sub...

Salinization of groundwater and soil is a prevalent global issue with serious consequences on animal health and production. The present study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Boer goats to adjust their salt intake from saline drinking water in a free-choice system. In total, 12 non-pregnant Boer goats aged between 1 and 8 years with an...

Salinization of groundwater and soil is a prevalent global issue with serious consequences on animal health and production. The present study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Boer goats to adjust their salt intake from saline drinking water in a free-choice system. In total, 12 non-pregnant Boer goats aged between 1 and 8 years with an...

Due to global climatic changes, water and soil salinization is an increasing worldwide phenomenon, thus creating new threats for farm animal production. The present study was designed to investigate the adaptation capacity of goats towards sodium chloride (NaCl) in drinking water. Twelve non-pregnant Boer goats with an average body weight of 50.5 ±...

The way in which environmental stimuli affect animals and translate into behavioural and physical responses is of high importance with regards to the animals’ well-being. The aim of the study was, to gain deeper understanding of the relationship between behavioural responses and cardiac parameters. Our study investigated the effect of eight novel o...

Inattentional Blindness (IB) is a phenomenon which has been widely researched in humans. If attention is highly focused, humans may become blind to other environmental cues. To further understand the perception of horses, we applied the well-tested experimental design of human IB studies to the first study of this kind in horses. Since the use of c...

Some large herbivores exhibit seasonal adjustments in their energy metabolism. Therefore, our aim was to determine if the llama (one of the most extensively kept livestock breeds) exhibits seasonal adjustment of their energy expenditure, body temperature and locomotion, under its natural high altitude Andean habitat. For this purpose, energy expend...

Salinization of groundwater and soil is a prevalent global issue with serious consequences on animal health and production. The present study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Boer goats to adjust their salt intake from saline drinking water in a free-choice system. In total, 12 non-pregnant Boer goats aged between 1 and 8 years with an...

Salinization of groundwater and soil is a prevalent global issue with serious consequences on animal health and production. The present study was conducted to investigate the capacity of Boer goats to adjust their salt intake from saline drinking water in a free choice system. Twelve non-pregnant Boer goats aged between 1 to 8 years with an average...

Three Shetland ponies were tested in memorizing a quantity discrimination task with a computer based learning device. One year before, they had learned to relate a quantity of geometric symbols to another on a computer flat screen presented in a matching to sample design. All three of the ponies solved the task to discriminate between the quantitie...

Mammals typically keep their body temperature (Tb) within a narrow limit with changing environmental conditions. There are indications that some wild ungulates can exhibit certain forms of energy saving mechanisms when ambient temperatures are low and/or food is scarce. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine if the llama, one of the most...

To improve the welfare of pigs in intensive husbandry systems, positive emotions should be stimulated. Indicators of positive emotions in pigs are e.g. tail wagging and play behaviour. The present study was conducted to investigate whether female pigs kept in housing environments with different enrichment levels show differences in the occurrence o...

There is a discrepancy in the literature on potential digesta separation mechanisms in horses, with both a selective retention of fine and of large particles postulated in different publications. To assess the net effect of such mechanisms, we fed ponies on a hay-only diet a pulse dose of whole (unchopped) marked hay together with a solute marker,...

Domesticated horses are increasingly kept under semi-natural housing conditions, whereas their adaptation capacity is not fully investigated. In all, 10 Shetland pony mares were held under semi-extensive conditions for 1 year. In winter animals were allocated into two feeding groups (60% and 100% of maintenance energy requirement, respectively). Tr...

Knowledge on water intake in South American camelids is very limited. There are anecdotal reports on Guanacos, the wild ancestor of the llamas, drinking saline water (Darwin, 1844). No studies are available on taste responses and thresholds for taste discrimination for sodium chloride in drinking water in llamas. The aim of our study was to investi...

Due to global climatic changes, salinization of ground water and soil is an increasing worldwide phenomenon, thus creating new threats for farm animal production. Although sodium chloride salt (NaCl) is essential for regulating body water content, muscle and nerve functions and nutrient absorption, excessive long term salt intake may affect feed an...

Endothermic animals have to invest a substantial amount of energy to keep their body temperature (Tb) within a narrow limit. Recent studies on wild ungulates, however, revealed that they are able to adjust their Tb and locomotor activity (LA) according to season and time of the day and thus save energy during adverse environmental conditions. There...

