LOOKOUT POINT RANCH
WORLDWIDE EXPORTER OF KIKO GENETICS

SEMEN BUYERS SEE HERDSIRE PAGE

Lookout Point Ranch is located in the Cascade foothills near Lowell, Oregon. We have been raising purebred Kiko goats since 2002. We are the USA representative for Garrick Batten's company, Caprinex, the New Zealand founder of the Kiko and Kikonui breeds.


Click the arrowhead to play movie. Filmed in 2011.

In 2009, we implanted 100 embryos from Caprinex's New Zealand operation. Many are the progeny of the buck Starlifta, an important herdsire in Caprinex's ongoing Kikonui program. The remainder of our goats are descended from animals bred by Dr. An Peischel, who also purchased her foundation stock from Caprinex.

Due to widespread disease problems within the Kiko breed, we adhere to strict disease testing and prevention protocols. Our herd is test-negative for Johne's, CAE, CL, and Brucellosis. We are USDA export-certified scrapie-free since 2007. In addition, we have never had a case of soremouth or footrot. New genetics enter only via test-negative semen and embryos, or live bucks from test-negative herds. Our closed herd status is verified annually by in-person USDA inspection and accounting of every animal.

We strive to provide for our customers the learning experiences and quality assurances we wish we could have had, when we were first starting out. Buyers may examine any aspect of our operation they would like to see, including our production records, when choosing an animal.

We chose Kiko goats because they are the only breed we know of that can thrive under a low input management style in the Pacific Northwest. Kiko goats are a maternal meat breed derived from feral goats in New Zealand, which has a rainy climate and rugged terrain quite similar to our own. This breed is the profitable alternative to Boer goats, which tend to require much more management and feed inputs when run under challenging conditions in cold, wet climates.

Our breeding philosophy continues the "hands-off" management style that led to the creation of the breed in New Zealand. We intentionally stress our goats with steep terrain, bad weather, parasites and feed limitation to reveal genetic differences that remain hidden under "better" management. Our breeding herd is not trimmed, wormed or vaccinated, or fed any kind of supplemental feed, including hay. Does are not flushed and no assistance is given at any birth. The only shelter provided is trees. While some goats do fail on our farm, there are others that thrive despite the adversity and it is from these that we draw our replacement genetics.

Our primary focus is reproductive efficiency under a high level of challenge. We strive to produce exceptionally fertile does that will take on the first service, and reliably twin -- even when they are in poor shape due to tough conditions.

You will never see us focus on traits that are not strictly tied to performance. Breeders who obsess over things like the "100% NZ" designation, particular names on a pedigree, price paid at the latest auction, or coat color cannot be focused on performance first. Every one of our goats is subjected to the worst Mother Nature can dish out, and the chips fall where they may. No goat should ever be considered too expensive or fancy to be treated harshly - and culled if necessary.

For those who are unable to pick up goats from our farm, we ship nationwide and to Canada by truck and air freight. We also ship embryos and semen worldwide. See Sales >Exports for more information.