Intensive dairy goat production has expanded significantly to meet growing demand for goat milk and cheese, with welfare challenges including high-yielding health problems, housing constraints, and kid separation.
Dairy goat welfare in intensive indoor systems is compromised by restriction of the species highly motivated exploratory and climbing behaviour, early kid separation causing distress in both does and kids, and the health consequences of high milk yields. Goats are particularly sensitive to social disruption and novel environments, making management changes more stressful than in cattle. The welfare improvement potential from environmental enrichment including climbing structures, browse provision, and delayed kid separation is substantial and largely unrealised in commercial systems.