Kikos Make Great Meat Goats

Kikos Make Great Meat Goats 30-6-7 Good mothers, good milkers and multiple births make Kiko goats a good choice for meat production. They are also great for cross breeding, says Michael Wade, Kiko producer and vice president of the International Kiko Goat Association (IKGA). Cross breeding is important, as Wade estimates there are only about 2,800 pure blood Kikos in the U.S. "They were developed in New Zealand in the 1980's. About 100 were brought here in 1992 and expanded through cross breeding. We've been told there are none left in New Zealand," says Wade. Kikos were developed by crossing feral New Zealand goats with dairy goats. The hope was to harness feral goat hardiness and vigor while increasing their size and milk production to support multiple births. The original breeding program selected for growth with no supplemental feeding or hoof trimming. Goats with foot problems were culled. Wade says the effort succeeded. "I started breeding Boer goats and had problems with parasites, pneumonia, poor mothering and bad feet," he says. "I saw an article on Kikos and started breeding them. I haven't had a sick goat in years or problems with parasites or feet. They are very prolific and can kid on their own." Kiko breeders select for twinning with most does culled if they produce two singles in two years. Wade maintains the breed is very low maintenance, especially when given a variety of forage and browse to select from. Wade runs his goats at about five head per acre. He suggests that the biggest problem in goat production is over grazing. "People will put 20 to 30 goats per acre and end up with parasite problems," he says. "With enough good forage and minerals, they can pick out what they need. Sometimes they will eat a plant in the spring, but they won't eat the same plant in the fall." In the New Zealand program, Kiko kids were compared to Romney lambs that gained 0.35 lbs. per day. The Kikos gained 0.36 lbs. Wade says the fast growth is another reason he made the switch to Kikos. "My kids reach 50 lbs. at four months without grain, which is a good size for market kids," he says. "Dr. Richard Browning, an animal scientist at Tennessee State University, has shown that the Kiko produces a higher rate of gain than Boer and Spanish goats." Because the Kiko breed started with a relatively small number, most purebreds in the U.S. and Canada have been bred up by crossing with other breeds and then backcrossing with Kiko bucks to a point of 94 percent or higher Kiko blood. By the fourth generation, they're considered purebred. Breeders with original purebred New Zealand Kikos on both male and female sides sell their breeding stock at a premium. Offspring from the so called New Zealand Kikos, numbering about 800 registered in North America, sell for $500 to $10,000 for bucks or does. Purebred bucks and does produced by back crossing to Kiko bloodlines will sell for up to $1,000. As part of an effort to promote the Kiko as a source for hybrid vigor, the IKGA promotes a 3/4 Kiko and 1/4 Boer cross trademarked as the "American Meat Maker." Half Boer, half Kiko kids are marketed under the BoKi trademark name. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Island Creek Goat Farm, Michael Wade, 2762 Island Creek Dr., Hillsville, Va. 24343 (ph 276 728-3894; kikogoats2002@yahoo.com; http://home.earthlink.net/~kikogoats2002/).

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