Practical Angora Goat Raising Part 3

The first cross, or half-blood Angora, will have a covering of short coa.r.s.e common hair and a thin covering of mohair, which does not grow very long. If the animal were to be shorn, possibly a half pound of hair of a very inferior grade might be yielded. If this hair were to be offered to a manufacturer, he would cla.s.s it as noil, and refer it to a carpet manufacturer, who would possibly pay ten or twelve cents a pound for it. The skin of the animal will be a little fluffy, and not suitable for fine goat skin trade. It will not take a good polish after tanning, and it is not desirable for shoe leather. It will be worth about half as much as common goat skin. The meat of the animal will be a little better than that of the common goat, but it will be inferior to Angora venison.

The animal will still be as prolific as the common goat. Twins and triplets will be a common occurrence. The kids will also be hardy. If one were to stop at this stage in breeding, he would have decreased the value of the skin of his goat without increasing the value of the animal.

The second cross, or the three-quarter blood Angora, will have a covering of short coa.r.s.e common hair, especially noticeable on the back, belly, neck and hips. The mohair will now be fairly thickly set upon the sides of the animal, and of medium length, about seven inches long for a year's growth. If the animal were to be examined by a novice, he would be called an Angora from his general appearance. If shorn, he will yield about one, or one and a half pounds of hair, and the mohair manufacturer will pay about twelve or fifteen cents a pound for the material. The skin is valueless for rug, robe or tr.i.m.m.i.n.g purposes, because of the coa.r.s.e back and the scanty covering of mohair. It is fit for glove leather after tanning, but its value for this purpose is less than that of the common goat. The meat is more like Angora venison, and can be sold on the market as mutton. The animal is still prolific. From the second cross on, the grade goat rapidly a.s.sumes the characteristic of the Angora goat, but if for any reason poor bucks are used (an occasional animal without apparent reason retrogrades), the animal as rapidly resumes the characteristic of the common goat. Quite a percentage of colored kids will be dropped by does which are themselves white.

The third cross, or seven-eighths blood Angora, will still have the coa.r.s.e back, a partially bare belly, coa.r.s.e hips, and the neck will be insufficiently covered. The sides will be covered with good quality, long staple mohair, comparatively free from the coa.r.s.e, dead underhair, or kemp. The animal will shear about two or three pounds of fair mohair, which will be worth from twenty to thirty cents a pound. This mohair will be fit to run through the combs, and the "top," or long mohair, free from kemp, will be used in the manufacture of plushes, braids, etc.

The skin will have some value for rug, robe and tr.i.m.m.i.n.g purposes. The meat will be juicy, palatable and salable as mutton.

The fourth cross, or fifteen-sixteenths blood Angora, will be hardly distinguishable from the average thoroughbred Angora. The coa.r.s.e back will persist to some extent, and the hip will be plentifully covered with kemp. A good many of this grade will be poorly covered on the belly, and an occasional bare necked or off colored animal will be dropped. The animal will shear from two and a half to five pounds of mohair of good quality, which will be worth from twenty-five to thirty-five cents a pound. It will be from eight to twelve inches long at a year's growth, and it will be combed at the mill. It is fit for manufacturing into any of the goods for which mohair is used. The meat of the animal is rich, juicy, and free from the disagreeable qualities so often noticeable in mutton. If the animal be fed upon browse, the meat will have the flavor of venison. The tendency of the mothers to drop twins will be lessened, and it will be rather the exception for twins to be born. The kids will be rather delicate when dropped.

Subsequent crosses will tend to reduce the amount of kemp upon the animal and to improve the back. The question will now resolve itself into one of breeding for points. Bucks must be selected which cover the points the does need most, and by careful selection the grade flock will soon be indistinguishable from the thoroughbreds.

METHODS USED IN AMERICA TO-DAY.

