KIKO's..."Texas Long Horn of Goats"

[TOU]

Seems there is a great amount of interest in the Kiko's lately...I too have been checking them out the past year & even came close to acquiring one. Anyway in thinking about them I remembered this old post from Rifeman on the old forum:

Posted here now...

Kiko for packing
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Hello everyone, this is my first day on the forum, and I like what I'm seeing so far. I have a 100% pure Kiko that is a great packer. He's still growing, but I'm guessing he'll end up just a little over 200 pounds. He is extremely intelligent and very tough. He's gentle enough around people, but has fought off mountain lions on two occasions. The main reason I'd discourage most people from getting a Kiko as a pack goat is the wildness factor. The breed was essentially created as a feral breed, then rounded up and sorted out after years of surviving in the wild. On a scale of 1-10 for "wildness," if a typical alpine is a 1 or 2, a Kiko is a solid 11. You can train that out of them, but it does take some work.

Very interesting comments...there are others on the same thread that speak of them being gentle giants, makes me wonder a bit.

I still wonder about mixing one of them with an BIG Saanen doe and then next crossing to a BIGGER than average Ober or Alpine might make an awesome packer, no? Or maybe Kiko/Saanen to a Kiko/Alpine or a Kiko/Ober for an end result of a 50% Kiko but with more traits from the other two. It would be interesting. I look forward to watching the changes over the next few years with those experimenting with these in their breeding program.

BTW, I have spoken about breeding these with some PackGoat breeders that have thought about it...but the long horns put them off. Going hornless & it becomes a non-factor.

On that note, look at this big feral goat in the link below with monster horizontal horns, 40" per side. I'm guessing its related to the Kiko's if not a Kiko. (I'm guessing in Oz or New Zealand.) With 40" horns per side, he must be a horizontal total spread of near 90"! This is what concerns me about having one of these guys on a trail as they push past me on speedy decent, narrow trail & huge drop-offs. LOL

NOTE: I am not thrilled about this animals demise, please do not view if you have a problem with hunting...especially one of our favorite creatures. But it shows the horizontal "Texas Long Horn" aspects of these guys.


Feral Goat Hunt: "Texas Long Horn of Goats"

Regards,

TOU

[Charlie Horse]

Someone had a 6 month old kiko at the last Rendy. The goats name was Kiko. He had lots of energy and lots of personality. I didnt notice that he was any more aloof than any other goat.

On the other hand, after most people left, a kiko breeder from nearby showed up a bit too late with some to show off. These guys were indeed pretty flighty, but I just assumed that they were not bottle babies.

[Nanno]

Looks like the span is a bit over 40" total from horn tip to horn tip. Over 40" per side would be about 7 feet across! Still, not something I'd want to deal with on a knife-edge trail or one with a lot of close trees/boulders on either side. There's no way a goat with a large horn span would be able to navigate some of those narrow Utah slot canyons. They sure are beautiful though!

[nebs]

I wonder what shape the horns would be on a kiko/alpine cross? I have wondered how that cross would turn out, but am not sure.

[TOU]

I wonder what shape the horns would be on a kiko/alpine cross? I have wondered how that cross would turn out, but am not sure.

They look like this...

Kiko/Alpine cross buckling

...and cost $500. If he was hornless & in the $250 range I think I would give him a try.

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Looks like the span is a bit over 40" total from horn tip to horn tip. Over 40" per side would be about 7 feet across! Still, not something I'd want to deal with on a knife-edge trail or one with a lot of close trees/boulders on either side. There's no way a goat with a large horn span would be able to navigate some of those narrow Utah slot canyons. They sure are beautiful though!

Hey Nanno,

I went back & reviewed the video a bit closer. I think I would agree they are not 40" per side...I'm not sure what the 40" remark was referring to. I just measured what I think are my average size width hands, they are about 4" wide knuckle to knuckle. Based on that, I froze the video & extrapolated from there. I estimate them with an average length of 26"-28" each. That makes more sense as I have seen goats with 26"-28" long scimitar type horns.

All I know is that 52"-56" spread or more is WAY to WIDE for some of the trails I go on. That wide might even get caught in some of the slot canyons down south.

I definitely think they are very interesting & think a hybrid would be cool (I'd love to see them crossed with a big Ober) but they would have to be disbudded for me.

Take care!

Ken

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Also...here is a 3 year old Buck...not nearly so wide at all but who knows at 5-7 years.

3 yr old Kiko proven buck.

Sure is pretty, if you look at some of the other post of this author he has some Kiko Alpine crossed kids.

[Nanno]

The "at least 40 inches" remark was referring to the distance measured from horn tip to horn tip. Kind of like wingspan in a bird. It sounds like it might have to be at least 40" to qualify as a trophy buck.

[michael]

To somewhat revive this thread. We just had our LaMancha doe bred to a kiko. Very interested in seeing how this turns out.

[nebs]

Cool, be sure to keep us up date with pics!

[lumpy]

I have been looking for a kilo doe so my alpine buck can breed her, I think that would make a good pack goat

[KCanyon]

What a fun thread to revive - because Kiko are making quite an appearance in strings just a few years later! Clay Zimmerman of High Uinta Pack Goats loves them in his rental business.

 
We are Kiko breeders - and find temperament very heritable. While some herds may be near feral - ours is very socialized and even the bucks are friendly and easy to work.
We breed both 100% Kiko as well as Kiko dairy crosses. 

While Kiko are known for horn span, they do have variations in horn growth - and example being this 3 year old wether - next to a 4 year old Saanen for comparison. 
Kiko do not have a breed standard and come in all shapes and sizes. When considering Kiko - it is important to work with an experienced breeder that is very familiar with their lines.