Goats - Raising Small Animals - page 270

dark brown. They have white markings on the legs and two white stripes down the face. They
are a dairy goat breed, and does give up to 1 ½ gallons of milk per day.
Fiber goats
Angora: The Angora goat is used as a fiber goat for its mohair fleece. On average, more than
10 pounds of mohair is sheared from the average Angora goat. Mohair is similar in chemical
composition to wool but has a smoother surface giving it a silky texture. Angora goats of both
sexes have horns and droopy ears. Does usually weigh 80 pounds as adults. Bucks average
200 pounds. As an added bonus, Angora goats are fantastic browsers, controlling weeds and
brush in areas inaccessible to mowers.
Cashmere: Cashmere goats are technically a type of goat and not an official breed. Most
breeds of goat, with the exception of the Angora, can produce cashmere down in various
amounts. Cashmere fleece is a fine, crimped down. Goats with cashmere fleece usually have
long, straight, coarse guard hairs on the outer part of their bodies. The cashmere fleece under-
neath the guard hair keeps them warm. Most of the best cashmere has traditionally come from
the Middle East, but unrest in that region of the world in recent years has caused a disruption
in the supply. New Zealand and Australia now supply much of the best cashmere in the world.
U.S. farmers have imported goats from Australia and New Zealand to build on their cashmere
breeding programs and to breed with American goats.
Pygora: The Pygora goat is a cross between the Angora and the Pygmy goat. It was first bred
in Oregon in 1987. Pygoras are multiuse and popular for their different types of fleece, as
milk goats, and also are kept as pets. They can have cashmere-type fleece, mohair-like fleece,
or a combination of these two fleeces. Pygoras are popular as pets because they have the
smaller size of Pygmy goats. Pygora goats may not be more than 75 percent Angora goat, nor
more than 75 percent Pygmy goat. They can live to be 12 to 14 years.
Meat goats
Boer: The Boer goat has pendulous ears. It was developed in South Africa as a meat goat and
gains about a quarter pound of weight daily until it reaches full maturity. It is the best-per-
forming goat in terms of weight gain among the meat-type goats, which means the Boer goat
reaches market weigh quickly. The doe commonly will have twins. Males weigh about 260
pounds when mature, while females weigh about 215 pounds.