# Considering Crossing Boer dam Kiko sire



## Bookcliffer (Aug 5, 2018)

We are thinking about breeding some kiko into our goats to add some hardiness. Everything I can find about crossing talks about putting a boer buck on kiko does. Is there any good reason for this or would switching that and getting a kiko buck to put on our boer does do just as well?


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I see people that show stats on it all the time that claim the kids grow better with kiko dams and Boer bucks and the only thing I can figure is there is better/ more fat in kiko milk then Boer. If your mainly after hardiness go with your plan. Plus kiko does seem to be a little smaller framed then the Boers and Boer kids usually have bigger heads and shoulders. A member on here breeds her Boers to a kiko buck for this reason so I think your plan is just fine


----------



## dhsminis (Mar 26, 2013)

I have been crossing Kiko on to my dairy herd for several years now and I can tell you there is a marked difference between using a Kiko sire on a dairy doe vs using a Kiko doe with a dairy sire. I was breeding for hardiness growthiness and the Kiko sire just didn't have the same kind of impact as the Kiko doe did. I also thought like Jessica84 that the only difference would be milk... but even with high milking/butter fat dairy does those babies out of a kiko momma were far superior in hardiness and growth rate.


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

My main sire over the last 2 years was a Kiko. I had to sell him as there was no one left to breed him to other than his own daughters. If I were keeping any of my herd, I'd be looking for another Kiko herd sire. I highly recommend a couple of years of breeding to a Kiko sire for raising hardiness in the herd overall. But invest in the best one you can get to reach your goals. Just like not every (anything else) will accomplish your goals, neither will everything labelled a Kiko accomplish your goals.

But honestly? IF you are not having to have registered purebred something-or-other???? I'm a Kiko Fan Girl.


----------



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Thought I'd pop in on this one 

The Boer is a paternal breed - paternal traits are rate & efficiency of gain, meat quality, carcass yield, muscularity. 

The Kiko is a maternal breed - traits are fertility, milk production, maintenance, mothering skills, reproduction, kidding ease & fertility.

A Boer buck over Kiko does is getting the best of both worlds.

Doing it backwards (Kiko buck over Boer does) makes little sense if you look at it as paternal vs maternal breeds.


----------



## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Cedar Point Kikos said:


> paternal vs maternal breeds.


I'm a little lost. Could I get you to explain this concept a little more fully?


----------



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

mariarose said:


> I'm a little lost. Could I get you to explain this concept a little more fully?


It's more commonly talked about with sheep and there being paternal/maternal breeds with them.

Here's a little snippet that helps explain it:

_Breeds are divided into four main categories: maternal, paternal, prolific and milk sheep. The "maternal" breeds are recognized for their aptitudes to raise lambs: well-developed maternal instinct, good milk production and low lamb mortality. The Dorset and Polypay are the most popular breeds of this kind. The "paternal" breeds are bred and selected for their meat-producing qualities: rapid growth, good muscular development and low-fat deposition. The Suffolk, Hampshire and Texel are good examples. There are also some breeds that are said to be "prolific"; their main characteristic is that they give birth to several lambs (an average near three lambs/lambing). Of this kind are the Rideau Arcott, a Canadian breed developed by researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, and the Romanov. The "commercial" ewes are usually a mix of different breeds in order to gather, in a single female, several desirable qualities (number of lambs born and raised, good milk production, etc.).
_
Quote from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sheep-farming


----------



## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I think I got it. @spidy1 does this with her LaBoers and @Damfino does it with her Nubian Alpine crosses. They ended up pairing in the paternal/maternal cross that gave them best of both, too. 
How do you find out ahead of time which traits carry for the breeds?


----------



## Cedar Point Kikos (Oct 16, 2013)

Lots of research  I don't know what traits go with each dairy breed, only know for Boer & Kiko since I have owned both.


----------

