# Meat Goats



## BarredRockMomma (Apr 16, 2012)

I am thinking about getting into meat goats. Just learned I may have a place to keep them.  I was wondering what breeds or crosses are the best for meat, fast turn around time, low start up cost, good teperment, ect. Any information would be welcomed.


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Apr 16, 2012)

Boer and many Boer crosses,
Kiko and kiko crosses


----------



## Hillsvale (Apr 16, 2012)

I have also had boer nubian crosses


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Apr 16, 2012)

Hillsvale said:
			
		

> I have also had boer nubian crosses


We really like our boer/nubian crosses for show wethers, but they are a little more high strung and loader that a full-blood boer. 

Kiko's are nice, but really require good fencing and more grazing space than what we have. They can be a little more wild than some of the breeds. If I did some kiko, I would do kiko/Boer crossed does and breed a boer buck to them so I wouldn't have to deal with a kiko buck.


----------



## Hillsvale (Apr 16, 2012)

haven't heard of kikos around here... I liked the cros boer nubian, both our wethers were really friendly. We have one boer doe ho lets the cutest little bleep out of her... the other one screaches so loud we have named her Tina Turner... considered selling her she is so loud. My three does are all due to kid shortly...


----------



## SDBoerGoats (Apr 16, 2012)

Totally agree with 20K. We raise Boer goats, and have one Boer/Nubian cross and 2 Boer/Kiko cross does, one Spanish/Boer cross, the rest are fullblood and purebred Boers.. The first BoKi kidded this past January and her kids were the fastest of all our kids to get up and nurse. Fastest growing. We weighed them this weekend and the buckling is at 75 pounds now. The doeling is a little smaller, at around 60. Their feet honestly don't need trimming as often as our Boers. We haven't any trouble with fences with them but we only have the 2 crosses.

Hanna, our new BoKi, is due anytime, so we shall see what she produces. She is bred to a paint Boer.


----------



## mama24 (Apr 16, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> Hillsvale said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Really? What have you heard about kiko bucks? I didn't realize they had a reputation. My little doe is half kiko, and I met her dad when I visited their farm and picked my 2 girls out of the doe pen. The 2 bucks, the kiko and an enormous boer, were still separated and were well into rut. The boer stayed away from the fence, but the kiko was right there smiling and wanting some love from us. We scratched him with sticks. Lol. He was an absolute sweetie, and I was told he was a very good boy. My girl, his daughter, is petty wild though. I was hoping to use her for milk. She is definitely making more than enough, but I'm getting really tired of having to play chase and catch every time, so I've been thinking about giving up on her and just using my other. But I'm worried the other won't be as much if a milk machine as she is. My half boer half saanen girl is definitely more friendly, more like a big dog. She's always up in our business while the little kiko hangs back and watches us like she just knows we're up to something. Lol. I couldn't resist her, she's gorgeous and always looks like she's smiling, just like her dad. And while she's only 1/4 nubian, she passed her beautiful coloring onto her daughter. I'm hoping her daughter will be tamer since we treat our goats like pets. They came from a very large herd and weren't handled much.


----------



## Mamaboid (Apr 16, 2012)

Fainters and fainter crosses.  Tenderest meat, easy keepers, don't jump fences, disease resistant, come in all sizes, colors and hair lengths, Great personalities, usually have multiple easy births.  And they are adorable


----------



## manybirds (Apr 16, 2012)

i was going to get a kiko/boer cross buck for myself (if u cant find that just kiko or just boer) and standard regular haired mytonic (fainting) doe's to breed to him and market the babies


----------



## Roll farms (Apr 17, 2012)

I've only had one Kiko buck, so this isn't "loads" of experience talking, but he was E.V.I.L.  
Destroyed solid oak barn doors, took out fences, chased my daughter w/ blood in his eyes, and it took 4 grown men to load him when we sold him.  And he wasn't in rut for most of that.  He was a son of "Loverboy", one of the original Kiko bucks...He produced awesome kids for us, and yes they out performed our pb and % boers....but he wasn't worth the aggravation.
We joked that he 'flossed his teeth on hot wire and scratched his butt w/ barbed wire' b/c NOTHING phased him.

