 Articles on Cashpygora Goats, Harvesting Fine Fiber (explaining the difference between different goat fiber); The Absolute Basics of Goat Care; Bottle Feeding & Care of the Rejected or Orphaned Kid (Picture links to Bryn Hollow Farm Newsletters) |
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This past weekend marked the official introduction of Pycazz fiber at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon. With several samples on the table, the positive response to this new and very fine fiber was overwhelming. My Pycazz fiber, processed perfectly at Deer Valley Alpaca, sold out. There were three types of Pycazz available: Pycazz from the 1/2 Cashmere and 1/2 Pygora crosses and Pycazz from the 3/4 Pygora and 1/4 Cashmere, and then Pycazz that was a mix of both of these. The Pycazz from the 1/4 cashmere and 3/4 crosses, called Pycazz Ultra, actually felt the most like the pure cashmere fiber, and in contemplating this phenomenon I decided it was probably due to the cashmere of the Pygmy genetics biologically blended with the cashmere goat's genetic qualities. The fiber from the 1/2 and 1/2 crosses was still equistily fine but more closely resembled the Pygora. Not that Pygora and Pycazz are the same, and people who experienced both by touch could feel the difference. Many brought their friends over to experience the tactile sensation of Pycazz and after selling it out at $10.00 an ounce it is clear that spinners who appreciate fine fiber are very receptive to this new addition. Only 2 goats contributed to the Ultra and Supreme, while the fiber that was a blend of both possessed both qualities and more goats contributed. More empirical effort will go into studying the fiber from these two types of different Pycazz goats, and with all the new kids in the pasture having a selection shouldn't be a problem. There was no dark Pycazz as the dark Pycazz micron tests in style and crimp and fineness as cashmere. There was only one caramel Pycazz doe last year whose fleece tested with cashmere fineness and within cashmere range for style, but with a bit less of the cashmere crimp and style. Several caramel kids were born this year and while they will have a beautiful and fine fiber, they will be tested when older and their fiber processed. Why the type and style is so related to color is a bit of a mystery, except that the genes for style and color appear to be closely linked. And so the Pycazz adventure continues, my cashmere does and Pygora bucks will also be micron tested to provide for baseline data, so that besides knowing where we are at it will be better known where we started from in terms of thefineness and style of the initial breeding stock. One thing is certain, the great reception and enthusiasm over Pycazz fiber merits the continued development of this new breed. As I'm planning on moving to the South to purchase a larger farm where it doesn't rain as much (goats hate rain), it is hoped other breeders in the NW will begin to breed Pycazz goats. Starting a new breed is exciting and rewarding, so little has been done with crossing goats as compared to crossing sheep, it is time to explore and develop some great new fibers.  ;void(0)) Article about Pycazz Goats: The Great New Fiber Goat
Micron reports establish that the micron count of the fiber is almost always under 18.5 microns and demonstrates a 100% comfort factor. There are three types of Pycazz, a type that resembles the Pygora Type B/C with fewer and more restricted guard hairs, continual growth, and which performs as cashmere. For a mature Type B/C the fiber is between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long (atleast). The second type is closer to the Pygora Type A, but it has a micron count between 15-20, with a count over 19 very rare. Type A Pycazz has a slightly different sytle and performs somewhere between cashmere and Pygora, with the CV closer to the Pygora but somewhat higher (which is good) than the Pygora. The length of the Type A in a mature goat is between 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 inches long. I actually prefer this type and they are almost always white in color. Some have the sheen while others do not. The third type are simply cashmere, although most of the Type C Pycazz usally have continual growth. This fiber also performs as cashmere and for all practical and commercial reasons qualify as cashmere as does the Type B/C. One or two are simply cashmere goats, but with a higher yield. I didn't get simply cashmere with does bred to my Type B Grand Champion Pygora Buck, Jackson who has strong B/C Pygora lines. His son, Cisco, has a Type C Pygora mother and a couple of the offspring were simply Cashmere or closer to Type C Pygora. These can be identified as Type C Pycazz. The first tests yielded no micron count higher than cashmere, but the goats were still young and it was expected that Brie who had the second highest count at 17.5 would probably exceed the 19 microns of cashmere. Brie was my one and