Dairy goat production involves separating kids from mothers within hours or days of birth, a practice with significant welfare consequences for both mothers and young animals.
The welfare of dairy goat kids mirrors many of the concerns in dairy cattle production but receives far less attention. Maternal separation causes acute distress in both does and kids, evidenced by prolonged vocalizations and stress hormones. Disbudding without analgesia inflicts unnecessary pain. Dam-rearing alternatives being explored in small-scale dairies show that profitable production and better mother-offspring welfare can coexist with appropriate management.