Introduction: Endothermic animals have to keep their body temperature (Tb) within a narrow limit with changing environmental conditions. There are indications that some wild ungulates can exhibit certain forms of energy saving mechanisms when ambient temperatures (Ta) are low and/or food availability is scarce. Therefore, the aim of the study was t...

In cold winter times free-ranging herbivores in the Northern hemisphere can face a twofold challenge: while food quality and quantity is reduced, the energy demand to sustain body temperature is elevated. Studies on wild Northern herbivores suggest that they can reduce their metabolic rate during times of low ambient temperature and food shortage i...

During winter free living herbivores are often exposed to reduced energy supply at the same time that energy needs for thermoregulation increase. Several wild herbivores as well as robust horse breeds reduce their metabolism during times of low ambient temperature and food shortage. Thyroid hormones (TH) affect metabolic intensity and a positive ef...

Göttingen minipig (GMP) has gained importance as model animal in human medicine. However, little is known about the suckling behaviour of GMP. Suckling is considered as a fundamental behavioural trait in mammals, most important for development and survival of the individual. Understanding its development and changes due to artificial selection is i...

This study aims to assess plot size related changes in spacing and behavioural synchronization in a herd of 14 German Blackface ewes kept on three different pasture sizes: S (126m(2)), M (1,100m(2)), and L (11,200m(2)). In direct field observations, behaviour and nearest neighbour distance were recorded individually. Additionally, interindividual a...

Bangladesh is one of the frontline victims of global climate change. Among the impacts of climate change, increased salinity intrusion, particularly, in the southern coastal belts of the country endangers flora and fauna. This is also enforcing the local livestock population to adapt with increased water and soil salinity. This study investigates t...

The temporal stability of synchronization was studied for two consecutive years in a herd of 10 Shetland pony mares kept on pasture. Direct field observations lasted 1.5–2.5 h per session between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, adding up to an observation time of 74 h in the first and 134 h in the second year. Behaviour, nearest neighbour identity and distanc...

Diversity of animal personalities has been proposed to arise from differences in social attraction, and to enhance behavioural flexibility of a population. The present study evaluated gregariousness as a personality trait in 14 ewes kept on pasture. Gregariousness was defined based on the frequency of having a close neighbour (<3m). Highly gregario...

Recent results suggest that wild Northern herbivores reduce their metabolism during times of low ambient temperatures and food shortage in order to reduce their energetic needs. It is however not known if domesticated animals are also able to reduce their energy expenditure. We exposed ten Shetland pony mares to different environmental conditions (...

Numerical competence is one of the aspects of animal cognition with a long history of research interest, but few results are available for the horse. In the present study, we investigated the ability of three Shetland ponies to discriminate between different quantities of geometric symbols presented on a computer screen in a matching-to-sample arra...

Llamas and alpacas have become popular as companion and farm animals in Europe and North America. However, scientific knowledge on the nutrient requirements especially for lactating and suckling llamas is sparse. Thus, most of the nutrient recommendations for New World Camelids available today have been derived from other livestock species, such as...

Water is an essential nutrient necessary to support life, and adequate water supply is crucial for animal survival and productivity. The present study was designed to determine seasonal changes in the water metabolism of horses under outdoor conditions. Total body water (TBW) and total water intake (TWI) of 10 adult Shetland pony mares were estimat...

1. The study investigated the influence of manipulating incubation temperature for a short period on the post-hatch development up to week 16 in male and female BUT Big 6 turkeys. 2. Eggs were incubated at a control temperature of 37·5°C and 55% RH until d 18 when transferred to a hatcher at 37·5°C and 85% RH. For a 4 d period between embryonic day...

Despite the fact that llamas have become increas-ingly popular as companion and farm animals in both Europe and North America, scientific knowledge on their nutrient requirements is scarce. Compared with other livestock species, relatively little is known es-pecially about the nutrient and energy requirements for lactating llamas. Therefore, we aim...

The aim of this study was to detect adaptation mechanisms of a domesticated horse breed to seasonal changes in climatic conditions and food availability. Therefore 10 female Shetland ponies were held under semi-extensive outdoor conditions for one year. During the second winter period the animals were allocated into one control and one treatment gr...

Higher temperatures during early embryonic myogenesis influence the development of musculature shortly before and after hatch in laying hens or turkeys, but data about the consequence of this temperature alteration on the post-hatch growth and the associated meat quality in broiler have not been presented until now. Therefore in the present study t...

