Kiko goat

kiko goat
a black-and-white nanny and kid lying on the grass
Country of originNew Zealand
Distribution
Usemeat
Traits
Skin colourvariable
Horn statushorned or polled
Beardbearded
  • Goat
  • Capra aegagrus hircus

The Kiko is a breed of meat goat originating from New Zealand.[1] Kiko comes from the Māori word for meat.[2]: 392 [3] The Kiko breed was developed in the 1980s by Garrick and Anne Batten, who cross-bred local feral goats with imported dairy goat bucks of the Anglo-Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg breeds. The only aims of the breeding programme were fast rate of growth and ability to survive in the pastoral conditions of the New Zealand hill country.[4]

The Kiko breed was imported into the United States in 1992 by Goatex Group LLC.[5] Today, three registries exist in the US for Kikos: the AKGA, the IKGA, and the NKR, the latter of which is the largest of the three. Through these agencies, Kikos could be registered as 100% New Zealand, meaning that their lineage can be traced all the way back to the original New Zealand stock.[6] "Purebreds" refer to goats that are at least 15/16ths New Zealand stock[6] and "percentages" are those that are at least 50% New Zealand stock.[6] Kiko-Boer crosses can also be registered as Genemaster™ through the NKR.

References

  1. ^ Breed data sheet: Kiko/New Zealand. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2015.
  2. ^ Kiko Goats: A Rare Breed of New Zealand Origin. Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand. Accessed November 2015.
  3. ^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
  4. ^ Garrick J. Batten (1987). A New Meat Goat Breed. Proceedings of the IV International Conference on Goats, Brasilia, Brazil, 2: 1330–1336.
  5. ^ "Kiko Goats in the USA". Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand.
  6. ^ a b c The National Kiko Registry Handbook


Stub icon

This article about an even-toed ungulate is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.