Dairy goat production involves welfare challenges including kid separation at birth, horn disbudding, and housing conditions that must be carefully managed to meet the behavioural and social needs of these intelligent, active animals.
Early maternal separation in dairy goat production causes acute distress responses in both does and kids that are among the most clear and measurable in farm animal welfare research. Does call persistently for their kids for days after separation; kids show reduced play behaviour, poorer immune function, and delayed social development compared to dam-reared individuals. Disbudding performed without adequate anaesthesia and analgesia is a painful procedure causing acute suffering. Goats in barren housing without climbing structures, social stability, or environmental complexity show stereotypic behaviours indicating welfare deficits. Higher welfare dairy goat production incorporating extended maternal contact, analgesia for disbudding, and enriched housing represents a meaningful improvement over conventional minimal-welfare systems.