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! 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'
Big Darlin', Charles and Copper
Our Big Darlin' is the largest doe we have ever laid our eyes on! Never has parasite problems or hoof issues. Did we mention she is big? This picture was taken on the road in front of the tobacco barn. No trick photography, she is flatfooted on the road eating off of a one ton flatbed.
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!! |
The 2019 line-up
Big Darlin' and RDH Ima Doll (Isaiah's Fire x Big Doll) enjoying January sun
Late fall and early winter kidding has all but wrapped up. We are waiting on that one last doe to kid and then a break until our Spring kids begin to arrive in March. We have had several Indian Outlaw bucklings and several Isaiah's Fire doelings, making close to an even 50/50 kid ratio! Never before has either buck swung so much in one gender direction! Indian Outlaw sons are big muscular bucklings and Isaiah's Fire makes some of the best herd moms, so we are happy with how this has turned out!
Indian Outlaw November 2018 doeling
This year we scaled back on our program focusing primarily on our main herdsires Isaiah's Fire and Indian Outlaw. Strike Gold was still servicing does on our farm in September and October 2018 before becoming the senior herdsire at Rocky Hill Kikos. The kids born this spring will be sired by Strike and RDH Red Cloud. Red Cloud is a grandson of Indian Outlaw and Isaiah's Fire. His sire, RDH Kawliga is also the son of AFK Redneck Woman, a Rusty doe and the high seller at the 2015 Cream of the Crop sale.
Indian Outlaw buckling
As always, we are carefully observing the progress of the bucklings in the lot and making determinations on what will be available in the coming months. The doelings who excel will be held over here on the farm until late fall of 2019. We have a number of older does on the farm who have served us well over the years and we will be retaining a larger portion of our own does for our herd mothers of the future.
2019 Registered Sales InformationThe first sale we will be attending this year will be in Batesville, MS on the first weekend in April 2019. We will be consigning ten does to the sale. We have selected a few Indian Outlaw daughters, a couple of Isaiah does, at least one Way Beyond the Blue and a Strike Gold daughter as well. Most of our consignments will be our best yearling and two year old does with with January and February born kids at their side. For more information about our consignments, please visit our Elite Genetics page at https://www.deanhillkikos.com/elite-genetics-sale-april-2019.html
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!! |