By gradual steps the original Angoras imported into America have been so improved, and the cross-bloods have been so highly graded that some of the American flocks equal the best Turkish flocks. America has many high-grade flocks, which, if it were not for the remaining coa.r.s.e hair of the common goat, would be upon a par with the Turkish flocks. There are enough good goats in the country for a foundation stock, and a few years more of the careful, painstaking, selective breeding which is in progress throughout the United States to-day, will bring forth an Angora superior to the Turkish stock. Sections of the country modify the characteristics of the Angora. Probably climatic conditions, varieties of food and water, and certainly mental vigor of the owners is largely responsible for this. One man selects large, well formed, rapidly maturing goats and breeds for this type. It is surprising how soon his flocks a.s.sume this type. Another breeder works for fineness of fleece, regardless of size or shape of the animal, and he gets his points.

There has been much vagueness as to what points the breeder should try to produce. Some have claimed that the most profitable animal to raise was one producing heavy ringletty fleece, regardless of the quality of the fleece, except of course that it should be as free from kemp as possible. This day has pa.s.sed. We know what the mohair is used for, and know how it is prepared for manufacturing. The future may change these uses or methods, but we know what we want now, and we know how to breed our goats to produce the most money per head for the present at least.

Fas.h.i.+ons vary, and the fas.h.i.+ons vary the demand for certain grades of mohair. Coa.r.s.e fibered, long staple, fine l.u.s.ter mohair possessing a great amount of tensile strength and elasticity will make good braid yarns, but if braid yarns are not in demand, such fiber is not the best for plush or dress yarns. Fine fibered, long staple, pliable, l.u.s.trous, easily spun yarn can be used for braid stuff, or at least part of the fleece will be heavy enough for this purpose, and the finer parts have such a variety of uses that they spin yarns which are always in demand.

Looking at the question from the manufacturing standpoint, we see that the most staple product is the fine-fibered mohair. But a producer might have animals which would shear two and a half pounds average (the average of the Turkish flocks) of very fine mohair, while another grower might have animals which would shear four or five pounds average of coa.r.s.e mohair. And even though the value per pound of the coa.r.s.e mohair may be considerably less than that of the fine mohair, the grower owning the coa.r.s.e haired heavy shearing Angoras will realize more money per head for his clip. The value also of the carca.s.s and skin of the Angora is of importance. A heavy carca.s.s and a large skin are of more value than a light carca.s.s and a small skin.

If the Angora breeder would produce the animal which will yield the most money per head, he should aim to produce an animal which will shear the heaviest fleece of the most marketable mohair, regardless of fas.h.i.+ons, and one which, when put upon the market, will dress the most possible pounds of desirable meat, and yield a readily marketable skin. There are not many such animals on the market to-day, but the time when there will be plenty is coming. We have the fineness of fiber; we have the density of weight of fleece; we have the covering of the animal and the size and stamina of the individual, and we have breeders who are endeavoring to unite combinations to produce the Angora of the future. But while we are without the ideal, one should choose that point which is hardest to attain, most necessary for the best paying animal, and work especially for that. That point is fineness of fiber, always remembering freeness from kemp. There are many large goats, many heavy shearing goats, but there are very few fine fibered comparatively free from kemp goats. One should not make the mistake of neglecting size and weight of fleece.

There are few animals which will respond more rapidly to careful crossing than the Angora goat. A buck will usually stamp his individuality upon every kid, hence the necessity of carefully selecting breeding stock.

GESTATION.

The period of gestation varies slightly with the individual, but the average may be approximately stated as one hundred and forty-seven days, or about five months. Both the bucks and the does have a breeding season, but this season may be changed or varied by different elements.

As a rule the bucks commence to rut about July or August here in America, and the does soon after the time the bucks commence. Some bucks which have been allowed to run with the does all of the time, never cease rutting, and the does conceive about every six months. The does come in heat about every fourteen days, and remain in this condition for about three days. If the bucks are allowed to run with the does, one buck should be used for about every fifty does. If the buck is only allowed to serve the doe once, a grown animal will serve one hundred and fifty does in forty days without permanent injury to himself. The does conceive at about the age of seven months, and the bucks breed at about the same age, but the wise breeder will not sacrifice the individual by interfering with its development. Both the buck and the doe should not be bred until they are at least a year old. The bucks should be fed at breeding season, and if one has a sufficient number of bucks, it is well to turn the bucks with the does in relays. It is advisable to have the kids start coming slowly, so that one may get new men trained to handle them properly. One or two bucks turned with a flock of a thousand does for a few days, and then removed and allowed to rest, and a new relay of three or more bucks turned with the does, to be removed in a few days, and a new relay being introduced into the flock, will do more satisfactory work than they would if all of the bucks were turned in at one time. The same principle can be applied to smaller flocks. The does should be protected from cold storms or rough handling when they are heavy with kid, else they are liable to abort. If for any unusual cause the doe aborts one season, there is no reason why she will not carry her kid until full term another time, and experience has proven that she will.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PASHA V AND BISMARCK.