I warned the buyer he was 'mean spirited' and he sort of laughed at me, like "silly woman, I can handle a GOAT, I'm used to cattle."

2 wks later I saw him w/ a black eye / knot on his head....the buck got him after all.  :/


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Apr 17, 2012)

manybirds said:
			
		

> i was going to get a kiko/boer cross buck for myself (if u cant find that just kiko or just boer) and standard regular haired mytonic (fainting) doe's to breed to him and market the babies


Aren't mytonic does(fainters) a smaller breed than boer or kiko?  I do know that kiko on the average have smaller kids than boers, I personally wouldn't breed fainter does to boer bucks.  But can't say I have that much experience with the subject.


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Apr 17, 2012)

A recap of thoughts: 

Kiko's do have fantastic growth rate, and the mom's are great parents.  I do beleive that the bone to muscle ratio isn't quite as good as a boer goat.  Boer goats have a ton of muscle, but they do require grain and more consistant parasite management to keep putting on that muscle. This isn't to say that you never have to worm a kiko, especially if you have them in a smaller space and not tons of browse and rotational grazing. 

If you have lots of space, lots of graze, good fencing I would go with a kiko or kiko/boer cross, 

If you want to sell more animals to 4H kids as wethers, eventually do some showing, or have smaller space and plan on supplementing anyway then boer or boer crosses might be a good option. 

If you have very little space, and not much for fencing, then a fainter might do well, I am positive they are a smaller breed and grow a little slower. It would be next to impossible to show them in a 4H meat goat class. 

88% or 93% boer x Nubians or even x Alpines make great show wethers or fullbloods

I personally would love to try a couple 50% beor x 50% kikos by my husband doesn't want to .


----------



## BarredRockMomma (Apr 17, 2012)

Thank You all for your input. I will start looking for the boer/nubian crosses and the fainters. As I find them I am sure that I will be asking more questions.


----------



## SDBoerGoats (Apr 17, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> A recap of thoughts:
> 
> Kiko's do have fantastic growth rate, and the mom's are great parents.  I do beleive that the bone to muscle ratio isn't quite as good as a boer goat.  Boer goats have a ton of muscle, but they do require grain and more consistant parasite management to keep putting on that muscle. This isn't to say that you never have to worm a kiko, especially if you have them in a smaller space and not tons of browse and rotational grazing.
> 
> ...


I am always looking for more Kiko crosses but they are expensive here. And the 2 does I have are not wild at all. When we bought Pixie last year, they were in a huge dry lot and the lady said she was hard to catch. We brought her home and the next day when we went out to grain she was in our pocket and has been ever since. So I don't know why they thought she was wild because we did nothing to try and tame her, she was already that way. 

Out of the 7 does we bought last month, one is also a Boer/Kiko cross. The other 6 are fullblood and percentage Boer. None of these does are gentle at all, hard to catch even in the small pen and will run through you if you try to block the door. I think they were just raised out on the hillside, and not even brought in for basic care as they all turned out to be in poor condition. (I am not happy with that at all, as I like my does gentle so if I need to catch them for something, it is not a rodeo!) BUT Hannah, the Kiko/Boer cross, is the ONE that is easily caught and when you put your hands on her she isn't trying to crash and thrash away from you. I think it is a lot like any animal, there are different types of personalities within all breeds.

 But I do have to say, I find my Nubian crosses hard headed and stubborn, but dog gentle and loving. My Spanish cross, Ginger, is a little wilder and flightier than the other goats, true to the Spanish side of her. I bought her when she was 3 months old and she was kept up in a pen for handling etc just like the other 2 I bought that day. They're gentle and easy to catch, she still isn't. 
The 2 Boer/Kiko's are gentle and easy to catch, don't mess with fences, or jump out of pens. So....I am loving the Kikos. I'd love to find a Kiko buck that didn't break the bank to cross on my fullbloopd does and get some Genemasters.


