Survey of husbandry and health on UK commercial dairy goat farms

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Anzuino, K., Knowles, T. G., Lee, M. R. F. and Grogono-Thomas, R. 2019. Survey of husbandry and health on UK commercial dairy goat farms. Veterinary Record. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105274

AuthorsAnzuino, K., Knowles, T. G., Lee, M. R. F. and Grogono-Thomas, R.
Abstract

Published research relevant to the UK dairy goat industry is scarce. Current practices and concerns within the UK dairy goat industry must be better understood if research is to have optimal value. A postal survey was conducted of the farmer membership of the Milking Goat Association as a first step in addressing gaps in knowledge. Questions were asked about husbandry practices, farmer observations of their goats and their priorities for further research. Seventy two point nine per cent of Milking Goat Association members responded, representing 38% of commercial dairy goat farms and 53% of the commercial dairy goat population in England and Wales. Findings were comprehensive and showed extensive variation in farm practices. Farmers reported pneumonia and scours (diarrhoea) as the most prevalent illnesses of their kids. Pneumonia, diarrhoea, failure to conceive and poor growth were the most prevalent observations of youngstock. Overly fat body condition, assisted kidding, failure to conceive and difficulty drying off were the most prevalent observations of adult milking goats. Farmers top priorities for further research were kid health (79.5% of farmers), Johne’s disease (69.5% of farmers), tuberculosis (59% of farmers) and nutrition (47.7% of farmers).

KeywordsGoats; Surveys; Welfare; Health; Dairy
Year of Publication2019
JournalVeterinary Record
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105274
Open accessPublished as non-open access
FunderMilk Goat Association
University of Bristol
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online14 Aug 2019
Publication process dates
Accepted25 Jun 2019
PublisherBMJ Publishing Group
ISSN0042-4900

Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/8wyv5/survey-of-husbandry-and-health-on-uk-commercial-dairy-goat-farms

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