American bred bucks, Bismarck shearing 12 pounds, was the sire of the grand champion buck at the St. Louis World's Fair, 1904.]

BREEDING OF REGISTERED STOCK.

The breeding of registered stock, or stock of known ancestry, requires much care and quite different handling. Both the does and the bucks must be marked with an ear tag, brand, tattoo number, or some other permanent individual mark, and the kids should be marked at birth. Fifty known does may be put in a pasture or pen and a known buck put with them. He should be allowed to run with them at least forty days. After this the does may be collected into a flock and several bucks turned with them, but only the kids which are dropped from a known buck are fit for record.

A more accurate method, and one which can be used with a large flock, is to place the bucks in a corral adjoining the one used by the does at night. The does should be brought into their corral early in the evening, and all of those in heat will work along the fence next to the bucks. The doe in heat can be caught and the number taken and recorded in a book. She is then placed in a small pen with a buck and his number is recorded with hers, together with the date. If the doe does not conceive, she can be put with the same buck again at a later date, and one has approximate knowledge of when she should drop her kid. In this manner a buck will serve about two or three does in the evening, and one or two in the morning. The kid is marked at birth and the number recorded after that of the mother. The breeding of recorded stock is of value only for special reasons, and is not advisable with large flocks, as it is expensive.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

ANGORA VENISON.

Angora venison is the name which should be given to the flesh of the Angora goat. At the present time it is usually sold in the markets as mutton. The term goat meat should be applied to meat of the common goat, and the term mutton belongs to sheep. Because the Angora goat feeds largely upon that material which nourishes the deer, the meat of the Angora is flavored like venison. The fat is well distributed, and the healthfulness of the animal renders this an especially desirable meat.

The Turk has long recognized Angora venison as an important element in his diet. Angora kid is above comparison, and it occupies the principle place on the menu at private as well as state affairs in the Orient. As one pa.s.ses through the market places in Asia Minor he sees the carca.s.ses of the Angora hanging in every shop. There is no mistaking the animal, as the skin still remains on the goat. One takes his choice, and as a rule more Angora venison than mutton is sold. Some of the Turks keep their wethers until they become coa.r.s.e-haired and too old to pay to keep longer, eight or ten years old. This cla.s.s of meat ranks with old mutton, and sells at a discount. Young wethers and does are in good demand. There has existed in America some prejudice against the flesh of the goat. To-day thousands of goats are being consumed annually, but most of them are sold as mutton. Packers and butchers still insist that Angora venison must be sold as mutton. They pay about one-half a cent to a cent a pound less for the goat than for sheep.

The goat never fattens as well along the back as the sheep, and hence the carca.s.s does not look so well. The fat is more evenly distributed throughout the animal in the goat. An expert once said that to know whether a goat was fat one should feel the brisket, and if there was a considerable layer of adipose tissue between the skin and the breast bone, the animal was fat.

Some of the American breeders do not send their wethers to market until they get too old to produce valuable fleeces. The animals are then slaughtered when they have grown a half year's fleece, and the skins are reserved by the breeder. These skins are valuable, and help to bring up the average price of the goat.

At present some of the packers recognize no difference between shorn and unshorn goats. The price is the same, so it pays to shear the goats before bringing them to market. There is absolutely no strong flavor in prime Angora venison, and this is where the meat differs from that of the common goat.

The goat is a slow grower, and not until the second year do the bones ossify. Therefore, a two-year-old can be sold for lamb, as he has a "soft joint." Grown Angora wethers do not average much more than one hundred pounds as a rule, although there are occasional bands sold which average one hundred and fifteen pounds.

