ANGORA GOATS: a ‘Shear’ Delight! Protect Your Angoras from the Elements

Glossary of Terms Browse— Tender shoots, twigs, Lock— A tuft or ringlet of mohair. and leaves of trees and shrubs. “To browse” is the goat’s practice of Luster— The characteristic shine grazing these plant parts. of mohair caused by light reflecting from the relatively smooth surface Buck— An adult male goat, also of the individual fibers. called a billy. Medullation or “Med”— All Cape shorn— The practice of undesirable hollow fibers including leaving an unshorn strip of mohair kemp. along an Angora’s back to protect it from chilling after it is shorn. Mutton— A castrated male goat, also called a wether. Character— The waves found along a lock of mohair. OB or “original bag”— How most U.S. mohair is packaged by the Cottonseed— The seed of the cot- producer into 6-foot burlap bags at ton plant. Whole or “fuzzy” cot- shearing with little sorting done. tonseed is fed as it naturally occurs following the ginning process. It Ruminants— Cud-chewing, even- is high in protein (21 percent), fat, toed hoofed mammals with complex fiber and energy. three- or four-chambered stomachs. Doe— An adult female goat, also Style— The number of twists found called a nanny. along a lock of mohair. Flushing— Increased nutrition Stocking rate— The number of just before and during the breeding animals grazing on a given area for season to cause does to gain weight a specific time, usually expressed and ovulate. as acres per animal, unit, month or year. Kemp— Undesirable short, hairy, hollow-cored fibers that do not Veg or “defect”— Plant parts and dye well, thus lowering the fleece seeds that become embedded in value. mohair before shearing that lessen its value due to the difficulty of Kid— A juvenile goat of either sex. removing it. 12 1 ANGORA GOATS: A ‘Shear’ Delight! Protect your Angoras from the elements Rain, wind and low temperatures kill shorn goats. Two of these elements are usually needed for losses to occur, but cold or wet weather alone can kill. Extreme weather conditions have killed goats even in full fleece. Losses often include trampling by goats trying to stay warm. stubble to prevent irregular fiber Control measures, the disruption of length at the next shearing. management options and the inability Shorn Angoras can even die Fleeces free of contaminants are the to produce goats in areas with heavy from wind and rain in August, most valuable. predator populations must also be when temperatures are not low. factored into the cost. Owners transporting goats should Vegetable matter in the fleece lowers be especially wary of this. If not its value. Some weed and grass Be aware of the problem. Many protected after shearing, animals seeds are very hard to remove in the young kids can be killed before the that were comfortable on their trip scouring process. Find pictures of producer realizes it. The carcasses to the shearers in full fleece may be mohair-contaminating plants at: may be completely eaten, taken to dead from exposure by the time they http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/ dens or hidden. Does with large arrive home. L-5003/woolm.htm udders and no kids are a good clue that something is wrong. Angoras can become dangerously Lessen fleece damage by planting Next, identify the predator. Texas chilled in less than an hour. Once and grazing annual or perennial Cooperative Extension publications their body temperature drops, they forages while seed heads of problem can help. Contact a county Extension hump up shivering and stop moving. plants are being shed. Spraying office for more information. They will die if not helped. Save herbicide over a pasture and grazing them by keeping them warm for 24 that pasture during critical times is Help through Texas Wildlife Damage hours or more. Goats can die weeks another approach. Kids pick up the Management Service is available at: after shearing if cold and depleted most defect because they are smaller http://agextension.tamu.edu/twdms/ Acknowledgments energy leaves them constantly and closer to the source. Producers twdmshom.htm shivering. Supplementally feed the may want to pen-feed them during This project was made possible Sources and editorial animals during this time to improve critical times. Guard animals such as donkeys, dogs through funding provided by the contributors are: their survival chances. Animals stop and llamas are another option that has Texas Department of Agriculture Dr. Frank Craddock eating when seriously chilled, so Goats with well-defined locks and met with varying degrees of success, but the best protection is usually to with the cooperation of the Dr. Chris Lupton keep them as well fed as possible. a moderate amount of lanolin in the Natural protection or sheds must be fleece tend to pick up less defect. pen the animals at night. Texas Agricultural Experiment Dr. Maurice Shelton Finally, shearing dates may need to Station and Texas Cooperative