Barns designed for happy goats are better for the environment too

Goats are inquisitive creatures and skilled in seeking out twigs, leaves and grass. They play with anything they come across and are exceptionally good climbers. These behaviours are appropriate for a mountainous environment, rocky terrain and food that can be difficult to reach. The urge to behave in this way is still present in Dutch dairy goats, even though they have for many generations been kept in conditions different to those of wild goats. ‘Farmers certainly try to accommodate goats’ natural behaviour in today’s barns,’ says Daniel Puente Rodríguez, a sociologist in the Animal Farming Systems department at Wageningen Livestock Research, who specialises in science & technology studies and design processes. ‘However, the question is whether the current design of dairy goat barns, the deep-litter system, meets the requirements of better animal welfare and better environmental performance.’

Society at large is also concerned about other issues relating to livestock farming, as are the farmers themselves. Tighter restrictions are being placed on emissions of greenhouse gases and nitrogen, with each agricultural sector having to play its part. That includes goat farmers. ‘Goat manure stays in the barn for a long time. And even when it is removed, it’s stored in the farmyard where the emissions continue.’ 

Goat manure was never a major problem in the past as goats played a marginal role in Dutch agriculture. But goat farming as a sector started to grow substantially in the 1980s. ‘Since the 1980s, consumers have wanted a more diverse choice of food and they have had more money to spend,’ explains Puente. ‘On top of that, cow’s milk was subject to a quota for thirty years so new farmers often went for goats instead.’ The goat population now is almost half half a million dairy goats, making goat farming a medium-sized sector after chickens, pigs, cows and sheep. The barn design has however stayed the same, which is another reason to review the setup for goat barns.

In a project for the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, Puente and his colleagues have worked with emissions experts, animal welfare specialists and farmers on new designs based on the scientific literature. Puente: ‘We mapped the behavioural and physiological needs of dairy goats, along with possible measures to reduce ammonia and methane emissions. Then we combined several of these elements in an interactive design process. These designs take the overall picture into account, because if you try and improve one aspect of a barn, that can make another aspect worse. 

Goat farmers have been using the same kind of barn for centuries, with what is known as the deep-litter system. In this system, the floor is covered in straw. Puente: ‘Farmers and the general public have positive views on keeping animals on straw — a romantic image.’ Straw makes the barn less monotonous, providing slight height differences and opportunities for play. But it also has disadvantages. First, it is becoming increasingly expensive because arable farmers also use it to improve the soil. Furthermore, Puente has doubts whether straw is the best kind of surface from the point of view of the goats’ welfare given that goats goats spend more time on hard surfaces.