Early life management of goat kids significantly determines their welfare trajectory, with colostrum provision, social contact, and appropriate housing critical in the first days and weeks of life.
Goat kids face welfare challenges concentrated in their early life. Inadequate colostrum intake leaves kids vulnerable to disease and hypothermia. Disbudding, routinely performed without adequate pain relief in many systems, causes acute and post-procedural pain. Housing in individual pens without social contact is common but prevents normal social development and causes chronic stress. Pair or small-group housing from birth, together with prompt colostrum provision, appropriate analgesia for all disbudding, and attentive health monitoring significantly improves welfare outcomes.