Kiko Breed Information

WHY KIKOS?
We investigated and the best goat for our 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 and less less kidding problems -- in other words, less maintenance, heartache and less 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 CROSSES OFFER HARDINESS TO OTHER BREED HERDS
Dr. Richard Browning of Tennessee State University and Maria L Leite-Browning of Alambana A & M University have done a study including hundreds of goats, breeding the kiko goat to other breeds including, boer, spanish and nubian compared to breeding to their own breed. The kiko cross offspring stood out significantly when bred with other breeds. Comparisons were made related to birth weight, weaning weight, carcass weight, dressing out weight.

KIKO STATISTICS:
Kiko goats are becoming well known as wonderful moms, who most often kid twins and can maintain triplets 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)

WORD OF MOUTH:
I have heard of KIKOs flourishing in many climates, hot humid south, Canada, Alaska and owners throughout the United States. Cold weather does not harm the kiko. They prefer to be outdoors and rarely stay in the barn. This reduces infections and investations. Those that have tried one Kiko want more; they often get rid of the rest of their herd and go to all Kiko on their farm.

ASSOCIATION AFFILIATIONS

We are members of the International Kiko Goat Association and find that it has been a helpful resource to us.
If you raise or plan on raising kiko goats we encourage you to join. Click on the tab above titled links which will take you to our links page and click on IKGA for more details about kikos and the association.
We have recently became part of the founding membership of the American Goat Federation that serves to promote all goat breeds and advocate for goat farmers through the US Congress and other national organizations that influence the goat industry.