only bottle kid and if she had a micron count of 100 this is her home for the rest of her life. Using the Yocum McColl standard she only exceeds the .3 point standard deviation by 1.25 microns which is still very fine and lovely fiber. The fiber of the lighter, Type A goats, tend to have the beautiful Pygora sheen and a wonderful texture while the darker Pycazz has a matt quality and is simply cashmere. If you love cashmere fiber and want more of it, try Pycazz. If you desire to cross-breed your own Pycazz I recommend breeding a Type B Pygora buck who has very fine cashmere in his fiber and breeding him to a Cashmere doe. This way the kids are small and there are few birthing problems. It is probable that a Type B/C Pygora buck would also perform well. Latest Micron Test Results This years micron tests results are in, although there are a few more to be tested who were either too young or with kid. All tests reported a 100% comfort level of the product. Ian, who looks like a Cashmere buck, but has continual fiber growth, tested at 14.28 microns. Ian's brother, Ailan, is a foundation Pycazz buck residing at Underhill Farm in Maine (Links page connects to Underhill Farm). Ailan's micron count was 13.7, SD 3.2, and DV 23.4. Fletcher, a Type B/C Pycazz buck, tested at 16.77 microns. Kore, also in ME had a micron count of 15.5, and Denae who is a Type A Pycazz had a count of 16.9. Katie, who is a Type A Pycazz, tested at 15.33 microns; Alana at 16.46; Demmie at 16.22. Brie, whose first tests were higher than the others tested, came in at 20.75 and she was 1.75 microns above the 19 count acceptable for an older Cashmere doe. The only 3/4 Pygora and 1/4 Cashmere doe tested so far was Brianna, Brie's daughter, and she tested at 19.23. Nonetheless, this is still finer than the Pygora micron test result averages which usually rise into the mid-twenties. Those of us breeding Pycazz are in the process of establishing a registry in order to encourage the breeding of this cross and further help establish Pycazz as a distinct breed. This is an exciting time to enter into the world of breeding Pycazz, help develop the breed, and become apart of this new adventure. PYCAZZ: THE NEW KID ON THE FARM By Sandie J. Dass of Bryn Hollow Farm Pycazz are coming into being as a distinct new and wonderful breed of fiber goat. It has been difficult to identify our Cashmere-Pygora breedings as simply an enhanced cashmere breeding program. Just as the Pygora Goat came about as a result of crossing Pygmy and Angora goats, unqiue from either parent breed, Pycazz are distinct from both their Pygora and Cashmere sires and dams. Many of this year's Pycazz goats are the result of breeding Pycazz to Pycazz, and these kids look stunningly beautiful and should be great producers of fiber. This new breed began when Cashmere does were bred to Twice Grand Champion Pygora Buck, Goose Creek Farm’s Jackson. Jackson has Type B Pygora fiber which is a natural blend of the Pygmy fleece with its cashmere fiber as well as a biological blend of a finer Angora type fiber. Type B Pygora inherently has a lot of cashmere and Jackson's fiber is extremely fine, excellent, and has a phenomenal growth rate. The offspring can technically be called Cashmere, for they produce ample amounts of cashmere fiber and out produce their cashmere dam's significantly. When the first group of kids came into their fiber and when it continued to grow year round, it was a pleasant surprise that indicated something very special was occurring with these cross bred goats. Fiber was sent out to be micron tested at Texas A & M Ag. Ext. Services and all the fiber came back under 19 microns, a couple were at the higher end, but most were around 15 - 16 1/2 microns indicating that even if they gained a micron or two with age they were and would remain cashmere goats. The worst case scenario is a fiber that would be around 20-22 microns which is, in most cases, finer than much of the Pygora fiber as indicated on the report of Pygora Fiber on the Pygora Breeders Association Site. Some of the white and lighter color fiber from the Pycazz maintains a beautiful sheen, much like Pygora fiber. This is not true or noticable with the darker color fibers, and by some mysterious act of genetics these goats usually have less guard hair to deal with and with that usually concentrated on the ridge of their back so it can be easily eliminated when harvesting. Pebbles, a beautiful white Pycazz doe and the first Pycazz goat born on the farm, now produces 4 inch long cashmere fine fiber (twice a year) that in some respects resembles Type A Pygora Fiber in Appearance, but it is finer and maintains the feel of cashmere. Brie and Brianna's fiber does have a wonderful sheen. Brie's fiber tested at 17.5 microns and Brianna's was recently sent in to be tested, but is a bit finer than her dam's fiber. Gretel, who had the finest fiber at about 15.4 microns fine, was taken to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Joe David Ross, one