----------



## mama24 (Apr 17, 2012)

I only paid $125 each for my 2 does. The Boer/Saanen was bred to the Kiko buck before I brought her home. The little Kiko/Nubian wasn't supposed to be bred, but she kidded last week. Her dad was probably the father of her baby. Lol. But that means little Cookie is probably 3/4 Kiko. That's pretty much the going rate around here for mixed breed goats. I think they're much cheaper here than other parts of the country. There are a lot of goats here.


----------



## manybirds (Apr 17, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> I've only had one Kiko buck, so this isn't "loads" of experience talking, but he was E.V.I.L.
> Destroyed solid oak barn doors, took out fences, chased my daughter w/ blood in his eyes, and it took 4 grown men to load him when we sold him.  And he wasn't in rut for most of that.  He was a son of "Loverboy", one of the original Kiko bucks...He produced awesome kids for us, and yes they out performed our pb and % boers....but he wasn't worth the aggravation.
> We joked that he 'flossed his teeth on hot wire and scratched his butt w/ barbed wire' b/c NOTHING phased him.
> 
> ...


................. if satan had a goat.


----------



## Mamaboid (Apr 17, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> manybirds said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would do this the other way around if it were me.  Fainter bucks are wonderfully calm, non aggressive goats, and I would think they would as a general rule be smaller (shorter and squarer ) than the kiko.  I would always breed the smaller buck to the larger doe.  Just one more place to eliminate the potential for problems.  I have a nubian/kiko cross doe that will be bred to one of our fainter bucks.  Am anxious to see what we get.......if we can ever get her to breed/


----------



## manybirds (Apr 17, 2012)

Mamaboid said:
			
		

> 20kidsonhill said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


not a bad idea


----------



## SDBoerGoats (Apr 18, 2012)

mama24 said:
			
		

> I only paid $125 each for my 2 does. The Boer/Saanen was bred to the Kiko buck before I brought her home. The little Kiko/Nubian wasn't supposed to be bred, but she kidded last week. Her dad was probably the father of her baby. Lol. But that means little Cookie is probably 3/4 Kiko. That's pretty much the going rate around here for mixed breed goats. I think they're much cheaper here than other parts of the country. There are a lot of goats here.


There is a big Kiko goat ranch here in Oregon, Lookout Point Ranch, and the unregistered does go for $350-$450. The registered doelings are $475-$675. 

These people are the USA representative for Garrick Batten's company, Caprinex, the New Zealand founder of the breed. Their current herdsires and many of their does were imported directly from Caprinex's New Zealand operation. So maybe that's why they cost so much, I think they are pretty much the only ranch I know of that has a large scale Kiko operation. In reading up on their website, one thing they state is they cull for behavioral problems, and the wild and flighty goats, in addition to the "blue" color, which they found to be wilder than others. They want animals that are easy to work with. But man, reading the way they raise their goats, it's a tough it out kind of deal. They are raised out in the hills, no worming or trimming. They kid out there, if the kids get eaten by coyotes or if the doe has a problem delivering, I guess it's Oh well! I don't know if I could do that! 

But I do love the Kiko's, just so far I have only coughed up the money for 2 Kiko/Boer crosses. I don't even know if mine go back to that ranch or not, but like I said, they are the only large scale Kiko breeders around here. Sorry so long! Just my take on the Kiko's and what I know of them around these parts. I like the 2 crosses a lot and the one had beautiful BIG babies and they are fast growers. Hannah is due any day, so we shall see what she does.


----------



## Chris (Apr 19, 2012)

A friend of ours at one time a line of meat goats that was a 4 way cross of a Boer /Nubian /Angora /Saanen.
The cross made for huge goats that were very fast growing.

Chris


----------



## Mitransplant (Apr 19, 2012)

SO....... If I read this right, the fainter have very little trouble with worms and other things and are mild behavior wise? 

