We started with 150 Savanna x Spanish  and 400 straight Spanish doelings, all  from the Pape herd in West Texas.  We chose them for our “root stock” because they are all from the same ranch; The Pape’s have been selecting for over 25 years frame size, growth and hustle. Nature has been selecting for birth ease and mothering and milking ability. They have kidded unassisted, on their own, out doors for every one of those 25 generations.  They have good feet, the kids have great “hustle” at birth (their “pedigrees” have been purged of those who succumbed to all kinds of predator if they did not get up and nurse quickly), and have good conformation.  Mothers bond quickly and well with the kids. 
 
Our Kiko genetic inputs start with Registered Fullblood Kiko bucks from Dr. An Pieschel’s Goats Unlimited herd near Nashville TN.
 
The Kiko breed is the product of intense selection, originating in New Zealand.  We chose Pieschel  Kikos in part because of the excellent parasite resistance of that herd That herd has not been de-wormed since 1998 (In part because rotational grazing is used).. We have already observed hard and excellent feet on our Kikos, and in our operation the Kiko x Spanish cross kids have extraordinary good kid hustle and great maternal instincts.
 
We believe Savanna genetics will be the major fraction of our hybrid program product.  Our Savannas are only a few generations from their South African roots, and we are very deliberately avoiding “hothouse” conditions to retain their original virtues. Savannas are not “White Boers” but a very distinct breed. Our full blood registered Savanna Bucks are from the Payne Glynos herd in Connecticut.
 
Selection Criteria and Methods:

We are using the Stockman Goat Edition,™ produced by John Morrison.  We owe a debt of gratitude to John for the extra work he has done for us in tailoring the GBF software to permit collection and report writing  for the herd management program we are running. 
 
Selecting replacement stock is a tough job.  As you can see from the photos, our first crosses look VERY good.  One of the guiding principles here at GBF is that we run a substantial population of animals, large enough that we have less compunction about tough selection decisions.
 
But the reason for the effort and expense of data collection and analysis is to avoid falling prey to the “pretty face” syndrome.  So, in making these decisions, these are today’s criteria for retention in the GBF breeding program:

1. The kids to be retained MUST be a weaned as twins or triplets.  Singletons don’t count.  We think that rule is critical for commercial success.
2. An unspoken, and implicit assumption is that its birth was unassisted.  (We know the dam’s birth was unassisted).  In the several hundred kiddings on the farm to date, less than a handful have required assistance, and neither the does or kids are retained.
3. Any kid retained must be in the top 25% of its cohort in litter weight and  ADG to ninety days. We define the “cohort” as all kids born in a given calendar month. The cohort includes all kids of all breeds and crosses.  That is how we will, objectively, develop the Empire Goat.  “Let the data sort em out”.).
4. Color does not count.  While it is appearing the Savanna coloration is dominant, and we are tending toward white goats and expect the finished product will be uniformly white, it does not matter for our purposes.
5. Conformation does count, and we do cull for parasite susceptibility, excessive hoof growth, and udder and teat structure.