As you embark on your journey to select the highest quality and most conformation-correct individuals for your farm/ranch, remember the initial selection criteria for the KIKO. The KIKO was selected solely on survivability and growth rate on steep rugged hill country (in New Zealand) where nutritional conditions are classed as demanding and no supplementary feeding provided.
 To accomplish this, the Kiko breed is based on does screened from the large feral population mated to bucks from Anglo Nubian, British Toggenberg and Saanen breeds. The implicit challenge of developing a new breed capable of high performance to increase production under difficult conditions has been met. The KIKO is here - the KIKO is here to stay.
  Goats Unlimited has been selecting both female and male replacements for our purebred Kiko mob under stringent requirements. We expect our Kiko females to twin the first kidding (bred as yearlings), raise and wean the twins. They accomplish this out grazing native vegetation with brush as a shelter and a free-choice loose mineral mix formulated to correct nutritional imbalances based upon soil, forage and blood analysis.
  The young doelings are first screened at weaning (3 months of age) for the possibility of being selected into the future breeding herd. At 8 months they are re-evaluated, and final selection is done at 1 year of age.
  Initial selection criteria as a yearling is based upon structurally correct feet, pasterns and sturdy legs. The angle of shoulder at 46-52 degrees, width across the withers and rump and depth of heart girth at or below the elbow. Both top line and underline are level with length and width through the back and loin. Spring of rib is vital as is depth and width of chest floor. To enhance kidding ease, a 5-7 degree angle of the pelvic.cradle is desired as is a pleasing disposition. Bodyweight at this growth period is approximately 85 to 90 pounds.
 These doelings are expected to travel rugged terrain and long distances grazing native vegetation carrying twins. They need body capacity for the rumen and twins, structurally correct with legs and feet for traveling and chest capacity for lungs with
increased intake volume. Fullness of hindquarter, inside rear leg muscling and depth of twist are also evaluated.
  Doelings are culled for breakdown of feet and legs, not producing twins, poor motherability or milkability, and udder conformation. The udder of meat goats grazing under rugged conditions needs internal residual milk capacity, two teats correctly spaced and shaped and a tight fore and rear attachment. As the doelings dry off after weaning, the udder should be compact and tight against the abdominal wall.
  Our young bucklings are screened at weaning (3 months of age), eight months, yearlings and selected as a herd sire at two years of age.
  We select bucks on many of the same rigid conformation standards as we do females - structure of feet, legs and pasterns, width across the withers and rump, length and width of back and loin, depth of heart girth and chest floor, as well as both the shoulder and pelvic angles and expressed muscle definition of the hindquarter and inside hindleg. A pear-shaped scrotum that is not split containing firm testicles of equal size is a major criteria.
  Goats Unlimited is ruthless in culling with culled females going into our meat market and our males onto our land enhancement projects.

 (Dr. An Peischel, PhD, is a Small Ruminant Extension Specialist, Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee. She can be contacted at .)