WELCOME TO DEAN HILL
About our farm.....
We purchased our farm in 2001 and are located in the rolling hill country of Middle Tennessee. At first we raised only cattle but, after several years of bush-hogging, we began to get serious about incorporating goats into our operations. Not only are goats an excellent means of clearing pasture land, the demand for goat meat has increased tremendously here in the United States as well. So, we restored and repaired some fencing, built and shored up existing barns, enlisted the aid of my mother-in-law (retired goat farmer extraordinaire) and researched goats and the different breeds available. In 2010, after much research and travel, we chose Kiko goats.
We purchased our first dozen Kiko goats and turned them loose in a pasture with enough grazing for ten times that many. We have since purchased many more, selectively culled the herd and added some from our own breeding program. At last count we are over fifty does and still growing. We have 100% New Zealands, purebreds and some commercial does as well. They are happy and growing and making war on weeds! Whether you are looking for breeding stock, information on owning and caring for goats, or are just interested in life on the farm, we invite you to take a look around our site. If you have any questions or comments, please email us. We look forward to hearing from you and thanks for stopping by! Thank you for a great 2017!!!!
Contact us. We'd love to hear from you!Dean Hill Kikos
98 Dean Hill Rd Pleasant Shade, TN 37145 Charles and Sherri Reece cell - (615) 388-3774 email: slreece@deanhillkikos.com
The tobacco barn "up-do"
BUCK COLLECTION 2016
RDH Mangus Coloradas ready for collection. Pictured are David Johnson of Windy Hill Kikos and Charles
ROHO'S BIG DARLIN'
|
Kids are here!
These kids born in December 2017 at a few weeks old
Kidding began the first week in December and is still going strong. All of our winter Indian Outlaw, Isaiah's Fire and Way Beyond the Blue kids are here. Through the first of this year, we are expecting a few kids from RDH Kawliga and RDH Strike Gold. As usual, we have about an even number of bucklings and doelings.
Way's Barbie Doll with her Indian Outlaw doeling
This year we have brought even more of our own does into our breeding program. Having three or four herdsires with varying pedigrees, allows us to retain more daughters out of our core group herd-mothers, while maintaining genetic diversity. The doe shown above is an April 2016 daughter of Way Beyond the Blue and Roho's Big Doll. With her is her December 2017 doeling sired by Indian Outlaw. We are constantly striving to produce better goats in each new generation.
Breeding with Purpose
When we began raising kikos, we had very little experience with them. Fortunately, we found what we were told about kikos is true. They are parasite resistant, they do have good feet, they do make good mothers, etc.....
Even with the top-notch herd of mothers we have, our goal is always towards improvement. Better weight gains, higher kidding rates, and increased overall herd health. 
Selection of replacement does is important to the future of your herd. While it isn't possible to be certain what kind of mother a doeling will make, you can get an idea if the odds are in her favor by looking at her mother's history and what her sire's lineage brings to the table. Are they known for producing does with good udders, sound feet, heavy milkers? Ask questions of your breeder. Know what you need and be an informed buyer!
Once your moms are proven and solid, then breed towards your goals. Buck selection is key in building a better kiko!
Constant focus on size can leave gaps in resistance. Focusing on color and resistance can create a decrease in overall weaning weights. Keep detailed records. And while there are very few perfect goats, there are goats that are 95% perfect! Aim high!! Try to build the perfect goat. Find what areas need improvement and select replacement mothers and bucks that can help you reach your goals! To see if we have something you are looking to add to your herd, please take a look at our Herdsires page and the Our Does page. And if we can answer any questions for you, just give us a call or send us an email. We love talking goat!! A Goat Rancher's Gumbo10 lbs boneless cubed goat meat
4 large green peppers 2 bunches chopped green onions 1 c all-purpose flour 12 large tomatoes-chopped 1 1/2 T dried thyme 4 bay leaves 1 T pepper 1 T salt 8 c chicken broth 4 packages frozen okra cut into slices 1 1/2 sticks butter 1 c vegetable oil 1 reg. size bottle hot sauce 1 pint home canned tomato juice 20 c hot cooked rice 2 sticks of butter Trim excess fat. Combine flour, thyme, salt, and pepper; dredge meat in flour mixture. Heat butter and oil in Dutch oven; add meat and cook until browned on all sides. Best to do this in small batches. Remove meat, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Add onion and green pepper to reserved drippings, saute until tender. Stir in meat and remaining ingredients except rice and the 2 sticks of butter. Cover and cook in crock pots on high for 3 hours. Remove bay leaves. While gumbo is stewing, cook rice and add 2 sticks of butter to rice while its hot. Add rice to gumbo just before serving. This recipe made 3 crock pots full of gumbo and an additional crock pot full of rice. Served approximately 200 taste test servings. Would feed a crowd of 40-50 as main course. Or 30 hungry farm hands!! |
