What is a Spanish/Kiko cross goat? Well let's start with the basics; they are a mix of Spanish goats and Kiko goats. They are (obviously) very similar to both breeds, because they have excellent parasite resistance and good mothering abilities. They make an effective meat goat because they are extremely hardy and combine many of the positive attributes of both breeds. When it comes to commercial meat goat crosses, you can't do much better than the Spanish/Kiko cross.
As I explained in a previous blog, Spanish Goats are not the same things as brush goats. Here's what allowed them to adapt to that place. According to an Oklahoma State University article by Ron Yoakum and Dr. Dan Waldron, when the Spanish brought goats to the Americas,
"Pockets of wild goats, decended from these animals, [and] developed for over 400 years before developing this livestock became profitable.
The trend for smaller, more agile goats was dominant in the wild. Small udders were essential. Large udders would be cut up by cactus, thorns, rocks and any number of other obstacles ... Although not of a specific breed ancestry they have developed through natural selection ... Most are wild or at least semi-wild. Size varies greatly due to climate, terrain and available breeding stock. [sic]"
As you can see, a Spanish Goat is not made of clean water, good food, or regular hoof care. A Spanish Goat is not made of regular worming, man-made shelter, or protection from predators. A Spanish Goat is made of rugged independence, survival instincts, and premium genetics!
This was a great kidding season! We had lots of beautiful, healthy babies. But, even though the does obviously did the majority of the work in raising the kids to be healthy and strong, today we'd like to acknowledge the other half of the gene pool. So these are the bucks we bred to last fall. Thanks guys!
Paco is a 100% Kensing Spanish buck with a lot of personality. He has great parasite resistance and plenty of bulk. He is 2 years old and has done a great job for us. Because Paco has such an impressive genetic-makeup, he makes a fantastic all-around buck. Last year, we bred Paco to some of our finest Kensing Spanish and Spanish/Kiko cross does to produce some really fantastic Purebred and Crossbred Spanish kids this Spring.
Juan is also a Pure Spanish buck from the Kensing line. Juan is two years old, very intelligent, and has phenomenal parasite resistance. All this combined with the color he throws to his kids, makes him a real winner as a buck. Because his 'crucial genetics' are so evenly matched with Paco's, Juan was bred mainly to black-furred Spanish does to enhance their strong color genes. However, he was also used extensively on the lighter colored does that needed an extra 'color boost.'
Roman Ruler is the buck we use to produce our Spanish/Kiko crosses. He is a Purebred Kiko and has served us very well for the last 5 years. Roman is quite unique - not only because of his excellent parasite resistance - but also because he is one of the few Kikos that has such gorgeous markings. Even though we have mainly chosen to raise Pure Spanish goats on our ranch, Roman is such an outstanding buck, that we couldn't let him go when we made the switch. Now we breed him to Pure Spanish does as well as the Spanish/Kiko crosses that aren't related to him.
Marcos, Santos, and Renaldo are our three youngest Kensing Spanish bucks. For their first breeding, we paired them each with a couple full-grown Spanish does just to see what they could do. But more importantly, we split the three bucks between our 7-10 month old does that were mature enough to breed. By using the smaller bucks, we were able to avoid injuring the young does. All three bucks did very well and we look forward to great things from each of them!
I know I have talked about this before, but it's been on my mind since we recently got a new Livestock Guardian Dog pup. As a puppy, when kidding season hits, it is a GREAT time of year! The grass is growing, the weather is perfect, and there are all these fluffy little toys running all over the place. You've been looking for some fun lately and these baby goats seem like just the thing. Besides, you know it's okay because you've seen the rancher chasing them around and poking tags in their ears. So why not just do what feels natural? Let's chase'em!
This has been a big problem that we've run into in the past; but we're trying to avoid it this year. LGD pups learn by example. When they're little, they watch mama eat dog food, so they eat a little bit too. They watch mama bark at predators, so (after they get to safety) they growl a little bit too. Since this is how life works, they don't understand why they can't play along when you start "hunting goat kids." As they mature, they start to get the picture - but that's at least a year away. Until then, when the pup is around try to avoid doing anything with the kids that you wouldn't want to teach your puppy. Otherwise, you might have just shown them a new form of entertainment that will be very hard to forget!
