# Boers, Kikos, Crosses or Gene Master?



## moccasincreek (Oct 23, 2013)

Hello Everyone,

I am in the process of starting a commercial meat goat business and am building fences and other facilities - no goats yet.

My original plan was a Boer buck with Kiko does but my first question is would it be better with a Kiko buck and Boer does? Any real difference?

2nd question is would I just be better off with Gene Masters? And is there a Gene Master registry somewhere?

Just to clarify, I am planning a commercial meat goat operation - no shows. However, selling registered seed stock may be a possibility in the future.

All knowledgable advice greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Bill


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

It's going to depend on your location & what is available for your price range.
Kikos generally go for more money than Boers.
I hear they are hardier than Boers. They do have a slower growth rate than Boers.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I would see what sells best in your area. I wouldn't breed a Boer buck to Kiko does since they are smaller.


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## AGraham (Mar 7, 2014)

Yes, Genemaster goats are registered through AKGA. There are three stages of Genemaster goat with the end result of these stages being the Texas Genemaster which is supposed to be the best meat goat on the market today. It is virtually impossible to find a registered Texas Genemaster goat for sale as most breeders are trying to achieve this mix and do not sell them. I am currently attempting to purchase a registered GNY Genemaster (75/25 kiko on top) buckling and have been searching the internet with no distance restrictions and have only found two for sale. I am currently trying to purchase one from Washington state and have him shipped to Kentucky. I would then be able to breed this buck to my registered 100% Boer does and all offspring would be registered Texas Genemaster stock and would bring a very high price if sold. There is quite a bit of information on the Genemaster and Texas Genemaster on the internet if you have the time to do some searching. There are also explanations of each stage of Genemaster on the AKGA website. I hope this helps...


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## HoukFarms (Apr 14, 2013)

What are gene master goats?


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## AGraham (Mar 7, 2014)

Oh, sorry, I failed to mention that in order to have registered Genemasters, only registered stock can be used. Say you bred a registered kiko to a registered boer, the offspring would be a NZG Genemaster (50/50). Breed the offspring to a registered 100% Kiko, these babies would be GNY Genemasters (75 kiko/25 boer). Breed these offspring to a registered 100% boer and these babies are registeted Texas Genemasters. if you breed tex genes to only other tex genes you have a sustainable herd of full blood registered Texas Genemasters. Kind of complicated, but it eventually makes sense. This percentage of 5/8 boer, 3/8 kiko has the mass of the boer, grows faster than either breed, and retains the hardiness, parasite and disease resistance of the kiko. It is also been found to thrive on less forage and have less hoof problems than the full blood Boer. I currently have Boer and a young 75/25 unregistered kiko or "reverse" genemaster and have found this to be true. There is a lot of great information online that explains this much better than I do. Good luck!


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