WHY KIKOS?
We investigated and the best goat for most purposes was the KIKO Goat. The Kiko was developed in New Zealand, which has a temperate climate much like that of the Southeastern United States. The kiko goat is an ideal meat goat for the mid to southeastern half of the nation (our part of the world). Unlike the Boer goat, which was developed in the very hot, very arid savanna of South Africa, the Kiko is right at home in the humid climate of the Eastern U.S. This means the Kiko needs less deworming, less hoof trimming, has less disease, less kidding problems -- in other words, less maintenance, heartache and work for us.

Kiko Breed History:
A group of large scale farmers from New Zealand formed a corporation known as The Goatex Group, LLC. Its goal was to produce an extremely hardy meat goat breed capable of not only surviving without intervention under rugged conditions, but also producing fast-growing meat kids in these conditions. Foundation animals weren't assisted at kidding or provided supplementary feed or shelter, and no one dewormed them or trimmed their hooves. The weak died and goats that failed to perform were rigorously culled. Early on large-framed dairy bucks were added to the mix to increase size and milking ability, but 1n 1986 the herd was closed to outside bucks. In 1992 these goats were exported to the United States.

Kiko goats are extremely hardy and have a high feed conversion rate (the ability to convert feed efficiently to marketable meat); they have lighter bones than other breeds but have large frames that pack on a lot of meat. Kiko kids are born small to nearly eliminate kidding problems, but grow at astounding rates. Kikos are exceptional moms, protective and even first time moms rarely fail to mother their kids. Kiko kids are extremely active, up and seeking a teat minutes after birth, they are highly efficient browsers requiring little in the way of supplementary feeding They're also worm-resistant and their hooves rarely need trimming.
 
(Storey's Guide to Raising Meat Goats-Managing, Breeding, Marketing)

Kiko goats are becoming well known as wonderful moms who consistently kid twins without human intervention. The kids are vigorous and "hit the ground running". They grow rapidly, have sound feet, are parasite-resistant, need minimal maintenance input and reach sexual maturity early.
A recent major university study comparing Kiko to Boers showes that per doe exposed to the buck Kikos have:

A: Larger litter size (49.5% larger)
B: More weaned litter weight (52.7% more)
C: Faster kid growth (14.8% faster)
D: Better doe survival (26.3% better)
E: Less kid death loss (72.7% less)