The Kiko is a breed of meat goat originating from New Zealand.[1]Kiko comes from the Māori word for meat.[2]: 392 [3] The Kiko breed was developed in the 1980s by Garrick and Anne Batten, who cross-bred local feral goats with imported dairy goat bucks of the Anglo-Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg breeds. The only aims of the breeding programme were fast rate of growth and ability to survive in the pastoral conditions of the New Zealand hill country.[4]
The Kiko breed was imported into the United States in 1992 by Goatex Group LLC.[5] Today, three registries exist in the US for Kikos: the AKGA, the IKGA, and the NKR, the latter of which is the largest of the three. Through these agencies, Kikos could be registered as 100% New Zealand, meaning that their lineage can be traced all the way back to the original New Zealand stock.[6] "Purebreds" refer to goats that are at least 15/16ths New Zealand stock[6] and "percentages" are those that are at least 50% New Zealand stock.[6] Kiko-Boer crosses can also be registered as Genemaster™ through the NKR.
^Breed data sheet: Kiko/New Zealand. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2015.
