whats the difference??

[papeine]

what is the difference betwee angora and mahair goats/ sheep??

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Well Angora goats do not produce Angora. They do produce Mohair. I'm not sure if there is a goat that produces real Angora but I do not know that for sure. I have no idea about sheep.

 

[SheepGirl]

There are two types of fiber goats: Angora (which produce Mohair fiber) and Kashmir (which produce Cashmere fiber).

The difference between Angora and Mohair? One's an animal and one's the animal's fiber

There are varying grades of sheep fiber (all sheep fiber is called wool): hair, medium, long, fine, and carpet/fur. There are hundreds of breeds that produce each grade of fiber (maybe with the exception of carpet/fur and also probably hair).

 

[papeine]

thanks... so I have angora goats that product mohair...
makes sense...
do you know if I only sheer them once a year, will I get longer fiber strands? or should they be sheared twice??

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Again, I don't have any so I'm not entirely sure but I have been told that they must be sheared twice a year.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

thanks... so I have angora goats that product mohair...
makes sense...
do you know if I only sheer them once a year, will I get longer fiber strands? or should they be sheared twice??

Angora goats produce mohair, angora rabbits produce angora. They are two very different fibers.

Angora goats should be sheared twice a year or their fleece gets too long and can mat and felt together. They are also a lot more comfortable if you shear and delouse them before kidding and the summer. You will get longer fiber if you go a year between shearing but that isn't always a good thing. I could probably shear 3 times a year because a lot of fiber mills can't handle how long my mohair is even at twice a year. This isn't as much of a problem if you handspin.