Koetellen

Koetellen is the systematic counting of cattle within an agricultural operation to establish an up-to-date inventory of a herd. The term derives from Dutch words koe (cow) and tellen (to count) and is used in farm management and agricultural administration to support planning, breeding, feeding, and welfare efforts.

The scope of koetellen includes recording the number of cattle, breed composition, age or production stage, and health status. Traditionally, counts were performed by manual headcounts at each pen or pen-by-pen checks. In modern practice, koetellen is often supported by animal tagging, ear tags, and farm management software. Some operations use automated counting devices, RFID gates, or weighing systems to streamline tallying and reduce disturbance to animals.

Applications of koetellen include inventory control, compliance with livestock regulations, planning for feed and housing, monitoring breeding programs, and enabling accurate dairy or meat production estimates. Regular tallies help identify losses, unrecorded mortality, or misplacements and contribute to welfare assessments and disease surveillance.

Critically, koetellen can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, potentially causing stress to animals during handling. Automation and digital record-keeping mitigate these drawbacks but require investment and data management. As farming becomes increasingly data-driven, koetellen often forms part of integrated herd-management strategies that combine practical counting with technological solutions. See also livestock census, herd management, and animal health surveillance.