Coccidiosis - one of those big 'sciencey' words that I usually like to avoid - "is a potentially fatal intestinal disease of goats." Now you may be thinking that "I better make sure that none of my goats have the little critter that causes this disease." But I'm sorry, that's not how this thing works!
According to an article by Sweetlix nutritionist, Jackie Nix, "All adult goats contain coccidia in their gut, even healthy goats." Now that's just great! What am I supposed to do to prevent my goats from getting sick?
Here's the good news and the bad news. Most adult goats have built immunity to the parasites that cause coccidiosis; however, "Kids less than 5 months of age are particularly susceptible since their immune system is often still developing and they are prone to stress. Stresses that can induce a coccidiosis outbreak include: weaning, drastic weather changes, rapid feed changes, transport and rough handling." That can mean that those kids you've been waiting all year to sell just drop dead for no apparent reason! But fortunately there's a solution.
We talk all the time about how we don't provide our goats with much more than weeds, water, one or two yearly wormings, and minerals. Well here's where those minerals can really pay off. Every year, near the start kidding, we start putting out minerals that have one extra ingredient: Rumensin. Rumensin minerals, like the 16:8 Meat Maker with Rumensin, are "a medicated mineral supplement for goats designed to prevent coccidiosis." You can also use water supplements that are designed for cattle, but on our place, the goats usually prefer the creeks and ponds to the chlorinated tap water, so it doesn't do us any good. The babies don't eat many of the minerals, but their mother transfers the Rumensin to their systems through her milk.
While we don't buy into a lot of these types of treatments, this one really works. After having lost a good portion of our kid crop during a couple exceptionally worm-heavy kidding seasons, I can assure you that those couple extra dollars we spend on minerals are well worth it!
As I mentioned in a post a few weeks back, I believe that based on past market history, goat prices in 2013 are going to go up. But as I said in the post, this is only my opinion. However, the Goat Rancher magazine has recently published an article by Dr. Frank Pinkerton and Dr. Ken McMillin that uses USDA and NASS research to draw a similar same conclusion.
According to article, the "total goat numbers [between 2008 and 2013] declined by 9.9%, while meat goat numbers declined by 10.6%." As I discussed in my post, this was most likely a result of the economic downturn and the droughts that have hit the country over the last few years. By looking at basic supply and demand, the diminished goat population alone suggests a sales price increase in the near future.
But further in their article, Dr. Pinkerton and Dr. McMillin make their full prediction for 2013 goat prices:
"We expect good prices to continue and peak just prior to Easter, drop a bit in April and more in May; thereafter, the June-swoon will occur. If rainfall levels permit, we expect a good late summer, early fall market for replacement females."
They support their conclusion with some very interesting statistics and information (if you're into that sort of thing). It's a very well written piece and I highly recommend that you read it. Since it is only Part I, we can all look forward to an update later in the year!
Spanish goats have a lot of great features. They have unmatched parasite resistance, impressive body size, and have tons of twins. But among those qualities is possibly the most important trait of all. Spanish goats care for their kids with an intensity that is unmatched by any other. Just look at this doe protecting her young. I was afraid to get much closer because she was guarding her kids so well. If I were a coyote looking for an easy meal, a mother like this one would definitely convince me to look elsewhere.
In our last post, we mentioned the 'giant butterfly net' that we use to catch the baby goats. Now you may be wondering why we don't just run them through our working chutes - it seems like that would be more stress-free for the goats than being hoisted into the air by a 'big monster.' And besides, chasing baby goats is still a whole lot of work, even with a butterfly net. But here's why we stopped running the newborns through the chute.
Despite all of our negotiations, the kids still refuse to be born all on the same day. Since they have been so uncooperative up till now, we would have to run the goats through the pen every day in order to tag the babies before they were too old to stay with their mothers. Running the goats through that tiny little head gate, one at a time, is very stressful to the livestock. They are stuck in a tight area, getting butted on all sides. But not only that, there are little ones in there as well.
If a big doe get nailed by the 'bully' in the herd, it's one thing. But newborns, who don't have a clue what's going on even in the best of circumstances, will often get trampled or butted when things really start to get crowded. When there are as many as 800 hooves to dodge, the babies often have too much to handle at once. Having waited almost a year to get the kids on the ground, it sure seems silly to let them get run over, just so we don't have to work as hard. Besides, we wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy the babies playing if they were stuck in a little pen!
