Raising Goats for Mohair

Certain types of goats produce long hair that can be shorn, like a sheep of its wool, and made into clothing. There are two types of goat which are popular with knitters and weavers; the Cashmere, which appropriately produces Cashmere, and the Angora, which produces Mohair.

Cashmere and Mohair are both excellent animal fibers; however I will focus here on Mohair, and the Angora goat. Mohair is used in sweaters, coats, scarves, floor rugs and carpets, as well as many other items. A full-grown Angora goat can produce up to 15.4 pounds (7 kilograms) of Mohair each year. However as the goats age, their hair thickens and thus making it less valuable.

Mohair is not the Angora’s only claim to fame however. Raising Angora goats for showing is also quite popular since they require very little special attention and are smaller than most sheep and other goats at maturity of 2 years.

When determining the value of an Angora’s coat, one must consider both the age and size of the goat, and of course the condition of the hair. Things to look for in an Angora goat include good size (bigger means more hair) and conformation, also check Mohair production records from the first two shearings, targeting a minimum of 12 pounds produced for bucks, 10 pounds for does.

Most Angora goat owners will shear their goat’s hair twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Simple wool shears will suffice for the job.

One of the largest producers of Mohair is the United States, with over 2.4 million pounds produced in 2002. Interestingly, this number is reduced more than half from 1997 which saw production of over 5 million pounds of Mohair.

Raising Goats with a Minimal Amount of Chemical Products

Many people who raise goats also prefer to raise them as naturally as possible and avoid chemical products. You may choose to do this with your goats as well.

Why go natural? If you are sensitive to chemicals you may wish to avoid them, and treat your goats the way you would yourself; for a more natural milk, if you are raising goats for their milk; and especially if you are raising meat goats, many prefer to avoid chemicals for the better quality and taste of the meat. It is also better for the environment to avoid using chemicals when raising goats.
Ultimately it is up to you; there are advantages and disadvantages to both ways.

Here are some tips on raising goats without chemicals:

• There are many online stores that specialize in goat supplements and natural herbal wormers.
• Garlic is a natural wormer and many goats actually like the taste.
  
• Supplementing with a fresh carrot daily provides more one-on-one time with your goat(s) and is beneficial to overall health.

Raising Goats Includes Trimming Hooves

This is a great video showing very clearly how to correctly trim a goat's hooves. This is one of the tasks that need to be kept up with. If you look in the video the goat's hooves are very overgrown. If you keep up with the trimming, then it shouldnt get this bad, especially if the goats have some rocks to climb on (they LOVE that).

Basics of Raising Goats

What do you need to start raising goats? Here are the basics of raising goats.

Ample pasture, preferably 1-2 acres per goat is recommended for grazing. Some people like to supplement with a bit of special goat grain available at your local feed store. A good quality hay should be on hand during the winter, and tosupplement feeding during dry summer months.

Fresh water is essential for a healthy goat. A good way to provide water is simply a bucket, refilled each day; or a trough, or even an automatic water station. An automatic water station is great if you are worried about dirty water and constant supply.

Housing is the next essential. Again, this is according to personal preference and budget. A good goat house for raising goats can be as simple as a lean-to shelter or a large barn with feed and hay rooms and stalls.

Mineral and or salt lick blocks are recommended by many goat owners for overall health. Look for the specialty recipes for goats. When placing a mineral or salt block, try to place it in the goat shelter and on a block of wood or something similar so that it will stay dry. You don't want your salt dissolving into the ground!

Do not skimp on fencing! Although being the most expensive aspect of raising goats, you will want it to last as long as possible and still be effective. The recommended fencing is 4' high, red-top woven wire with 12" spacing. When installing, be sure to stretch the bottom wire to run directly in contact with the ground for the most effective barrier.

With the right equipment and care, raising goats can and should be a pleasure for you, your friends and of course, the goats, for many years.

I hope you have learned more about raising goats from this short article. To learn more, I highly recommend the very affordable complete learning course, The Boer Goat Profits Guide.

Raising Goats - Why?

A good beginner animal
Raising Goats is a great way to get into animals! They are a smaller animal, not as hard to handle as some other types, and many people enjoy showing goats at their local fair. For children it gives a great sense of responsibility and helps them to cultivate that sense.

Companionship
Many people consider goats great companion animals. Goats are warm, fuzzy and loving, what more can you ask for? Goats come in all sorts of colors and sizes, so many to choose from! Goats make a great pet that can be taught to do simple tricks and fun antics that will delight everyone who sees them perform.

Milk
Another benefit of raising goats is getting the milk. Goat's milk is great to drink (not at all salty like some people think), made into silky goat's milk soap, or into smooth skin lotion that does wonders on your skin. Why make it yourself? Go check the prices at your local health food market!

Profit
Just remember the previous reason! You can sell your creations at local stores for a big profit. While you cannot sell the goat's milk without a milk license and inspections, there are so many things that can be made out of goat's milk that sell for very good prices.