I have two ND and want to stay in the small range but love the mild temperament. Not sure if there are many fainting goats around here but it sounds like I need to do some checking into this breed. Want to stay small and easy to handle since I am shy of 60 and not wanting something that will push me around.    Any other input on this ?     Thanks,     Deb


----------



## Mamaboid (Apr 19, 2012)

Mitransplant said:
			
		

> SO....... If I read this right, the fainter have very little trouble with worms and other things and are mild behavior wise?
> 
> I have two ND and want to stay in the small range but love the mild temperament. Not sure if there are many fainting goats around here but it sounds like I need to do some checking into this breed. Want to stay small and easy to handle since I am shy of 60 and not wanting something that will push me around.    Any other input on this ?     Thanks,     Deb


You read it correct.  Because of their Myotonia, the condition that makes them 'faint',  they cannot jump fences like other goats and are much easier to keep confined.  They have wonderful personalities.  Gentle natured and are in general smaller in size that other full size goats.  They can get large, but most are shorter, squarer built.  They usually have multiple births with little or no problems, and are more parasite resistant than a lot of breeds.  They come in all colors, I have a tri-color buck, and the other 5 that I have are white with black and or brown spots.  They can have beards, but not always.  They can have everything from short smooth coat, to long flowing hair that reaches to the ground.  Here are a few links to lots of good info about them, and if I can be of further help just holler.

http://www.myotonicgoatregistry.net/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/05/fainting-goats-explained

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/myotonicgoats.html

http://www.goatspots.com/rfaintingfarm.html


----------



## Mitransplant (Apr 20, 2012)

Mamaboid,   Thanks for all the sights to go and check. I haven't done it yet but since it is raining I have most of the day and will get to it shortly.   I love the size of my ND and think they or something about that size is what I would like to stick with. Don't want anything that can push me around, lol.   I have watched video's of the fainting goats and at first it was funny but does the fainting all the time do anything to their nervous system or something.  They would be in a 5 foot tall fenced in area with the chickens and ducks with just me and my hubby (mostly me) going in there and once is awhile a 5 year old but hopefully she is off to school this fall. Not sure how big of an area we fenced but we used over 400 feet of fencing and there is a barn and a chicken house used as part of the "fencing". That should be plenty of room for about 6 or so goats I would think. If not I will talk hubby into fencing off more area in the front of the barn and chicken coup for the goats.  The more the merrier, RIGHT?????  LOL

Well, off to check the sights and feed the grand daughter so I can be on here without interruptions.    THANKS AGAIN!


----------



## Mamaboid (Apr 20, 2012)

Mitransplant said:
			
		

> Mamaboid,   Thanks for all the sights to go and check. I haven't done it yet but since it is raining I have most of the day and will get to it shortly.   I love the size of my ND and think they or something about that size is what I would like to stick with. Don't want anything that can push me around, lol.   I have watched video's of the fainting goats and at first it was funny but does the fainting all the time do anything to their nervous system or something.  They would be in a 5 foot tall fenced in area with the chickens and ducks with just me and my hubby (mostly me) going in there and once is awhile a 5 year old but hopefully she is off to school this fall. Not sure how big of an area we fenced but we used over 400 feet of fencing and there is a barn and a chicken house used as part of the "fencing". That should be plenty of room for about 6 or so goats I would think. If not I will talk hubby into fencing off more area in the front of the barn and chicken coup for the goats.  The more the merrier, RIGHT?????  LOL
> 
> Well, off to check the sights and feed the grand daughter so I can be on here without interruptions.    THANKS AGAIN!


The 'fainting' doesn't hurt them, the only affect it really has on them is to make their meat tenderer as you will read on a couple of those sites I gave you.  The only problem we have ever had with the faining is our big buck's horns go out sideways from his head.  He faints if you look at him wrong, and if he falls just right his horns stick in the ground and he cannot get up.  We are considering putting tennis balls or handle bar rubbers on his horns to stop this from happening.  My younger fainter buck is a little over a year now, full grown, and is the size of a large ND.  Very compact, so you can keep them to the smaller size if you want.  If I had ND does, I wouldn't hesitate to breed him to them.  My 9 year old nephew and 3 year old nephew go in with our horned bucks all the time.  They are so gentle.  We supervise of course, but we would do that with any of the goats.


----------

