Dairy goats in intensive systems face welfare challenges from disbudding, kid separation, and housing conditions that restrict natural behaviour.
Goat kids disbudded without general anaesthesia experience acute and prolonged pain from the thermal or chemical destruction of horn tissue. Separation of kids from does causes distress responses in both animals. Goats in barren housing environments unable to climb, explore, and express natural foraging behaviour develop chronic stress and boredom. Social isolation for does during drying off and transition periods causes measurable stress responses. The welfare standards in dairy goat production have lagged behind improvements in dairy cattle management.