Renewed interest in the significance of Animal-Source Foods (ASF) in addressing a variety of health issues in developing countries, most notably stunted growth in children, has arisen recently. Although ASF products constitute an important source of proteins and essential nutrients for young children, empirical evidence on the relationship between ASF production and child growth is limited, especially studies using a longitudinal cohort. This study contributes to the literature by unveiling the multiple causal mechanisms between ASF production and child health, using lagged individual-level indicators. Leveraging on an eight-round panel dataset from central Madagascar, a region with relatively low milk intake and high stunting rates, findings indicate that only lagged milk production is positively and significantly associated with the height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) and stunting of children under 5 years of age. The possible transmission channels at the household level are sustained frequency and probability of milk consumption, and improved welfare, suggesting that production of milk and dairy products is an important driver of long-term growth gains among children in this region.