Which goats produce cashmere

Type of Fiber they produce: Cashmere The Zalwali Goat breed is a breed of goat that originates from India is makes up around 27 percent of the goat population in Surendranagar. These goats are a highly valued commodity in the areas in which they are found as they produce a source of income, meat, milk and very fine Cashmere fiber for the communities that own these beautiful goats. Their fleece is mainly black or black and white speckled, they have long faces and are a very unique looking goat breed.

They are mainly bred for their kid pelts which are of the highest quality, but they are also prized for the extremely fine quality of Cashmere these goats produce. They are usually completely white but every now and then there are those with a black coat. They have a pink skin and sometimes their coat has a pink sheen to it. It is primarily used as a meat goat with its fine quality of healthy meat.

But it is also prized for its extremely fine and expensive fiber. The Kaghani has an undercoat that produces very fine Cashmere fiber with is then spun into valuable Pashmina. Pashmina is used in the creation of fine wools and the Pashmina scarf with is sold and in demand around the world.

These goats can, on average, produce around 1 to 2 kilograms of long hair per year. Your email address will not be published. Unlike dairy goats, the wethered male is the most valuable goat. If you cross a non—fiber producing goat with an Angora goat, many times the offspring will produce a cashmere undercoat.

The Pygora is one of the most popular of these crosses. As the name suggests, it is a cross between a Pygmy and an Angora. A few years back, our Angora buck knocked the gate off the hinges of his pen and got to one of our Nubian does. The resulting kid was black with a beautiful soft gray cashmere coat. Fiber goats can be raised much like other goat breeds, with a few exceptions.

Because fiber production takes so much from the animal, they are considered a more delicate breed. They are also very docile and calm compared to other goats. They MUST be kept dry. Because of all that wool, they are more susceptible to pneumonia than other breeds. If you plan on adding fiber goats to your herd, you need to get proper wool shears and learn the craft of shearing. Or you can hire someone to come and shear your goats. Lice prevention.

Fiber animals are prone to lice infestations. In addition to regular worming, lice prevention should be a regular part of your routine. We use a pour-on variety, similar to flea and tick prevention in dogs. Fiber goats need a high-protein diet in the form of grain or alfalfa hay. We feed our Angoras a diet similar to that of our dairy goats in milk.

They also benefit from the addition of black oil sunflower seeds. The fats in the seeds assist in lanolin production and thus help protect and waterproof the fleece. The coarse and down hairs are separated by a mechanical process called dehairing. The long fibers are used in knitted garments. Shorter cashmere fibers go into woven fabrics. The fiber diameter must be less than 19 microns to be classified as cashmere. The typical range is 16 to 19 microns.

Figure 1 shows the different markets that goat fiber is sold in. Local markets account for Many goat operations do not have a primary focus of fiber production.

It is most common that meat goat or diary goat operations produce fiber along with their primary products.