Raising Angora Goats
For as long as I can remember I've been drawn to old-fashioned things. My mother is the same way and this nostalgic, bygone style was embedded in my childhood. The books we read, the movies we watched, my mom's style of cooking, and even the way she decorated my childhood home instilled a fascination with the way things used to be done. Candlemaking, sewing, basket weaving...it all interested me. As a young child, I remember using our Golden Retriever's slicker brush to try and "comb wool". It was really mashed-up cotton balls, but I pretended I was doing important work. Fast forward 20 years and now I am raising Angora goats.
Angora goats were the first goats we ever owned. We picked up 2 beautiful angora doelings 5 days before we were married. Zach and I were still living at my parent's house and on top of making bouquets for my bridesmaids, decorating the wedding tent in the front yard, and all the other things that a wedding at home requires...we were putting up goat fencing, building hay mangers and starting a mini farm.
We named our doelings Knit and Purl. And they were the sweetest, softest most beautiful creatures I've ever laid eyes on. I fell in love instantly.
Why we raise Angora goats
I learned to crochet as a child and enjoyed making blankets and pillows for my dolls. I could make a chain and do a single crochet and that was the extent of my skills. In 2005 I asked my then Mother-In-Law-To-Be to teach me to knit. It was something I had always wanted to learn but had no one to teach me. This opened up a whole new world. I became fascinated with everything fiber. Yarn, roving, weaving, and of course eventually the animals that produce this incredible product.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to raise fiber animals and in my limited experience that meant sheep. I read a lot about sheep and came to the conclusion that sheep die of everything. Or so it seemed. I've since learned a lot about raising livestock and know that just because an animal can get sick, doesn't mean it always will. But at the time, this research scared me away from sheep. I had also read about angora goats who seemed to be much hardier than sheep and produced twice as much fiber!
Angora goat origins
The Angora goat is an old breed dating back at least 2500 years. They originated in Turkey near Ankara (originally called Angora). This is also where Angora rabbits originated. Angora rabbits produce the fiber Angora, Angora goats produce the fiber Mohair.
Mohair
Angora goats are fiber goats which means they produce a type of wool like sheep. Their wool is called Mohair. Angora goats are the most prolific fiber-producing animals in the world. Unlike sheep who are shorn only once a year, Angora goats are shorn twice a year. We live in Michigan and shear in early September and late March (taking weather into consideration). The Mohair grows at a rate of around an inch per month. Each shearing should produce roughly a 6-inch lock. One goat can produce between 10-16 pounds of fiber per year.
Mohair holds the highest heat retention of any natural fiber and is two-and-a-half times warmer than sheep's wool. It is also very soft and has a beautiful sheen. Most people whose skin is irritated by sheep wool can wear mohair comfortably.
While most Angora goats are white, they also come in a beautiful array of colors ranging from red, silver/grey, brown or black.
Angora the breed
Angoras are medium-sized goats with adult bucks weighing 180-225 pounds and does weighing 70-110 pounds. They are about 36-48 inches tall at the withers (shoulders). The average lifespan is around 8-10 years, though we've had goats live to be 14.
Raising Angora goats
Raising angora goats on a daily basis is pretty similar to raising any other breed of goat. (See 11 Things You Need to Know Before Getting Goats.) They need food water and shelter.
Shelter is especially important to Angora goats as they need protection from wet weather, especially after shearing. After shearing your goats are very susceptible to hypothermia and pneumonia. The sudden temperature drop when the fleece comes off can really shock the body. Be sure to provide dry, warm, draft-free areas for your angora goats until their fleece begins to grow again.
Feed
Angora goats also need a slightly different diet from regular goats. Grain should be around 20% protein as opposed to 16%, which is normal for other goat feeds. Angoras need the additional protein to produce all that fiber. Adding black oiler sunflower seeds will greatly increase lanolin production which protects the wool. Other than that, they need grass hay (free choice), ample pasture, goat-specific minerals, and clean water. (See my post The Goat Diet)
Start by feeding sun oiler seeds at 1/8 cup and gradually working up to 1/2 cup per day. The seeds are more easily digestible if they are soaked an hour before feeding.