of the foremost fine fiber experts in the country, was kind enough to come and look at Gretel. He stated that Gretel's fiber was as fine as any in the Cashmere Show Ring and was impressed by the amount of fiber she had in late September as well as its length. The Pycazz have been entered and placed in the Cashmere Show Ring at The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in 2006 and their fiber also won ribbons in the cashmere fiber only show. A Pycazz Registry is now in the process of being established to encourage the breeding of these incredible new goats. While I find it easier to kid using a Pygora buck with a cashmere doe to assure a smaller kid, all a person needs to begin this breeding program is a cashmere and a Pygora goat, however breeding stock is available at Bryn Hollow Farm and in ME (check links page for Underhill Farm). It takes a lot of care and money to raise fine fiber goats and it is a task of love and appreciation of fine fiber rather than a money making enterprise. Of 1/2 lb of cashmere fiber from the cashmere goats sent to be processed and de-haired, 2.6 ounces came back of really beautiful fiber. If 3 or 4 times the amount of cashmere fiber can be harvested from this new breed this is a significant improvement. One of Jackson's buck sons, Cisco, was used last year for breeding with the cashmere does. Cisco has a Type C (cashmere) Pygora dam, Sparkle, who has incredibly beautiful dark brown fiber with red overtones. The risk of breeding to Cisco wasn't in not having cashmere kids, but in having cashmere kids without the phenomenal growth if they inherited his dam's Type C Pygora Gene which two of these managed to achieve, however they still produce more fiber than most cashmere only bred goats. While it is too soon to know since some of the kids haven't come into their fiber yet given their birthdates, some have started growing fiber and do demonstrate the continual growth pattern. I did notice recently, with the thermoment reaching for 100 degrees, that two of the little ones had started producing a bit of cashmere fiber though still quite short in its beginning. Given our July heat wave, the new coming fiber production is impressive. Kore and Ian and Ailan all have quite a bit of fiber coming in under their fleece, with great color and fineness. There are now three crossed bucklings, two at Bryn Hollow Farm and one at Underhill Farm in ME, Ailan whose cashmere fine fiber is so dense one can hardly part it with their hand and Ailan has extremely few guard hairs. His brother Ian looks much more like a small Cashmere buck with his fleece and horns in tact, but also has dense fiber underneath his guard hairs while Fletcher has dense guard hairs and denser fiber that brushes out quite well. Cashmere doe Blossom had two kids last year and was bred to a Type B/C Pygora buck, Jr. Champion Vixen. One of her kids, Daniel, has the longer and similar to Type A Pycazz fiber while Donya is closer to cashmere in appearance. A Pycazz goat can be any goat that is crossed with Pygora or Cashmere breeding stock that maintains up to 3/4's of either the Cashmere or Pygora ratio in their blood lines. There is a bit of a difference between the 1/2 crosses and the 3/4 Pycazz, although here again the mysteries of genetics is at work. The 3/4 goats have a very evenly distrubuted fiber that is cashmere fine and feels tactilly very soft and luxurious while Brie's fiber has fineness and softness but a slightly silkier feel. Pebbles is cashmere, but like Brie and the majority of the Pycazz, twice a year cashmere. Samples of Pycazz are available upon request for a very minimal postage fee. There seem to be three different types of Pycazz goats and fiber, the one similar to Pebbles and the other similar to Ailan, Fletcher, and Gretel. The third type is really an enhanced Cashmere type of goat that is easy to brush out and it is too soon to know if all of these will maintain the continual growth, but they are more of an exception than the rule. Continued selective breeding is needed and if anyone is interested in beginning their own breeding program please feel free to contact me. This is an exciting adventure and I hope others will embrace this new breed and enjoy the fantastic benefits of harvesting and working with Pycazz fiber. ;void(0)) The following factual data is taken from the Pygora Breeder's Association Report on Pygora Fiber after having a quantity of samples tested by Yocum McColl Laboratory. When comparing Cashmere to Pygora Fiber, the range for cashmere fiber was presented as between 13.5 and 19.5 microns. There were only a few Type C Pygora goats who tested within this range. The average fiber diameter for a Type A Pygora was 29.35; for Type B it was 27.58, and for Type C the average was 24.87. The range for Type A was between 24.54 to 35.12 and the range for the comfort level for Type A Pygora was between 51.42-92.89. The average comfort factor for Pygora, for all Pygora fiber types, was 80.36. Type A Pygoras