Goats are increasingly farmed for milk production globally, with welfare challenges relating to housing, dehorning, disbudding, and kid separation practices.
Goats are highly intelligent, social animals that suffer under poor housing conditions. Zero-grazing systems deny goats their natural ranging behavior and are associated with increased foot problems, respiratory disease, and behavioral abnormalities. Disbudding without adequate pain relief causes acute suffering and has long-term neurological effects. Maternal separation causes vocalization and behavioral distress in both does and kids. Male kids in dairy systems are often killed at birth as they have no value. Higher-welfare systems allow goats access to outdoor areas, use pain-free disbudding protocols, and maintain natural suckling periods or provide adequate enrichment for bottle-fed kids.