Angoras are an excellent all around breed of animal. They largely produce wonderful fiber for making textiles and crafts. Angoras are shorn twice a year at lengths of four to six inches. They also produce milk to make soap and cheese, meat (if you will) to satisfy you, and are excellent weed eaters. Their docile nature allows for a pleasant companionship between you and your flock, and for those lucky enough to have one or two that demand affectionate scratching as often as your four-legged canine.
At maturity angora does range from 75 to 100 pounds and bucks from 85 to 125 pounds. Their horns are left intact which can come in handy when shearing and vetting, however care should be taken when entering pastures with bucks during rut especially when breeding does are nearby. Angoras hooves need to be trimmed periodically depending on the type of ground they are on. Natural rocky land tends to lessen trimming duties, however substitutes such as a concrete pad are useful also. Their nutrition should be based on what is naturally available where they are kept and time of season. A variety of hay, goat feeds and mineral supplements should be available to meet your goats nutritional needs. Angoras are at the weaker side of health hardiness among goats, possibly due to the strain and demand of fiber production. Adequate shelters should be available to protect them from wind and rain as well as a maintenance to control parasites. A good health -are program for your angoras can be established between you and your local large animal vet.
Angora goats produce mohair fiber which can be as soft as cashmere and has warming characteristics of wool. Mohair fiber is exceptionally resilient, very lustrous, and naturally fire retardant. Their hair grows in ringlets or waves that range in fine to coarse in texture, with kid hair having the finest qualities. Kemp hair which is straight, hollow and brittle, is the least desirable trait. Depending on breeding characteristics mohair fiber comes in an array of natural colors ranging from whites to blacks and browns to reds. Mohair fiber does very well at accepting dyes thus expanding their spectrum of colors. Also dependent on angora goat breeding is pattern traits. There are many different types of color patterns including solid, belted, striped, badger faced, or no pattern at all. Raising colored angora goats have become gradually more popular as the resurgence of spinning, knitting and crocheting has become more en vogue paired with the environmental movement of doing more things green. |
