Meijer Ellen, Goerlich Vivian C, van den Brom René, Giersberg Mona F, Arndt Saskia S, Rodenburg T Bas
Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Royal GD, Department of Small Ruminant Health, Deventer, Netherlands.
Front Vet Sci. 2021 Oct 15;8:662102. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.662102. eCollection 2021.
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.
为了开始产奶，奶山羊需要至少产仔一次。虽然大多数雌性幼崽被饲养以成为下一代奶山羊，但只有一小部分雄性幼崽（公羔）被以繁殖为目的饲养。与出生的公羔数量相比，目前北欧国家对公羔肉的市场需求相对较小。因此，公羔的用途有限，相当一部分公羔肉被用作宠物食品。由于公羔的经济价值有限，养殖户面临两难境地。尽管饲养公羔成本高于收益，但产仔是产奶的前提条件，应被视为明智的健康奶山羊养殖业务的一项投资。从这个角度来看，奶山羊养殖户对公羔也负有道德责任。在本文中，我们比较了处理多余雄性动物问题的各种方案。我们根据荷兰该行业的经验和当前做法，为公羔的饲养提供建议。减少多余（雄性）后代的数量，例如通过优化延长泌乳管理和/或使用性别分选精液进行人工授精，可以缓解低价值公羔的问题。另一方面，在出生前或出生后直接杀死多余的动物，正受到越来越多的社会审视。推广供人类食用的公羔肉市场的举措对于建立合适且可持续的生产系统很重要。为了维持山羊幼崽的健康和福利，除其他因素外，需要提供充足且优质的初乳、牛奶以及随着它们长大提供合适的饮食。确保所有山羊幼崽健康和福利的一个选择是牛奶生产质量保证计划。这些计划使奶农对饲养期内所有幼崽的健康和福利负责，包括提供初乳和对新生公羔的充分照料。我们得出结论，减少多余幼崽数量、增加山羊产品需求以及质量保证计划相结合，可能有助于保障公羔的福利。