Outdoor group housing is increasingly recognized as an appropriate housing system for domesticated horses. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of potential feed shortage in semi-natural horse keeping systems in winter on animal health and welfare. In 10 female Shetland ponies blood concentrations (NEFA, total protein...

There are speculations that domestic animals lost the ability to reduce their energy expenditure under food shortages and adverse environmental conditions. However, confirmations of a reduced adaptability of domestic species are still missing. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that Shetland ponies, a robust horse breed, still exhibit signs of a h...

For the study of higher order cognition, the matching to sample procedure presents an established method to test relational concept learning in several species. In the present study we designed a method of testing ponies via a computer based model. We used the advantages of an automatic stimulus control system which enabled a better standardization...

Recent results suggest that the wild ancestor of the horse, the Przewalski horse, exhibits signs of a hypometabolism. However, there are speculations that domestic animals lost the ability to reduce energy expenditure during food shortage and adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, we investigated physiological and behavioural strategies emplo...

The present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the physiological responses of sheep and goats to water restriction using the deuterium dilution technique (D2O) to predict the total water intake (TWI) in both species. In two consecutive trials, 10 non-lactating Boer goats and 10 non-lactating German black-head mutton ewes were each randomly...

Different scientific groups are working with either South American camelids or other fibre animal species. This round table offered a platform to identify common management denominators between these species.

Compared to many other domesticated ruminants, very little is known about lactation in South American camelids. However, knowledge about milk and milk nutrient intakes in suckling young is essential for giving recommendations on an adequate nutrient supply. Direct measurement of milk production in South American camelids is hardly applicable, due t...

Current equations for estimating water requirements in sheep do not differentiate between shorn and unshorn sheep. Furthermore, the effect of shearing on thermoregulative responses in sheep has not been adequately studied under temperate environmental conditions. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of wool coverage...

Compared to many other domesticated ruminants, very little is known about lactation in South American camelids. However, knowledge about milk and milk nutrient intakes in suckling young is essential for giving recommendations on an adequate nutrient supply. Direct measurement of milk production in South American camelids is hardly applicable, due t...

Suckling behaviour plays an important role in the normal growth of progeny in mammals. There are only a few data on suckling behaviour in South American camelids (SAC), and long-term suckling behaviour is not well documented. The objective of our study was to observe the development of suckling behaviour during lactation and determine diurnal rhyth...

Compared to many other domesticated ruminants, very little is known about lactation in South American camelids. However, knowledge about milk and milk nutrient intakes in suckling young is essential for giving recommendations on an adequate nutrient supply. Direct measurement of milk production in South American camelids is hardly applicable, due t...

Although several studies on the locomotion of Old World camels, mainly the dromedary Camelus dromedarius, exist, detailed data on their relatives, the New World camelids are very scarce. Camelids are distinguished from most mammals by their pacing gaits, a pace-like walk and running pace. We conducted detailed video analyses of undisturbed walking...

Hair fibre is regarded as a unique mammalian feature with an important role for endothermy. Artificial selection for hair characteristics resulted in marked changes with regard to follicle number, type, distribution, growth and natural shedding. This review focuses on the fine fibre-producing South American camelids (SACs) and the relationship betw...

The aim of this study was to test whether the deuterium oxide dilution technique accurately predicts water intake in sheep and goats. Two other issues were also studied: (i) a comparison of water intake in sheep and goats and (ii) an assessment of whether observations of drinking behaviour can accurately measure the water intake. In this study, eig...

Research into higher cognitive abilities of the horse may be limited by developing the adequate experimental design. In this study four pony mares between 8 and 19 years old were included. Three of them reached the criterion to be tested in a new design of matching to sample using a black circle and a cross as visual cues attached to an apparatus....

Despite of increasing scientific knowledge on behavioural needs for adequate housing systems for horses, management practices for stallions still seem to be dominated by traditional restricted systems. A survey of 29 stud farms was conducted to evaluate the spread of alternative housing systems for stallions. Furthermore it was evaluated, if differ...

Total body water (TBW) in 17 suckling and six lactating llamas was estimated from isotope dilution at three different post natum and lactation stages using both 18O and deuterium oxide (D2O). In total, 69 TBW measurements were undertaken. While TBW in lactating dams, expressed in kilogram, remained stable during the three measurement periods (91.8...

The knowledge of milk and milk nutrient intakes in suckling young is essential for giving recommendations on adequate nutrient supply. In a study involving 6 lactating llama (Lama glama) dams and their suckling young, milk intake and total water turnover were measured at three different stages of lactation (wk 3–4, 10–11 and 18–19 post partum (PP))...

