Culling and replacement in the large dairy goat herds of western France

Abstract

Culling and replacement policies, as well as characterising economical parameters, had been studied for 2 successive campaigns in 20 dairy goat herds of 100 to 250 goats in western France. These policies has been described by the out and in flow levels and their composition at herd level in each campaign. This description evidenced a large diversity of situations among the farms but also within the farms from one year to the following one. About culling, the relative importance of the different reasons were also very varied, especially when considering the proportions for health reason and low production respectively. Whereas the replacement costs are related to the direction and the level of herd size variation which are looked for in the situation at herd level, they are also related to the technical and economical efficiency of the replacement stock rearing activity. This efficiency had been measured by the rearing cost of a replacement goat kid, the value of which has been shown to vary between 450 F and 1050 F, with a median value of 750 F. Technical and economical descriptors of these policies are recommended to be used when a global herd evaluation or a herd health and production programme has to be performed in a large dairy goat herd.