Dr. Charles “Butch” Taylor provided for all slick-shorn animals in extreme weather. Accustom the be moved before the noxious weed We hope this information has helped Extension. Individuals who have Dr. Dan Waldron animals to the sheds before they are seeds are released from the plants. you decide to participate in becoming provided expertise to this project Dr. John Walker part of a true Texas tradition: Angora needed. Keep Angoras safe from predators are: Dr. Travis Whitney goats. Linda Anderson, editor Cape shearing is a popular way to Angora goats, especially young kids, For more information visit: protect Angoras. Shear the cape 30 are susceptible to predators. The Steve Byrns, senior editor/writer/ http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/angora photographer to 40 days after the regular shearing, price of the animals killed is only a using equipment that leaves a part of the total loss. Dixie Kee, designer 2 11 Healthy Angoras Why Angoras? are a picture of elegance New landowners who want to add unwanted brush and weeds around a touch of style and elegance to the homestead. Heavy brush can and style their property – along with income, quickly grow out of control to the a dash of history, fun and Texana detriment of wildlife and livestock. – should consider Angora goats. Angoras cannot effectively control Angoras raised on arid pastures large mature vegetation, but they Veteran producers are always willing to have fewer disease and parasite Angoras are as Texan as longhorn are ideal for managing regrowth share their expertise. problems than confined animals or cattle. Like longhorns, Angoras following major brush control those grazing lush, wet grasses or are adapted to the dry, rugged and efforts. small grains. brushy Texas Hill Country known as the Edwards Plateau. The region Landowners interested in raising Angoras are brush-browsing is ideal goat range, and is home to Angoras are advised to start small animals. They prefer to feed above most of the nation’s Angoras. and learn the business before internal parasites that infect from expanding. Consider starting with lower vegetation, which gives Angoras produce fiber more a small “test flock” of altered them some natural protection. efficiently than any other livestock. males called “muttons.” Select Goats grazing mostly weeds and They produce mohair, not Angora, them after they have been shorn grasses can suffer from internal and which comes from the Angora twice to get a good idea of how external parasites. The Angoras’ rabbit. Mohair is a soft, luxurious much they will shear and what high fiber production can keep them Angoras and their fleeces fiber with a rich luster that is used their fleece characteristics are. in nutritional stress because their can be exhibited. in fine clothing, carpets, blankets Mohair production from muttons nutritional needs often exceed the and upholstery. It also accepts and can be a lucrative enterprise and is amount of quality nutrients they can retains brightly colored dyes better a good way to learn about Angora get from their environment. This possible, grazing mixed species and animal after shearing, but enough than other natural fibers do. production. can add to their vulnerability. de-worming only when necessary stay to re-infest. Most producers to avoid parasite resistance to de- treat goats for lice and ticks at Angora goats are relatively small Homonchus contortus, also called wormers. shearing, but treatments are most animals with a quieter nature than Angoras are an excellent choice for the large roundworm or barber effective two to eight weeks later. most other goat breeds. These the beginning livestock exhibitor. pole worm, is the Angora’s most Coccidiosis, an internal protozoal Two treatments done two weeks traits make them a good choice for damaging internal parasite. parasite, can be a serious problem apart are ideal. Dipping or shower- younger children to manage. Affected animals become anemic in goats, especially kids at weaning. type treatments do the best job. and accumulate fluid along their Feed and water contaminated by After the animals have two months Exhibiting the animals in FFA and bellies and around their jaws. coccidia-infected goat droppings of mohair growth, “pour on” or 4-H youth shows is an appealing Parasitism hits stress-prone spread the infection. Preventative “spot on” treatments are the most family activity. Angora exhibitors animals such as young or growing measures include limiting goat effective. are not required to sell their animals kids, lactating does, bucks during numbers in corrals, keeping at the end of the show, which is a breeding, and goats grazing low- water systems and feeders clean, Toxic plants can harm Angoras. common practice for other livestock protein, low-growing forages such and feeding commercial rations Overgrazing can leave little but exhibited. Angoras kept for show as Bermuda grass.

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