Lots of manual labour and a Weidemann

The family business for geese breeding in Königswartha manages with a lot of dedication and manual labour. A 2070 CX50 LPT from Weidemann provides optimal support for the specialised work processes.

The company Eskildsen GmbH is a breeding and fattening business for geese. In addition to breeding different pure and hybrid lines, offspring are fattened at various locations and down and feather products are offered. The main breeding operation is located at the Königswartha location in Lausitz. A total of six pure breeding lines are tracked here, including the German laying goose. In addition, hybrid breeds are bred for fattening.

“The daily feeding of up to 8,000 breeding geese requires a great deal of manual labour,” explains production manager Danilo Scholz. A Weidemann was purchased about two and a half years ago to provide a great deal of support. “In addition to the mucking out and spreading of hay in the stalls as well as the daily feeding, the Weidemann must also help with construction work,” says Danilo Scholz, “we need a very flexible machine for this purpose.” The geese breeder therefore chose a wheel loader with a low overall height, which can easily drive into the low stables. In addition, the telescopic arm minimises the manual labour when mucking out and easily overcomes high sideboards. The employees build canopies over the open areas to protect the animals and the groundwater.

Of course, the construction work is carried out on their own. The 2070 with a telescopic arm is also used here. For the work that the wheel loader cannot manage due to the lifting height, the production manager sometimes hires a T6025 telehandler. The main breeding takes place in four large pens. These are in turn divided into group compartments. The geese and gander living here enjoy a generous open space of over 1 m² per animal as well as a partly covered outlet. The stalls are regularly spread with hay and mucked out with the Weidemann. The 2070 LPT is also used when feeding with a special Eskildsen feed mixture.

In contrast to this, the smaller compartments in the line breeding must be mucked out daily by hand. “The stalls designed for four geese and a gander are even too narrow for a Weidemann,” explains Danilo Scholz. “We therefore put the machine into gear and load the bucket by hand.” After the chicks have hatched in the farm’s own hatchery, they go to the upbringing stall for four weeks. They can then spend the summer outdoors. Then in August, they can socialise with the other geese. After this rest phase, a new laying phase begins again in February. Throughout their entire lives, the breeding geese of Eskildsen GmbH are accompanied by a Weidemann; it is therefore no surprise that they are not afraid of the big red machine at all!