Overview of Kiko & Boer percentages
Any time we combine two breeds, we end up with a "percentage" goat. So for instance a 75% Boer, with 25% Nubian, will be termed a "percentage Boer". Same for Kiko / Boer mixes. A 75% Kiko / 25% Boer or other breed would be a "Percentage Kiko".
The particular breeding of Boer & Kiko goats together produces a more resilient meat goat, especially in our region, where intestinal parasites are an issue due to the wet mountain climate.
Boers have a well defined, compact body type favored by many meat goat producers. They are beefy, and carry a fair amount of weight. The meat is very flavorful, and a goat with good conformation, will dress out at a hanging weight of 55% of live weight (FYI - goat and sheep will both put about 33% of live weight in the freezer, after processing depending on cuts).
Boers also have a number of drawbacks, among them, hoof challenges, low worm (parasite) resilience, and in some cases, poor mothering skills. Personally, I feel some of these issues have been "bred into" the full blood American Boer lines as the result of an over emphasis on "show qualities" over the last 25 years, whereby the traits required for hardy, consistent meat production have been ignored, for a goat that "looks good" in the show ring. Just one man's opinion, but pretty sure a lot of these issues weren't experienced in the original blood lines back in South Africa.
So, now we can discuss why most meat goat producers in the WNC mountains breed percentage Boers and Kikos. In a word PARASITE RESILIENCE. OK, that's two words, but you don't need any more description to understand the terrific challenge of keeping full blood Boers alive in the wet mountain environment. The main parasite culprit of course is the Barber Pole worm, Haemonchus contortus - the spawn of the devil. Read up on this worm, and you come to realize you'll need all the tricks and talents you can find to keep goats successfully in the mountains.
Kikos on the other hand are not so beefy, some say the meat tastes inferior to Boer goat meat. But they are infinitely easier to keep, less prone to anemia from worms, and mortality is therefore greatly reduced for the WNC goat herder. They are great mothers, have sound hooves, and hardy as well.
So how to end up with the "perfect meat goat"? Many say it's a percentage Kiko, or a simple 50 /50% mix of Boer and Kiko. Take a look below:
BO-KI = a 50% / 50% mix of Boer and Kiko.
"MEAT MAKER" GOAT = 75% Kiko & 25% Boer.
KI-BO = 5/8 Kiko & 3/8 Boer ( you get a Ki-Bo by breeding a Bo-Ki to a Meat Maker).
Personally, I've only had full blood Boer, so I cannot speak to the taste or texture of these percentages listed above. I'll report back one day when I can review any differences. However, I've seen studies that say even experienced goat meat diners cannot taste the difference in particular breeds, or even the age of goat...
The particular breeding of Boer & Kiko goats together produces a more resilient meat goat, especially in our region, where intestinal parasites are an issue due to the wet mountain climate.
Boers have a well defined, compact body type favored by many meat goat producers. They are beefy, and carry a fair amount of weight. The meat is very flavorful, and a goat with good conformation, will dress out at a hanging weight of 55% of live weight (FYI - goat and sheep will both put about 33% of live weight in the freezer, after processing depending on cuts).
Boers also have a number of drawbacks, among them, hoof challenges, low worm (parasite) resilience, and in some cases, poor mothering skills. Personally, I feel some of these issues have been "bred into" the full blood American Boer lines as the result of an over emphasis on "show qualities" over the last 25 years, whereby the traits required for hardy, consistent meat production have been ignored, for a goat that "looks good" in the show ring. Just one man's opinion, but pretty sure a lot of these issues weren't experienced in the original blood lines back in South Africa.
So, now we can discuss why most meat goat producers in the WNC mountains breed percentage Boers and Kikos. In a word PARASITE RESILIENCE. OK, that's two words, but you don't need any more description to understand the terrific challenge of keeping full blood Boers alive in the wet mountain environment. The main parasite culprit of course is the Barber Pole worm, Haemonchus contortus - the spawn of the devil. Read up on this worm, and you come to realize you'll need all the tricks and talents you can find to keep goats successfully in the mountains.
Kikos on the other hand are not so beefy, some say the meat tastes inferior to Boer goat meat. But they are infinitely easier to keep, less prone to anemia from worms, and mortality is therefore greatly reduced for the WNC goat herder. They are great mothers, have sound hooves, and hardy as well.
So how to end up with the "perfect meat goat"? Many say it's a percentage Kiko, or a simple 50 /50% mix of Boer and Kiko. Take a look below:
BO-KI = a 50% / 50% mix of Boer and Kiko.
"MEAT MAKER" GOAT = 75% Kiko & 25% Boer.
KI-BO = 5/8 Kiko & 3/8 Boer ( you get a Ki-Bo by breeding a Bo-Ki to a Meat Maker).
Personally, I've only had full blood Boer, so I cannot speak to the taste or texture of these percentages listed above. I'll report back one day when I can review any differences. However, I've seen studies that say even experienced goat meat diners cannot taste the difference in particular breeds, or even the age of goat...
