Kiko

The Kiko is a meat-type goat that New Zealand breeders developed through the 1980s. The name comes from a Maori word for flesh or meat, a fair description of what the breed is bred to do. Kiko goats were selected to put on weight on pasture and scrub rather than on heavy grain rations, and to get by in wet, hilly terrain with minimal handling from the farmer.

The breed's reputation rests on toughness. Breeders kept the goats on hard ground and culled the ones that could not cope, rather than nursing weak animals along. What came out of that selection is a goat that resists internal parasites better than most, walks long distances in search of browse, and kids down with little fuss. A mature doe typically weighs 45 to 65 kg (100 to 145 lb), with bucks running heavier still.

Farmers keep Kikos mainly for meat and for crossbreeding, where the breed's vigour lifts other meat lines. It also clears scrub and woody growth that many animals leave untouched, work that suits overgrown field bunds and fallow patches on Indian farms just as well as New Zealand hill country.

Who the Kiko suits

The Kiko suits farmers and smallholders who want a goat that earns its keep on open grazing with minimal input, the kind of low-cost rearing many Indian goat keepers already practise. It rewards extensive, range-style management far more than stall-feeding or confinement. Anyone looking for a small pet goat or a heavy milker should look elsewhere, since the Kiko was bred for meat and field toughness, not for cuddling or dairy yield.

Development of the Kiko began in the late 1970s and continued through the 1980s in New Zealand. Garrick and Anne Batten, working with the Caprinex Genetics group on the South Island, set out to breed a meat goat that could handle the country's wet, hilly farmland without much help.

The starting stock was feral goats that had already been surviving and breeding on their own across the New Zealand countryside for generations. Breeders crossed these hardy animals with imported dairy bucks, among them Anglo-Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg, to add size and growth speed while holding on to the feral line's ruggedness.

Selection did the rest of the work. The goats were run on rough land with little drenching, scant supplementary feed, and no help at kidding. Any animal that failed to stay healthy, raise its kids, or gain weight under those conditions was dropped from the breeding herd. Within a handful of generations, the line bred true for hardiness and growth, and the breed was named Kiko.

Kikos reached the United States in the 1990s, kept both as a purebred meat goat and as a cross to toughen other meat lines. Breed societies in the US and elsewhere now record Kiko pedigrees and percentage crosses.

The Kiko is a large, well-muscled goat with a deep barrel and strong, upright legs suited to covering long distances. Breeders selected for function rather than a fixed show look, so Kikos vary in size and colour more than breeds bred to a strict standard. The overall build is sturdy and athletic, not showy.

Bucks carry heavy, sweeping horns that curve outward and back, and does are horned too, though more lightly built. The head is medium in length with an alert, watchful expression. Hooves tend to stay tough and need less trimming than those of goats kept on soft, damp ground, a real advantage in pens that turn muddy through the monsoon.

Coat and colours

White predominates in the breed and was the favoured colour among early breeding stock, but Kikos also turn up in cream, tan, brown, black, and various combinations. The coat is fairly coarse and lies close to the body through the hot months, which suits long, humid Indian summers well. Where winters turn properly cold, the goats grow a heavier coat with some undercoat and shed it once the weather warms, though most keepers outside the higher hill tracts will rarely see that thicker winter coat at all.

Kikos are independent and self-reliant, a direct result of how the breed was shaped. They graze and browse across large areas on their own, stay watchful for threats, and respond fast when something startles them. Does mother their kids closely and defend them without much assistance from the farmer.

Around people the breed stays calm on the whole but is not particularly affectionate. Kikos handled regularly become easy to move and manage, while those raised out on open range can stay wary of strangers and are harder to catch. They are active, curious animals that will test a fence at the first weak point. Among their own kind they get along well and settle into a stable herd order, and they share pasture peaceably with other livestock, including cattle and buffalo on mixed farms. They are not a lap-goat breed, so anyone wanting a closer bond should plan on handling the kids often from an early age.

The Kiko was bred to get by with little daily fuss, but it still needs sound management. The core requirements are room to forage, strong fencing, shelter from harsh weather, including monsoon downpours and peak summer heat, and a regular health routine.

Grooming

• Brush now and then to clear loose hair during the spring shed.
• Check hooves every few months; Kiko hooves generally wear down well and need less trimming than breeds kept on soft, waterlogged ground.
• Look over the coat for ticks, lice, and skin trouble whenever you handle the goat, more so during and just after the monsoon.
• Keep horns and any wounds clean and under watch.

Exercise

• Give the goats open pasture or scrub so they can walk and forage every day.
• Let them get at brush and woody growth, which Kikos take to more readily than plain grass.
• Use rotational grazing to keep the forage fresh and cut down parasite build-up.
• Give them room; penned-up goats grow bored and can wreck fencing and shelters.

Environment

Kikos cope with wet, hilly, and cold conditions better than most goats, but they still need a dry, draught-free shed to get out of rain, wind, and heat, a real must through the monsoon months when damp bedding invites disease. Fencing has to be tall and tight, since the breed is athletic and will find any weak point. Clean water and free-choice minerals should be on hand at all times.

The Kiko is a forager at heart. Its diet should be built on good pasture, browse, and hay, with grain kept to a minimum. Adults on decent forage often need no grain at all, while growing kids, does in late pregnancy, and nursing does may need a top-up. Clean water and free-choice goat minerals should always be available, since goats need copper and selenium in amounts that ordinary cattle mineral mixtures, common on many Indian dairy farms, do not supply.

Treats and supplements

Small amounts of carrot, apple, or leafy browse make safe treats and handy training rewards. Free-choice loose minerals and baking soda support rumen health. In areas known to run low in selenium, and several parts of India fall into that category, follow local veterinary advice on selenium and vitamin E, since both too little and too much can cause harm.

The Kiko ranks among the tougher goat breeds because it was selected under hard conditions that weeded out poor performers. It shows better resistance to internal parasites than most goats and usually kids without assistance. That said, it is not immune to the standard goat ailments, and sound management keeps a herd healthy across varied climates, from humid coastal belts to dry inland tracts. With proper care, a Kiko typically lives 8 to 12 years.

Preventive care

• Use faecal egg counts to decide when deworming is actually needed, which protects the breed's natural resistance.
• Rotate pasture and avoid overgrazing.
• Keep vaccinations current, including CDT for clostridial diseases and tetanus.
• Offer free-choice goat minerals to head off copper and selenium deficiency.
• Trim hooves as needed and keep bedding dry, particularly through the monsoon.

Easy breeding sits at the heart of the Kiko's value. Does reach sexual maturity at around 7 to 12 months, though many breeders hold off until a doe is closer to a year old and properly grown before her first mating. Bucks can be fertile from about 5 to 7 months. Like most goats, Kikos in temperate regions tend to breed seasonally, cycling more strongly in autumn, though under tropical and subtropical conditions such as much of India, breeding activity can run closer to year-round.

Gestation runs about 145 to 155 days. Kiko does are known for easy kidding and strong mothering, so they typically deliver and raise their kids with little intervention needed. Twins are common, and some does manage triplets. The kids come out vigorous, standing and nursing within a short while, which fits the breed's low-input design. Many keepers wean kids at around 2 to 3 months, depending on growth and available pasture. Choosing replacement stock for the same hardy traits keeps the line strong over generations.