Parasite Control
Because of the abundance of wool that Angora goats grow, they are highly susceptible to external parasites and skin conditions. Lice, mites, mange, fungal, and yeast infections are very common. One of the best ways to prevent these infestations is to keep the bedding clean and dry. I also like to use an absorbent, deodorizing product like Stall Dry, barn lime, or Sweet PDZ under the bedding to keep things fresher longer. (I'm putting Amazon links here so you can see the products, but these are items you'd most likely find cheaper at your local feed store.) Some people also use DE, (Diatomaceous Earth) I don't personally, but it might be something to research.
I also like to put down a layer of highly absorbent compressed pine pellets. These absorb moisture and make cleaning much easier.
Check the fleece often, parting the locks down to the skin. Keep urine-soaked fiber trimmed between shearings around the rear and under the belly for males. This will prevent maggot infestation and irritated skin. Check for louse knits (eggs) or live louse. Flakey skin, skin with a sour odor, sores, blisters, and bald patches are all signs that you might need to treat for external parasites. If you're not sure what you're dealing with, check with a veterinarian.
We use Ivermectin Pour On meant for cattle. We adjust the dose by weight and pour it down the spine, trying to keep it away from areas of the body where the goat can reach with its mouth. I repeat in 2 weeks. Goat louse is species-specific so you don't have to worry about catching them yourself.
Bedding
I've found straw bedding to be better than pine flakes for Angora goats. The straw doesn't seem to work its way into the fiber quite as bad as pine flakes. Keep the bedding changed regularly to keep the mohair from staining.
Does, Bucks, and Wethers
Angora goats are lovely, gentle goats. Their personalities are quieter and less rambunctious than any of our dairy breeds. Our buck Sulley was one of the most gentle and docile goats I've ever owned. Despite having two curling swords on either side of his head. (See my post, Should I Keep a Goat Buck?)
The nice thing about raising angora goats is that all of the animals are useful. In the dairy goat world, unfortunately, excess males can become a nuisance because they eat just as much as a doe, but don't produce milk. In the Angora world, Wethers (or castrated males) actually produce the most fiber. They don't have hormones or pregnancies to deal with, so all their energy goes into producing beautiful fiber.
Horns
Both male and female angora goats have horns. Males have beautiful, outward curling horns, whereas females have smaller horns that follow the curve of the skull backward. Wethers will also have the female horn pattern, but will often grow longer, thicker horns. Angora goats cannot be disbudded or dehorned. The horns of a goat help to regulate body temperature. In the warm months, the horns dissipate excess heat. If an angora has no horns it can die from overheating. (See my post Should I Dehorn or Disbud My Goat)
Kidding
Unlike dairy breeds, Angora goats often have single births. Angora does don't produce as much milk as a dairy breed and if she does have multiple kids, sometimes supplemental milk might be needed to keep her kids fed. (See my post Guide to Bottle Feeding Baby Goats)
Shearing
You'll need a good understanding of how to shear a goat. The first time I sheared our girls it took Zach and me 4 hours to get 1 goat shorn. I cut myself, I cut the goat...it was a disaster. But with practice, I got better, more confident, and faster. Now I can shear a goat in about 20 minutes with no cuts!
You can also hire someone to shear your animals.
Shearing supplies
Shears: To do it yourself, you'll need good shears meant for fiber animals. Dog grooming shears or people hair-cutting trimmers will not work. A good set of clippers can be an investment. Expect to pay around $200-$300 for a decent pair. I use the Lister Star Shears. I've had the same pair since 2009 and they still work great!
Stanchion: You will need a stanchion to steady the goat while you shear. These can be built out of wood or purchased from a farm supply store.
Processing Mohair
I plan to delve into this in detail in the future but for now know that the fiber must be shorn, washed, dried, and combed before it is spun into yarn. This whole process can be done by hand and if you are going to raise fiber animals I encourage you to participate in as much of the process as possible. You will learn an intimate understanding of the wool your animals produce and that process is fascinating.
You can also research fiber mills in your area. We have one that we use about an hour north of us. Doing all the fiber preparation for several animals can be a lot of work, the mill sends us the fiber in the form of roving, from which I spin and dye, but you can get it back in the yarn stage as well.
Some fiber artists will buy raw fleece (dirty fleece right off the animal). This is also an option if you plan to sell the fleece with minimal processing.
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