Dairy goat farming has expanded rapidly worldwide, but welfare standards lag behind those of cattle in many regions.
Dairy goats experience welfare challenges at every life stage: painful disbudding as kids, early separation from mothers, monotonous housing environments, and inadequate social structures in large commercial herds. Goats are inquisitive, athletic animals that fare badly in stripped environments. Welfare-conscious goat dairies provide disbudding anaesthesia, extended dam-rearing, browsing enrichment, and complex environments with varied terrain.