seem to test close to the level of a kid or very fine mohair. What is being called a Type B/C Pycazz is very like the Pygora Type B/C with the major distinction that the Type B/C Pycazz tests identical to fine cashmere in micron count, 100% comfort, with the continual growth, and in other areas. The guard hair factor on both B/C Pygora and B/C Pycazz is confined, as it is mainly present on the ridge of the back and back and/or front legs. It can easily be discarded if the goat is clipped and if the goat is brushed out it is even less of an issue. If you wish to read the entire study on the PBA site, my Links Page does have a link to the PBA website. The picture above is of Pycazz wether Ryan. While Ryan was not posing to show off his conformation, he does demonstrate an incredible amount of fiber and he is only 3 months old. His fiber is about an inch long and will be ready for a first harvest in another 3 months (this summer). Ryan is a Type B/C Pycazz. Recent tests performed on two Bryn Hollow Farm Pygoras by Underhill, who purchased them, show Bryn Hollow Farm's Eris with a micron count of 19.4 and Type C Ara with a micron count of 14.3, but Ara isn't a year old and she'll gain about 3 microns when older, although it looks like her fiber will remain within a cashmere fine range even as an adult. Eris' dam is Hawk's MT. Ranch Sparkle and her sire is Jr. Champion Bryn Hollow Farm's Vixen. Ara's sire is Grand Champion Goose Creek Farm's Jackson and her dam is Windshadows Snowflake.  CARE OF THE BOTTLE KID (Picture is of Jade posing for me for a pastel picture, little Vixen was never a bottle kid). Bryn Hollow Farm has only had one bottle kid, so this doesn’t exactly qualify me as an expert. Nonetheless, having been a super surrogate mom and knowing there are many less intensive ways of caring for these kids, the little learned is being offered as perhaps a bit helpful. While a herder cognitively knows sooner or later a kid or lamb will need to be bottle fed, when the necessity arises it seems to come as a surprise, especially if you are new at raising goats or sheep. Having not yet had a bummer-lamb, or even a lamb born on the farm, the focus here is on the care and nurturance of the rejected or orphaned kid. As a new shepherd I had stocked up on Kid Milk Replacer with Chalesterum, just in case. It is good to keep on hand for one never knows when it will be needed. When the first does began to kid, Midnight, still young and unsettled in her new home, rejected Brie. It was obvious as she ran from the kid or tried to stomp on her that even spending time relaxing her and introducing her to the tasks of motherhood wouldn’t work. I brought the little white doeling inside and broke open the milk re-placer, followed the directions, and got out the bottle and various types of nipples on hand for such an occasion. Midnight was also milked from the first to make sure Brie got the valuable anti-bodies and richness of her mother’s milk for the first week. It wasn’t difficult to get Midnight on the goat stand and milk her, but while she was cooperative brushing up on milking skills that had only been used with cows as a child was a bit of a challenge. I found that even with all of the special nipples available for goats and sheep, that an old fashioned bottle nipple with the hole made a tiny bit bigger worked best. At first Brie was fed every 2-3 hours, on demand, but it was only a few days before she was able to drop a middle of the night feeding. She was kept inside and was litter trained and later house broken, some people use diapers, and some just leave the kid or kids in the barn and go out and feed them. I felt Brie needed more and so kept her close. At first it took her a long time to nurse, after a ˝ hr she’d consume about an ounce. Patience is absolutely necessary and the key to success. Once the kid gets the hang of it they are soon draining the bottle quickly. Brie was also messaged and got lots of attention and love. She just about came with me everywhere I went, wherever a tiny kid could enter and not be asked to leave. Brie was usually carried, but very quickly learned to walk on a leash and a short walk before entering a building worked well in terms of her not having accidents. Some people even take their kids to work and keep them in a dog carrier, for it isn’t just the milk that is important but having the mother or surrogate mother near by for security and comfort. I was only working part time, but Brie managed to stay home where the other pets, bonding with our dog and cats. She’d sleep cuddled up next to Brodie and he still seems to feel a bit closer to Brie than the other goats in the herd. I began introducing Brie to alfalfa and cob early on since it is the early nibbling on hay that prepares their ruminant system for its eventual development. Goats prefer leafy or broad leaved hay and Brie was no exception. Weaning her was a bit of a trick, it took a long time for her to surrender her bottle for the water bucket. Brie