A Kiko buck consigned by John Smith from Petersburg, Virginia, was the top performing buck in the 2008 Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test.Kendall "James" and Dana Barnes from Kentucky had the top consignment of bucks. All four of their Kiko bucks were in the top 20. The International Kiko Goat Association presented an award to Merritt Burke from Delaware for having a buck in the top 3 of the test.
Similar to the forage-based buck test at Oklahoma State University, gold, silver, and bronze standards of performance were established for the bucks on test. To be considered a gold level goat, bucks had to meet minimum standards for growth rate, parasite resistance (fecal egg counts), and parasite resilience (FAMACHA scores and number of anthelmintic treatments. Four goats qualified met the gold standards.
Eighty-two (82) goats were nominated for the 2008 test. Nominations were received from 21 breeders from 11 states: Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Sixty-two (62) goats were accepted for testing.For the 100-day duration of the test, average daily gain ranged from -0.09 to 0.240 lbs. per day and averaged 0.124 for the 57 goats that finished the test. ADG was below last year's performance of 0.253 lbs. per day. Poorer growth was attributed to increased parasite problems and rutting behavior. A mid-summer outbreak of soremouth also likely impacted gains.
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