Dairy and meat goats are farmed in diverse systems globally, with welfare challenges including housing, kidding practices, and the fate of unwanted male kids.
Goat welfare receives less scientific attention than cattle or pig welfare despite the enormous global goat population and the significant welfare challenges in commercial production. The dairy goat industry has a structural male kid problem similar to the egg industry male chick problem: male kids have no productive value and their fate is often rapid culling or sale into low-welfare veal-style systems. Addressing this requires either finding productive uses for male kids or developing in-ovo or early sex determination technologies. Housing and husbandry standards for goats are often below those required for cattle in the same jurisdiction.