It is safe to say that Angora venison will never supplant mutton, but it will have its place among the edible meats.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ANGORA BUCK--Early Importation.]

ANGORA GOAT SKINS.

An Angora goat skin differs considerably from the skin of the common goat. In the first place the Angora skin is covered with more or less mohair; and in the second place, the texture of the skin itself is different. The skin of the common goat is firm, and the different layers are so closely united that they cannot be separated. The layers of the Angora skin are not so closely united, and the skin is slightly fluffy.

The outer layer of this skin peels off when it is used. The Angora skin is valuable both with the fleece on and without it. Its principle value, however, is with the fleece on. After the skins have been properly tanned, they are used for rugs, robes, tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, and imitating various furs. When ladies' and children's Angora furs are in style, these skins become very valuable for this purpose. One skin has cut $17.00 worth of tr.i.m.m.i.n.g at wholesale. Of course, the value of the skins depends upon the quality and character of the mohair with which the skins are covered, and their size. Large, well covered skins are always scarce and command good prices. They are worth from $1.00 to $2.00 each. Most of the Asia Minor skins are sent to Austria, and the prices paid for the raw skins are about the same as in America. The skins which have had the mohair removed are valuable for the manufacture of gloves and morocco leather. They do not make as fine leather as the common goat skins, but they are as extensively used. All skins should be carefully handled.

The skin should be carefully removed from the carca.s.s. Goats do not skin as easily as sheep, and the careless operator is liable to cut the inner layers of the skin if he is not careful. These cuts are called "flesh-cuts," and skins badly "flesh-cut" are comparatively valueless, because "flesh-cuts" can not be removed by the tanner. A sharp knife should be used, and the operator should avoid cutting the skin.

The skin should be well salted, care being taken to see that the salt penetrates every portion of the raw surface. The skins can be cured in the shade without the use of salt, but sun-dried skins are worthless. If the edges of the skin are allowed to roll, so that raw surfaces come together, the part so affected will heat and the hair pull out. It is not necessary to stretch the skins while curing them.

Goats should be killed when their fleece is suitable for robe and rug purposes. Those carrying a six month's fleece, if it is six inches long, have about the right kind of skins. There are some Angora skins imported from Turkey and South Africa.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Prize winners at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893.]

BY-PRODUCTS OF ANGORA GOATS.

The Angora goat should not be cla.s.sed with milch animals. As a rule the does give a sufficient amount of milk to nourish the kid or kids. The more common blood there is in the goat the better milch animal she is.

However, some Angoras have been milked, and the milk is as rich as that of the common goat. A quart of milk a day may be considered a fair average for a fresh milch Angora doe. It has been suggested that because the milk of the goat contains a heavy percentage of fat, it is a proper subst.i.tute for mothers' milk for babies. This is probably a mistake, as that part of the milk which is the hardest for the baby to digest is the protein, and it will be observed that in the following table of a.n.a.lysis submitted, the percentage of protein in goat's milk and in cow's milk is about the same, and that it is considerably larger than in mother's milk. A very desirable feature in goat's milk is that the fat is distributed throughout the milk, and that it does not readily separate from the milk. This would a.s.sist in the a.s.similation of the fat by an infant. Some experiments made with coffee demonstrate that it requires half the quant.i.ty of goat's milk to produce the same effect upon this beverage which cow's milk produces. This may be partially explained by the quant.i.ty of fat in goat's milk, and partially by the fact that the fat does not readily separate from the milk. The bottom of the can is as good as the top.

a.n.a.lYSIS OF MILK.

MOTHER'S COW'S GOAT'S AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE

Fat 4.00 3.50 7.30 Sugar 7.00 4.30 4.10 Proteid 1.50 4.00 4.18 Salts .20 .70 1.21 Water 87.30 87.50 83.21 ------ ------ ------ 100.00 100.00 100.00

Persons in poor health have been greatly benefitted by the use of goat's milk. This is probably due to the fact that the fat in the milk is so distributed that a large percentage of it is taken up by the digestive apparatus. Angora goats are docile, and it is possible that some of them could be developed into good milch animals.