# Anyone have experience with Kilos for meat?



## Rascal66 (Feb 7, 2019)

So my herd is mostly all Kiko. I love them so far, but have yet to get into the meat market side for them. I'm still breeding and hoping to up my numbers soon just for this.

Have any advice for them as far as a meat goat? Any good methods for feeding or tips for getting them larger faster? What age to sell them? I havent played with any feeds yet personally. Everyone has been pretty much on grass, hay and minerals. I'm hoping for many kids for the next seasons. My does are already bred.

Would greatly appreciate any advice!

Edit: sorry for the title typo. Was supposed to be "Kiko"


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Kikos don't grow like Boers. So you won't see fast growth like a Boer.


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## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

Kikos are good mothers. I have kikos in my herd. They are slow growers but are good at putting on weight once they reach maturity. The few I have never showed signs of illness very low maintenance on them compared to my Boer girls. I'm trying to get either kikos or kiko mixes because I've had such good experience with them.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

The main benefits to Kikos I can see are fairly low inputs (feed, worming, etc.) when you develop a strain that is good on your land, and lots of rich milk to feed those babies.

Perhaps if the meat market is your goal, you could have a top quality Boer sire and your herd of Kiko does. Keep breeding your best do-ers, sell the ones that don't do as well as you'd like, buy your Boer buck from people who keep their herd the same way you want to, and you'll develop the herd that will bring you good money without costing you a lot to keep them.

If you buy a fantastic looking buck from people who pour the grain into him, and worm him all the time, and don't mind trimming hooves every week to keep him mobile, and you put him in a situation where you need him to not have grain all the time, and you don't want to worm very often, and expect genetics and normal exercise to keep hooves mostly under control, then you might be unhappy with how his kids turn out.

So you need to think about how he looks so good, before you decide he is right for YOUR needs. He may be great for someone else, but a good looking buck from a farm who keeps lower maintenance animals might be better for your goals.


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## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Re: that Kikos are slow growers.

That depends on who you buy from. Look up TNT Farms on FB. Their Kikos are absolutely amazing!

There are some great Kikos breeders in the US who have outstanding weight gains on their Kikos. Canada...well, we're still working on it  We have a smaller gene pool to work with and it really sucks.

Yes, some Kikos grow slow. BUT, they will grow better on poor forage compared to Boers who need inputs.

Comparing Kikos and Boers is sort of comparing apples to oranges. They are two completely different breeds created and selected for two very different goals.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

So a couple of questions, how big are your does? do they have good large structure or are they smaller framed - more like dairy goats build? What about the buck? It's hard to give advice without knowing more about your animals. 
Is meat your sole purpose, and are you wanting to stick to just having kikos? 
I think with Kiko's it goes either way, you have your good ones, and you have your not so good ones. The good ones I've seen have a conformation and meat/muscle mass that is between a standard dairy goat and a Boer goat.
I've also heard Kiko's are slower growers and require more time to make decent market weight. Not all, but many that I've noticed.

If your does are narrow front to rear, finer boned, lack spring of rib or a decent top line especially loin and have no butt muscling, then you need to find a buck that has all the qualities the does lack. Your buck is what will make the herd, so a good meaty/stocky buck is the best way to start. I highly recommend using a buck that is Boer or Boer X, chances are bringing in the Boer will increase kid growth - putting meat on them.
IMO you want kids to be at least 50lbs by 3 months of age in order to have a good meat goat. a 3 month old takes less time to grow out = less $$ than a slower grower who might not reach that kind of weight until 4-6 months. 
We raise registered Boer goats, my kids show them in the summer fairs, and we sell as breeding stock. My goal for the buck kids is to be at least 100+lbs by the time they are 5-6 months old, and most fall in that range. But with the does, I like them to be at least 100lbs by the time they are 7 months old. 
We start feeding our babies in a creep feeder when they show interest in feed - usually eating with mom and around 3-4 weeks old. We start with whatever mom is eating, then switch them to an 18% weaning pellet. We've gotten those growth rates with and without using any kind of supplement. 
Cocci and worm prevention. If your kids get either cocci and/or worms, then it's going to greatly affect their growth. So a medicated feed can help but does not mean they can't get cocci. Many people, including myself actually do cocci prevention dosage to help prevent cocci. The pain is it's a 5 day treatment, I use Di-methox, and I start at 3 weeks and treat every 4-5 weeks until they are sold or turn 6 months old. if your able to do your own fecal checks or take them to the vet that will help you in knowing what is going on. Before I started doing my own fecal's I'd take a fecal from 1-3 of the kids that I felt weren't growing or looking as good as the others. 

Hopefully this helps and sorry about writing a book! Just remember, good, fast growth has to start with genetics that can produce the goals your after


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:up:


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