Drei Ziegen mit markanten Hörnern auf einer Wiese, die größte Ziege blickt direkt in die Kamera.

Over 300 sheep and goats

faced an uncertain future

From the perspective of an Aiderbichler

(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)

A woman who had dedicated her life to her animals was faced with the question of what to do with her large herd of sheep and goats. The farm was in danger of being evacuated and she herself might soon be left with nothing. The nightmare would have been if the animals’ final journey had led to the slaughterhouse.

At the Lebenshof, those animals that would otherwise have had no chance were given a chance. Many old and chronically ill animals were lovingly cared for. Rising vet and feed costs were almost impossible to cope with, and problems with the landlord also developed. All in all, not a rosy future.

Schafe mit unterschiedlichem Fell in einem Stall, einige mit Ohrmarken, Gemäuer und Zäune sichtbar.

Nahaufnahme eines Schafkopfes, der neugierig zwischen Stallgitterstäben hindurchblickt.

"My animals mean everything to me. This is my family, my children, my life"

Michael Aufhauser once said: “When we help animals, we also help people”. For Dieter Ehrengruber, Managing Director of Gut Aiderbichl, this statement is just as true as his own: “There is a solution for everything and there’s no such thing as can’t!”.

No effort was too great to build a mobile barn for the sheep and goats as quickly as possible. This stable was located at Gut Aiderbichl’s home farm in Eslarn, Germany. This is a place where horses, ponies and other animals have every wish read from their eyes. Michael knows his animals by name, talks to them, is sad with them when someone dies and happy when everything is harmonious all round. Now the animal family should become even bigger.

Mehrere Ziegen auf einer Weide, Vordergrund zeigt eine Ziege mit langen gedrehten Hörnern.

Schwarzweiße Ziege mit Hörnern und gelben Ohrmarken vor einer unscharfen grünen Kulisse.

How are the sheep and goats doing now?

Planning and construction were well thought out, quick and efficient, as winter was just around the corner. A cost-intensive, large, mobile barn was built out of the ground, which is also heated in winter. Meanwhile, the Aiderbichler staff at the farm were working tirelessly to ear-tag the huge herd. Somehow ear tagging doesn’t sound nice, but without ear tags the animals would not have been allowed to be transported for legal reasons. The transport was carried out very carefully.

Michael opened the doors of the transporter. An unbelievable number of questioning, big sheep and goat eyes looked out from inside the van, many little heads moved to the left, then to the right and the bleating and bleating seemed to ask: “Yes, where are we now?” – Michael smiled. There was emotion, joy and a gleam in the eyes of the people as well as the sheep and goats. The animals sniffed fresh straw and food and gave the impression that they felt at home.

Ziegen und Schafe verschiedener Rassen in einem hellen Stall mit Futterraufen.

Zwei junge Ziegen stehen unter einer Wärmelampe in einem Holzstall, umgeben von Stroh.

Ziegen verschiedener Rassen im Stroh unter rotem Wärmelicht in einem Stall von Gut Aiderbichl.

Since the arrival of the clever sheep and the curious goats, there has been a lot of bleating and bleating around the farm. The horses and ponies respond to the sheep and goats with loud and quiet neighing. Harmony among the animals – pure happiness.

From morning to night, the many sheep and goats roam the pastures as they please and enjoy their new, free life on the pastures of Eslarn.
“I think they are happy and content. They can run or lie down on the grass, they can soak up the sun and just be lazy. And there’s the best food and treats too!” – Michael’s contented, soft smile reveals that he feels very much at home among the many sheep and goats.

Drei Schafe mit schwarzen Köpfen und gekräuseltem Fell stehen auf einer Weide bei Gut Aiderbichl.

Gruppe von Ziegen verschiedener Rassen steht auf einer Wiese vor einem nebeligen Hintergrund.

And there are surprises too - the number in the temporary stable for mothers with their young is increasing

The Aiderbichler staff are no strangers to the fact that sometimes a newborn lies in the hay. When we take in animals, we often don’t know whether they might be pregnant. Goats and sheep are pregnant for an average of 150 days. It may well have been the case that some of the animals we took in were pregnant. These are the surprises.
“I think they are happy, we are doing our best. I just think that in the next few weeks there may be more baby animals to fill the temporary tent for mums and their young. Let’s see…”.

The goat mums and their little kids now live in the smaller temporary barn. They bleat all day long, especially when the sun is shining outside and the curious goats naturally want to feel the sun’s rays. Well, let’s see if the kindergarten grows any bigger?

Gut Aiderbichl has found that animal-loving people who love and respect animals provide great support for our important work in this case too – without these people, many things would not be possible. Thank you very much, Gisela