Goats have complex social and behavioural needs that are often poorly met in conventional housing systems, with targeted management improvements delivering significant welfare benefits.
Goat welfare is frequently compromised by housing designs that ignore their fundamental behavioural needs. Goats are browsers that prefer to eat at elevated positions, explore varied terrain, and maintain stable social hierarchies. Uniform flat flooring, monotonous environments, and frequent regrouping all impair welfare. Relatively simple modifications — elevated platforms, variable substrates, stable social groups, and browse materials — produce marked behavioural improvements and are cost-effective to implement.