how do we do it?

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Herd Management:

We believe in keeping the integrity of the Kiko breed alive and creating better animals every year.  As homesteaders, we want the least amount of input and the maximum level of output.  This isn't a new idea, it's the basis behind the Kiko breed.  We want to be able to raise animals that require zero to very little input and still produce good quality meat.   What if wormers became hard or impossible to obtain?  What if grain and feed mills became too expensive?  As a self-sufficient farmstead, we want our animals to do the same and not only survive, but thrive in conditions where they excel at parasite resistance and converting forage into the maximum level of quality carcasses.   We feed just enough grain to keep them coming to an area so we can catch them when time, but we don't try to starve a profit out of them either.  It is a delicate balance.  We offer protein tubs and alfalfa approximately 4 months of the year for pregnant/lactating does.  Bucks don't get any extras. We keep our herd numbers small so we can focus on individual statistics and progress.  Culling the animals that don't meet those expectations is at the heart of our management style and registration of animals only happens if they make the cut.  

Pasture Management: 

We have created every bit of the pastures that we have out of dense unmanageable woodlands.  It has taken many years to do it and we now have approximately 10 acres of new pastures we can rotate our animals on.  Anyone that has ever done this will tell you it is no easy feat to create established pastures/paddocks.  We are constantly doing what we can to build up topsoil and getting biomass in to our soils.  With a small amount of available grasses, we have fought overgrazing, drought issues, runoff issues and parasite infested grasslands.  Our animals are not on very good forage and they are subjected to continual parasite loads and lack of quality forage.  Lack of forage means we usually have a bermuda/bahia mix hay bale sitting out to supplement.  We would love to have lush pastures one day, but as it stands now, the animals we are using as our foundation herd are having to fight to keep their place here at Square One Farms.   As we continue to clear more land, more will be available to make that happen.  But for now, rotational grazing is an absolute pasture management tactic that we pay very close attention to.

Tools/Philosophy

We are in an area that can be challenging to get the resources needed to be successful at times.  So, we have taken it upon ourselves to conduct those practices ourselves.  

FEC Tests:  This is not an all-inclusive test but it does give very good indications and trends in animals and paddock parasite loads/shedding.  By doing them at regular intervals it can give some great insights on our herd.

FAMACHA Certification:  We are certified in FAMACHA scoring

Artificial Insemination (AI): This is a brand new tool to us that is being studied and going to classes for and will be implementing for the Fall breeding of 2022.

Veterinary Needs:  There aren't any small ruminant vets in our area, so when it comes to taking care of ailments/emergencies, we have the tools and knowledge on hand to take care of almost anything these animals like to throw our way.  Reading about treatments is almost a hobby around here and since we are forced to do it ourselves, we try to know and do as much as possible.

All of these practices are done because we are not only almost forced to do them, but we enjoy getting as involved with our animals as possible.  Understanding all the moving pieces allows us to be more successful breeders and more likely to obtain our farming goals.

Location

We are firm believers that what works at one farm will not necessarily work on another farm.  The big factor there is location.  We are in central Arkansas and receive ~50 inches of rain a year.  Our hot and humid conditions can make or break a herd/pasture management program and can't always be expected to be transferred to or from another farm and be successful necessarily.

Transparency

We believe in being absolutely transparent in all of our management practices.  Many breeders will talk about helping out, but very few actually stand by that.  We invite others to look at our numbers not only to maybe help them, but they may have some insights to help us as well.  If you're interested in seeing our numbers/data, feel free to contact us.