really had an unlimited supply of her own hay and grain and one of the drawbacks is that she is still not as good as some of the other goats at being competitive. Midnight never wanted any part of Brie and would harass her when she saw her. But at that time Midnight wasn’t nice to any of the kids and had to be kept away from them. Midnight has since had other kids, become a really good mom, gentler in general, and settled down. She still ignores Brie, but Brie has her own kids now and couldn’t care less about her bio-mom. All of the nurturance Brie received as a kid helped her develop into a healthy and nurturing doe when her own kids were born. At first she had no idea what to do with them, but sitting with her and talking calmly to her, and repeatedly placing the little kids where they needed to be to nurse worked wonderfully. She just needed guidance and lots of reassurance. Of the two kids born, from the first Brianna was her favorite. Since Brianna looks just like Brie she was named after her mother and while Megan got good care, she has never been mom’s favorite kid. Sometimes a doe will initially reject a kid and then take it back again, just sitting in an enclosed area and calming and working with the doe can make the difference. One herder told me she has spent hours calming the doe down until she accepted her kid(s). I’ve had 2 does temporarily reject kids who were sick or injured, but they do accept them again as soon as they know the kid is getting well. In one case the kid had gotten injured and in the other the young buckling had gotten pneumonia but he was also already weaned. Katie couldn’t stand up for 3 days and then got pneumonia, but it was less than a week before she was being placed with her mother to nurse, at first only for a couple of hours, but as she got stronger she was quickly returned to Betsy’s care. It was seeing Betsy accept her after 4 days that reassured me that Katie was on the road to recovery. The first return for a couple of hours worked fine, but Katie was still weak and it seemed too soon to leave her with mom full time. There is no one way for caring and nurturing a bottle kid, one has to attempt different solutions and use their intuition. Some bottle kids get much more care than others, but usually the surrogate mom becomes very attached to the kid and it is extremely easy to do. As far as the kids are concerned their people caretakers are their moms, they come for protection, love, and become extremely bonded to us. When Katie returned to Betsy I was forgotten for a bit, but now that she had individuated from Betsy she and her constant companion and sister, Alana, are usually close to me when I’m outside with the herd. Katie is still a bit of a risk taker and so needs some extra herding. The only thing I wished I’d have done differently with Katie was start her on antibiotics as soon as she was injured to prevent an infection. It may or may not have worked, kids need to be active and even people aren’t allowed to languish in bed after surgery, dormancy leads to pneumonia as it inhibits normal circulation. Katie, at two months old, wasn’t interested in a bottle at all. Older kids can learn to bottle feed, but it takes a bit more work and at two months Katie was eating and drinking water quite well. Dairy goat farmers bottle feed all of their kids, having a group of kids can make it easier. There are feeding stands that will feed several kids at a time, but it takes several for the competitive instinct to nurse to convince the kids to use the strange looking feeder. All of Bryn Hollow Farm’s does are not really good moms and it doesn’t seem likely that there will be another bottle kid unless of a tragic loss of the doe. Bottle feeding and care of a kid who has no nursing doe to care for her just takes patience, care, and love.  HARVESTING FINE FIBER FROM GOATS There are primarily 3 types of fiber goats: Angora, Cashmere, and Pygora. Harvesting fine fiber is not an easy task, for the fiber reflects the care, nutrition, and nurturance that each goat receives, including feed, mineral and vitamin supplements, and the giving of affection. Goats have great personalities and are naturally affectionate animals among themselves as well as with people. There is a direct correlation between what you give to your animal and what you receive in terms of the quality of the product, weather one is raising Angora, Pygora, Cashmere, or any fiber goat or farm animal. Among fiber goats, Cashmere fiber is the finest. Cashmere is not the name of a specific breed of goat, although anyone who has watched a Cashmere Goat Show will note a consistency of type. For example, horns are preferred and the goats possess a distinctive long guard or kemp hair and unique body type. Cashmere goats are exceptionally hardy and perhaps the easiest to care for among the 3 main types of fiber goats. Cashmere fiber is often called The King of Fibers, a title earned because of its splendid softness and scarcity. The fiber must be under 