The selection critieria used by the Goatex Group in New Zealand to develop the Kiko breed are no less important today than they were in the early stages of the breed. Seedstock producers need to pay careful attention to developing culling strategies to keep top performing Kikos in the breeding pool while eliminating those Kikos that have not inherited the genetic traits we prize in a commercial goat. Genetic traits for parasite resistance, great maternals, good feet, efficient forage to energy conversion, etc., are not 100% heritable. On-farm performance testing, central performance tests, and EPDs all provide important information about how these traits are expressed in each of the genetic lines represented in various Kiko herds.
