Perspectives for Buck Kids in Dairy Goat Farming

Abstract

To start milk production, dairy goats need to give birth at least once. While most female kids are reared to become the next generation of dairy goats, only a small proportion of male kids (buck kids) are reared with reproduction aims. The market for buck kid meat, especially within Northern European countries, is currently relatively small compared to the number of bucks born. Therefore, the purposes for buck kids are limited and a substantial proportion of buck kid meat is used for pet food. Due to the limited economic value of buck kids, farmers are faced with a dilemma. Although raising bucks costs more money than it yields, the birth of kids is a prerequisite for production of milk and should be seen as an investment for business-wise healthy dairy goat farming. In that perspective, dairy goat farmers have an ethical responsibility toward buck kids, as well. In this paper, we compare various scenarios of dealing with the issue of surplus male animals. We provide recommendations for the rearing of buck kids based on the sector‘s experience and current practice in the Netherlands. Reducing the number of surplus (male) offspring, e.g., by an optimized prolonged lactation management and/or by artificial insemination with sex-sorted semen, could alleviate the issue of low value buck kids. Killing surplus animals before or directly after birth, on the other hand, is met with increasing societal scrutiny. Initiatives to propagate a market for buck kid meat for human consumption are important to enable a suitable and sustainable production system. To maintain the health and welfare of goat kids, amongst other factors, sufficient and good quality colostrum, milk, and an appropriate diet as they grow older, needs to be provided. One option to assure the safeguarding of health and welfare of all goat kids are quality assurance schemes for milk production. These schemes make dairy farmers accountable for the health and welfare of all kids in the rearing period, including the provision of colostrum and adequate care for newborn buck kids. We conclude that the combination of reducing the number of surplus kids, increasing the demand for goat products, and quality assurance schemes that may help to safeguard the welfare of buck kids.

Alkaline Dilution Alters Sperm Motility in Dairy Goat by Affecting sAC/cAMP/PKA Pathway Activity

“…In dairy goat breeding, to obtain greater economic benefits, it is necessary to breed more female kids than males. The most direct method to achieve this is to separate the X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm prior to insemination [ 3 , 4 ]. Flow cytometry is currently the most effective and widely used sperm separation method [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Goat’s milk is similar to human milk in terms of nutritional content and ease of digestion and is often the first choice for consumers [ 1 , 2 ]. In dairy goat breeding, male kids increase the feeding cost of the farm, and their value is lower than that of female kids; therefore, breeding more female kids can improve the economic benefits of a farm [ 3 , 4 ]. Previous studies have shown that the environmental pH can affect the motility and metabolism of rabbit sperm [ 5 ], hamster sperm [ 6 ], and human sperm [ 7 , 8 ].…”

The Impact of Lannea coromandelica Leaf Flour Supplementation on the Production Performance and Hematological Values of Local Goats

“…Productivity, inherently linked to the purpose of goat farming, is a key consideration in business activities such as this [7,8]. Various factors influence productivity, notably the level of production manifested as weight gain and slaughter yields.…”

Effects of Feeding Silage of Napier Pakchong 1 Fermented with Mung Bean Concentrate on Production Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Carcass Yield and Meat Quality of Male Dairy Goat

“…Saanen goats continue to be popular around the world because of their high volume of milk; research to characterise and select goats for higher production continues [1]. In the meantime, similar to other agricultural sectors specialized in female-derived products (dairy, eggs), practical and ethical issues arise as there are only limited purposes for surplus male offspring [3]. This leads to limited scientific data that exists for male dairy goat production and is probably similar to those identified in male dairy calves [4].…”

“…This leads to limited scientific data that exists for male dairy goat production and is probably similar to those identified in male dairy calves [4]. In the Netherlands, virtually all surplus male goats are fattened for either pet food or human consumption [3].…”