19 or 20 microns, depending on opinion, to earn the distinction of being called Cashmere. Any fiber which is under 19 microns is cashmere, including Type “C” Pygora which commercially qualifies in fineness and type as a true cashmere fiber. Pygora cashmere is less expensive, but this commercial bargain springs not from an inferior fiber as much as from the fact that Pygora fiber is not as well known at this point in the breed’s history. Cashmere fiber usually has a matt quality and a comfort level between 95-100%. While many shear their Cashmere goats, just as many people have found that brushing and combing their goat is far more productive and practical. There are far less guard hairs when the animal is brushed, usually over a period of several days or longer. While there are many different types of combs and brushes, a fine comb or brush can remove most of the vegetation debris as well as help remove guard hairs that do emerge during the harvesting. While combing and brushing is more economical it is also much easier on the goat as well as the harvester. The harvester doesn’t have to spend as many follow up hours picking through the fiber. There is also the fact that these animals produce this fine fiber to stay warm in winter, shearing can create stress and illness which means one must add into the equation the care of the goat if one should get sick after being sheared. Many products for combing and brushing are available. There are flicker brushes, slicker brushes, llama combs, dog combs, Viking Combs, English Combs, bristle brushes, and so on. Brushed fiber does not have to be put through the commercial dehairing machine as many times, and eliminating much of the kemp hairs prior to processing is particularly prudent. Many mills charge for dehairing based on the number of times the fiber has to be put through this expensive and highly specialized machine. It can take up to 7 trips through the dehairer to remove all of the guard hairs, and when animals are clipped or sheared all of the guard hairs are in the raw fiber. Of critical importance is the fact that with each of the fiber journeys through the machinery much good fiber is lost. With Cashmere goats, one can not afford to lose their valuable fiber as the amounts harvested may not be that great and the fiber is only harvested once a year. Of those breeds of goats that have guard hairs, Cashmere is the easiest to dehair by the harvester (given having time and patience). The fiber is pressed into a ball in your hand, and at that point the courser and longer guard hairs protrude and can be pulled out and removed. A Type ”C” Pygora goat, as mentioned above, also produces a cashmere fiber. With the exception of the Type “C” Pygora goats, Pygora goats are not classified by micron count as much as by Fiber Type. A good guess would be that the non-“C” types possess a micron count in the low 20 micron range, just a tiny bit thicker than Cashmere. The information given below is directly quoted from a brochure on Pygora Goats available through the Pygora Breeders Association. "Type "A" (Angora Type): This is a long, lustrous fiber up to 6" long, hanging in long, curly locks. The hair coat is not obvious on a type "A" animal. This fiber is very fine mohair. Some type "A" Pygora’s are single coated. These animals must be shorn (or clipped). Type "B" (Blend type): A blend of the Pygmy goat undercoat which is cashmere and the Angora mohair. It is between 3 and 6 inches long, and it has a nice crimp (curl). The second coat is usually obscured by the type "B" fleece that is 3 and 6 inches long. Type "B" can either be lustrous (shiny), or have a matte (dull) finish. This Fleece type is the most common, and these goats may be shorn, combed, or plucked. Type "C" (Cashmere Type) A very fine fiber, with no luster, and length of 1 to 3 inches. The hair coat looks very coarse in comparison to the two types above. Type "C" can be acceptable commercial cashmere. These goats may be shorn or combed." Just to complicate things a bit more, it should be added that with all of the breeding of different types of Pygora goats that there are now more variations of fiber type. A Registered Pygora can also be classified as having a Type “A-B” or “B-C” fleece. Although not quite as pronounced as the Angora, Type “A-B” Pygora fleece possesses an Angora type curl and is longer in length and usually finer than mohair. Remembering that Type “B” is the natural biological blend of the Pygmy and Angora, Type “B-C” Pygora fleece is long but does not have as pronounced a curl if any. The fleece of both “A-B” and “B-C” Pygora type goats grows continually throughout the year, as does Type “A”, and is usually clipped or shorn. There is also a type of Pygora goat called Colored Pygora. This breed now has its own registry, which is a fairly new accomplishment. Many Colored Pygora Goats are not registered, but raised for their long, fine, and beautiful fiber with its wonderful variety of natural colors. Colored Pygora goats