Total water intake (TWI) in poultry can be influenced by various factors. Recommendations for water requirements are usually reported on a flock basis without considering individual variation. In the present study, a total of 18 turkeys were used to measure water intake over a 1-wk period starting at 15 wk of age by applying the deuterium dilution...

Objective: Considering the high costs for breeding animals, a successful reproduction strategy is of economic importance for llama owners. Special characteristics in the male llama anatomy (e. g. testes close to the body) induce a greater risk for a reduced fertility when exposed to high ambient temperatures. In this regard shearing is of great imp...

Zusammenfassung Gegenstand und Ziel: Besitzer von Neuweltkameliden messen einem ungestörten Reproduktionsgeschehen ihrer Tiere vor allem aus wirtschaftlichem Interesse hohe Bedeutung zu. Bei Lamahengsten besteht aufgrund der anatomischen Besonderheiten die Gefahr, dass sie auf Hitzebelastungen mit reduzierten Fruchtbarkeitsleistungen reagieren. In...

Energy expenditure and water flux were measured in free-ranging alpacas Lama pacos, a South American camelid, on natural pastures of the Peruvian Andes (altitude: 4,400 m above sea level). Water influx rate (WIR) was estimated in 16 males (age 2 years, weight 48.5+/-8.6 kg) labelled with 2H. In addition, the field metabolic rate (FMR) was measured...

The bodyweight (bw), thoracic circumference, length and height of 11 llamas were recorded weekly from birth for 27 weeks. Their mean (sd) birth weight was 11.60 (2.35) kg and their weight increased in curvilinear fashion reaching 61.05 (13.75) kg after 27 weeks. Their average daily gains reached the highest value three weeks after birth and then de...

The objective of the study was to estimate daily milk intake in llama crias and relate nutrient intakes at peak lactation to growth data. Milk intake in 11 suckling llamas was estimated from water kinetics using deuterium oxide (D2O) at days 17, 66 and 128 post partum. The body water pool tended to decrease with age. Daily milk intakes averaged 2.6...

The objective of the study was to estimate daily milk intake in llama crias and relate nutrient intakes at peak lactation to growth data. Milk intake in 11 suckling llamas was estimated from water kinetics using deuterium oxide (D2O) at d 17, 66, and 128 postpartum. Daily milk intakes averaged 2.6, 2.3, and 2.0 kg at 17, 66, and 128 d postpartum, r...

Based on genetically predisposed patterns, behaviour allows rapid reactions towards environmental and internal stimuli with high response plasticity. Among adaptive behavioural and physiological reactions of fowl, thermoregulation is well investigated for its importance in poultry production. In the context of thermoregulation, plumage plays an imp...

Milk samples were collected weekly from 10 llamas during the first 27 wk after parturition under controlled stable conditions. Mean values for the concentrations of the major milk components across the lactation period were 4.70% fat, 4.23% protein, 5.93% lactose, 15.61% dry matter, and 22.62 mg/dL of milk urea N. All constituents were affected by...

Data on llama milk composition are very limited and the determination of llama milk composition during lactation is incomplete. In the present study, milk samples were taken weekly from six llamas during 27 weeks after parturition under controlled stable conditions. Mean values for the contents of the major milk components across the lactation peri...

In the present study, male layers and broilers were subjected to different housing (lighting period) and fattening conditions (duration of fattening and feed energy density) to compare their growth rate, feed efficiency, behaviour, carcass composition and meat quality. Males of light or medium heavy egg-type hybrids cannot compete with the growth i...

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of group size (2 and 4 sows) on cross- suckling and the synchronisation of nursing bouts in a group-housing system for lactating sows. The nursing and suckling behaviour of 18 sows and their piglets was observed. In the 2-sow system intervals between nursing bouts were significantly shorter, synchr...

22 individually kept geese were observed by video to get some informations about egg-laying behaviour. 60 egg-layings could be evaluated. There was shown, that • in the mean geese need more than three hours from beginning of nesting up to leaving the egg. • several kinds of nesting behaviour increase during last three hours before egg-laying. • foo...

Investigations were made to get some basically informations about diurnal behaviour of domesticated geese - in this fact of individually kept geese. Videoobservations were realized with female animals, kept in boxes (70 × 150 cm) littered with straw. The geese were in their second year of reproduction. In most of observed behavioural patterns there...