Topics for project and final theses

Also as a possible preparation for professional interviews and exams. Can be creative (interviews, quizzes, expert discussions...).

Within the framework of a literature analysis, it is to be determined to what extent there are differences in the occurrence of sternum injuries in different genetics. The question of whether fractures and deformities occur equally in all genetics will be answered.

An online survey will ask livestock farmers (e.g. small ruminants, cattle, pigs, poultry) which genetics they use and whether they are satisfied with them. In addition, the use of artificial insemination, semen sexing or the use of genomic information will be determined. Such data are not currently available and would thus provide an important insight into animal breeding issues in the organic sector.

Literature work on the initiatives, publications and projects that have dealt or are currently dealing with the topic of organic animal breeding or the use of adapted breeds in organic animal husbandry. The aim is to create an overview of which goals and ideas have been formulated and what has been put into practice so far.

In this paper, an overview of the pig breeds available in the Quantitative Trait Loci Database and the traits studied, taking into account small populations, will be given. At the same time, a user guide can be created.

In this paper, an overview of the cattle breeds available in the Quantitative Trait Loci Database and the traits studied, taking into account small populations, will be given. At the same time, a user guide can be created.

This work will use interviews to determine the prevalence of toe picking in different herds and whether there is a difference between hybrids.

In the context of this work, the animal welfare of dual-purpose hens and cockerels is to be determined. Different aspects such as health, behavior and the experience of positive emotions play a role. This work combines animal breeding with topics of farm animal ethology and is intended to contribute to the recording and increase of animal welfare in local breeds and dual-purpose chickens.

Climate change also demands considerable adaptations in the breeding of farm animals. Already in recent years and especially in the future, resilience will play a major role in the breeding of ruminants. Within the scope of a literature research, possible definitions for resilience in ruminants will be worked out and methods for recording this in the field will be compiled. Thereby, e.g. already used selection traits and survey methods can be compiled and supplemented by possible alternatives.

Organic turkey production also mainly uses high-yielding conventional provenances that are prone to various health problems. From a completed project, the evaluation of a very high quality data set with individually collected animal welfare indicators (including footpad and breast skin changes and lameness) in organically raised turkey origins is pending. The master's thesis may be in the form of a draft for a scientific publication and participation in the publication is given.

With the triumph of artificial insemination and genomic selection, fewer and fewer male mating partners are being used for breeding worldwide. In the long term, this leads to a decrease in genetic diversity. By means of simulation studies, the effect of natural mating will be considered, especially in the context of ecological husbandry practices.

The recording of the genetic diversity of local livestock breeds is important in order to be able to develop targeted conservation programs. Based on different genotyping techniques, diversity has been determined in a number of studies in recent years. In this paper, an overview of corresponding parameters will be provided and underlying definitions and calculation methods will be compiled.

Currently and historically, there is gene flow between the three populations. The aim of this work is to describe and quantify the gene flow. For this purpose, classical ancestry information and genomic information are used.

In this work, the potential of bulls from genetic reserves in the current population will be investigated. With the help of simulation studies and breeding planning calculations, different possible future situations will be investigated and compared.

The influence of the microbiome is increasingly the focus of various research questions. In this work, microbiomes of HF (recorded on the experimental farm Karkendamm of the CAU) will be compared with microbiomes of DSN (recorded on the state domain Frankenhausen).