are either brought into being when a Pygora is bred back to a Colored Angora or when two Colored Pygora goats are bred to each other. There are two Angora Registries, a registry for white Angora goats and one for Colored Angora goats. Pygora goats emerged in the 1970's when Katherine Jorgensen deliberately bred a white Angora and a Pygmy goat. For a goat to qualify as a Registered Pygora with the Pygora Breeder's Association it must maintain the Reg. White Angora heritage of the original breeding, even if a Pygora is bred back to an Angora. This means the color is dependent on their Pygmy heritage. The advantage of breeding back to an Angora, White or Colored, is the consistency of the fiber, its fineness, magnificent array of colors, and the fact that there are no or very few guard hairs. It isn't unusual to be able to harvest fiber from Colored or Pygora-Angora crosses 3 times a year. A person can almost clip these goats and spin without further ado. Goat fiber does not naturally have memory, returning to its original condition, as does wool from sheep. Often wool is blended into yarn to give it memory and for certain projects, such as knitting a heavier sweater, a blended yarn is preferable. For a blend to be considered Pygora it should not contain more than 50% of wool. Shorter fiber tends to be used for spinning into weaving yarns in order to produce the tighter yarn perfect for weaving. Angora, of the above, is not blended as often as the other goat fibers. Angora goats produce mohair, an exceptional fiber that is long, lustrous, and grows profusely on the goat. It tends to get denser over time, but anyone who has experienced mohair knows its virtues, uniqueness, and the wondrous mohair products available. Angora goats must be clipped at least twice a year and usually 3 times a year. As someone who has harvested Colored Pygora and Angora fiber, it can almost be intimidating to look at a goat just clipped a couple of months ago and know that harvesting time is promptly approaching. Of course, this is intimidating in a rather rewarding and pleasant manner. Scissors also work well for harvesting fiber. One does not have to invest in expensive clippers and shears. Since it is better, if type permits, to brush the animal's fiber out there are also thicker blades on shears that will leave fiber on the goat, from 1/4" to 1/2" to 3/4 inches and plastic attachments for clippers that serve the same purpose. Goats do get cold and tremble from the cold. There are goat coats and some use sweaters, usually both need additional straps sown on to stay on the animal. Either way, keeping the coat on the goat is difficult. In the process of squirming out they can get quite tangled. Imagine going outside totally undressed in January or February, it would be a bit cruel to force this experience on any living creature. This is a matter of opinion (as is much in this article) and perhaps this situation is also influenced by a goat personality variable, but it is better with young kids (especially when harvesting their fiber for the first time) to use a scissor since clippers or shears can create stress. When kids or goats are stressed they tend to collapse, fall down, and shake as in spasm. This can occur even if the kid or goat is on a goat stand for a long time, sometimes it is necessary to complete clipping after the kid or goat has had a break, and the harvester may also find they need a break as well. The advantage of clipping and shearing is that it speeds up the harvesting process, sometimes dramatically. Goats like to be talked to and reassured, and sometimes it seems they actually understand more than we think. Communication and a few gentle strokes or pets, with goats as with people, always helps reduce tension and promote understanding. Harvesting great fiber is a lot of work and most of the small farmers who engage in this activity feel lucky if they financially break even in terms of supporting their herd. Neither Cashmere nor Pygora goats are known for producing pounds of fiber, a pound is an exceptional and excellent yield even before dehairing. Given this and that cashmere is only a once a year harvest, it is easy to understand why this great fiber is also one of the most expensive. The results of this labor, however, are well worth the effort, patience, and care of the herd. There are few natural products in this world that are as sensuously soft and as exquisitely magnificent as goat fiber. What a person creates from this gift of the goats is as unlimited as the creative spirit within us all. | Bryn Hollow Farm Newsletter: March 2006 | Goat Care, Bottle Kids, Fiber Types & Harvesting F | | Return Home | About Our Farm and FAQ | Fiber & Fiber Products: Pygora, Angora, and Pycazz | Artistic Creations of our Farm Animal Friends | Articles on Pycazz (Cashmere-Pygora Cross Breed), | Links to Other Farms, Organizations, Oregon Wool G | Pycazz Goat Breeders Association and Registry | |
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