The Kiko goat is not just a goat with an unusual name. It is a goat with an unusual ability to survive and gain weight. The word "Kiko" comes from the indigenous population of New Zealand and means "meat".
New Zealand was discovered in 1769 and colonized by Europeans. Part of this process included the importation of "milch" goats. Over time goats escaped into the wild. Since there were not natural predators for the goat in New Zealand, the feral goat herd thrived. Since they still had to survive kidding, weather, parasites and disease, over the course of years, natural selection resulted in an extremely vigorous and hardy goat.
The New Zealand farmer is an astute observer, and the hardiness of the feral goat was not lost upon him. In the 1970's a group of ranchers organized in order to develop a new meat goat. Today, this group is known as Goatex Group Limited, of Christchurch, New Zealand - the developers and breeders of Kiko goats.
To develop the breed, an unselected population of several thousand feral goats were captured and subjected to stringent selection for specified traits. Does were bred to domestic purebred bucks to introduced superior genetics. The goal was to increase the frame size, muscling and milk. A very strict breeding program was followed. Geneticists in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries assisted in drawing up guidelines and offering advice for the program.
Overall the two main criteria for selection were survivability and weight gain. No shelter was provided. No assistance was given during kidding. No supplemental feeding was offered in range conditions generally considered demanding. No hoofs were trimmed. Minimal parasite control was administered.
The animals that performed exceptionally were retained, and in 1986 the herd was closed to outside bucks. Outside does were slowly added if they met the selection criteria.
Today the Kiko is a large framed, early maturing goat that demonstrates exceptional conversion rates. They are not as heavily boned as some breeds; consequentially, they exhibit high cutability. This trait, combined with their lean, succulent carcass, yields a product that puts money back into the producer's pocket.
In circumstances that would stress the best of the four-legged critters, the Kiko prevails. The advantage to the commercial rancher is obvious. Unlike the hobby rancher who may have more time and resources than goats, the commercial rancher does not. Pet names tend to go out the window, and the burden of survival rests largely on the animal. It is not that ranchers get hard-hearted. They are still willing to get up in the middle of the night and often put care of their charges before their own well-being, but physical limitations draw the line.
The hybrid vigor resulting from crossing any breed of goat with the Kiko is astounding. In 1994, Goatex Limited performance-tested a group of Kiko/Boer cross males. The most startling aspect was that the 90-day weaning weight for the crossbred males was 1.86 kg greater than for purebred Boers and 1.71 kg higher than for purebred Kikos. The experiment was repeated in 1995 and the results were again confirmed.
In cutting trials, the Kiko-cross carcass yielded more meat per carcass than a purebred Boer but slightly less than a purebred Kiko. For the commercial meat goat rancher this appears to be the premier cross.
Kikos come in every color. However most Kikos in North America are white because mostly white goats were imported, and the white coat color is dominant.
Interestingly, some breeders in New Zealand and South Africa believe that growth rates in goats are related to coat color. There is some anecdotal evidence to support this belief. As the Kiko Breeding Up Program expands, more colored genes will be introduced into the gene pool with the resulting consequence of more colored Kikos. Some people believe this will be an asset to those ranchers living in areas with heavy predator infestation.
In order to protect the integrity of the breed, Goatex Group Ltd. formed a New Zealand Kiko Registry. All purebred animals leaving the country were fitted with a microchip and safeguards were built into the recordkeeping system to track every Kiko leaving New Zealand.
A limited number of registered purebreds have been brought into the United States. The American Kiko Goat Association is the American liaison with the New Zealand Registry for registering percentage and purebred Kiko Goats. A percentage breed-up program is available to new breeders with the 15/16 female (4th cross) considered purebred.