Importance of body weight, age and body condition in weaning of goat kids: a review

Weaning management in commercial goat farming is an imperative potential welfare issue. The future of successful dairy goat farming is mainly depending on scientific methods of rearing of and doeling for replacement stock. Accelerate the breeding cycle and improve the milk production early weaning is adopted in commercial goat farms. However, at early age kids are prone to weaning stress and being separated from their mothers and are often artificially reared with a milk substitute. But early weaning is the successful key for increase total amount of milk available for marketing milk, decrease the kid mortality, reduce labor and feed cost, and increase the early rumen development in kids. A complete milk diet in kids significantly reduces rumen development and should be avoided and stimulate solid feed intake. Early rumen development is essential for weaning goat kids and using feedstuff not utilized by non-ruminant animals. Delay weaning is costly and can be harmful to the development of a functional reticulo-rumen. Our review provides importance of body weight, age and body condition in early weaning weaned and artificially reared of goat kids.