Angora Goat Farming In New Zealand

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BASIC INFORMATION FOR FARMING ANGORA GOATS






History
The Angora goat originated in the district of Angora in Asia Minor. The angora dates back prior to early biblical history.  Mention is made of the use of Mohair at the time of Moses, which would fix the record of the angora some time between 1571 and 1451 BC.
Angoras were first imported into South Africa in 1838, and Texas, United States in 1849. The angoras in New Zealand are descended from these.

Personality
Angoras are a small breed.  They are relaxed, docile and easy to handle.  Like all goats they are also highly intelligent.

Fencing
The first thing you need to do before you farm goats is having your fences stock proof.  There is a fencing act, which explains your legal requirements.  It is particularly important that your boundary fences are goat proof, especially if you border on bush.  This may be 9-wire post and batten or upgraded existing fence.  Netting fences are not advisable as the young goats will put their heads through the netting and get their horns caught and become trapped.

Shelter
Goats do not have a fat layer under the skin like sheep, therefore they are more vulnerable to cold wind and rain, especially after the spring shearing and at kidding time.  Shearing is usually July/August about a month before the doe's kid.  Sheds in some form are vital at this time.
They needn't be expensive or elaborate.  Portable A frame shelters made from bits and pieces, old water tanks on their sides with one end cut out, small shelters made of plywood.  New born kids are prone to hypothermia if born in cold, wet weather so boxes, drums etc are vey handy to put the new born kids in so the doe can go and feed.  Goats do not mind cold frosty weather or warm rain, it is cold wind and driving rain that affects them.

Yards
Like any other type of livestork angoras need to be yarded from time to time for drenching, drafting, dipping, shearing.  A set of yards next to the shearing shed is ideal.  If the yards are covered they can also be used as shelter, at kidding time and also for treating any sick animal.

Grazing and Nutrition
Goats are browsers, whereas sheep are grazers.  Goats prefer longer grass than sheep.  They also eat a wider variety of vegetation so they are very good for weed control thus reducing the need for chemical sprays, which is better for the environment.  They will eat thistles, ragwort and other weeds that sheep and cattle do not eat.  This does not mean that they can live on rubbish.  Angoras need good nutrition in order to grow mohair.  The better quality the food, the more mohair they grow.
In winter they will also need hay, or haylage.  Reject kiwifruit is also good, buy not too many at a time or they will get acidosis. Willow and poplar are also good for them.  A few branches from time to time are much appreciated.  Also make sure goats have access to clean drinking water.  If the water is dirty they will not drink it som make sure troughs are cleaned regularly.

Mineral Requirements
Goats, like all animals need minerals to maintain good health.  Some parts of New Zealand are deficient in some minerals, mainly Iodine, Copper, Cobalt and Selenium.  Providing mineralized salt blocks is a good way to overcome this.  The Bay of Plenty is very deficient in Cobalt, so goats get Vitamin B12 supplement to boost their cobalt.  Iodine injections from the vet are also available to combat iodine deficiency.  Copper capsules are available for copper deficienty where needed.  Also a lot of worm drenches have added cobalt and selenium.

Health Care
Vaccination
Goats should be vaccinated against pulpy kidney, blood poisoning, tetanus and black leg.  Vaccinate your does two-three weeks before they are due to kid.  Vaccinate the kids at 6-8 weeks of age.
Drenching
Goats, like sheep and cattle need drenching for intestinal worms, especially over summer and autumn.  The recommended drench rate for goats is 1.5 times the sheep rate.  As goats age they develop some immunity to worms, so the adults probably need less drenching than the kids and hoggets.
Lice
Goats will need treatment for lice.  There are several pour on products on the market.  Make sure that you do not use them close to shearing.  Flowers of Sulphur is an organic product that can be used for treating lice.
Foot Care
Foot trimming is now kept to a minimum, if possible not at all, although there will occasionally be excessively long feet that will need trimming.  Foot bathing for foot scald is necessary from time to time.  Use Zinc Sulphate at a rate of 105 solution.  Any overgrown hoof will need to be trimmed before it goes in the foot bath.  Any goat with a chronic foot problem should be culled.
In summer if feet are not in good order they may get flystrike and this can transfer to the body, particularly around the pizzle in bucks and wethers.  Goats don't have too much of a problem with flystrike but it can happen.  The best prevention is crutching and trimming round the pizzle.
Kidding
The gestation period for goats is 150 days (5 months).  The bucks go to the does between February and May depending on what part of the country you live in.  The kids are born from July to October.  As angoras are not full grown until they are 6tooth (4 years) some breeders don't mate the does until they are 4tooth(3years).  A few weeks before kidding does should be shorn and also vaccinated and drenched.
A few hours before kidding a doe will move away from the main mob and look for a quiet spot to have her kid.  She may be restless, lie down, get up move to another spot before having her kid.  The birth is usually quick and easy due to the small size of the kids.  If the kid has not arrived after an hour or so of the pushing, she will need your help, as the kid may be coming the wrong way.  If you cannot get the kid out you may need the help of a vet.
The first two hours after birth are vital for the bonding process.  Once you've seen that the kid has arrived safely leave the doe to clean up her kid, feed it and bond with it.  Go back later to check that the kid has been fed asn is healthy.  Also check the umbilical cord and if necessary trim it back and apply a squirt of iodine to the area. Newborn kids are very susceptible to cold and wet weather so it is vital that they are taken to shelter as soon as possible in bad weather.  Pick the kid up and hold it in front of the doe and walk backwards slowly making sure the doe is following you.  You may have to stop every so often and put the kid down so the dow knows it is still there.  If the kid is already cold and limp and weak (hypothermia) you will have to revive it.  The best way is to place the kid in a plastic bag with its head out and immerse it in warm but not hot water and give them a good rub until they start to respond.  Give them a good rub to stimulate them and then place them in a box with a hot water bottle.  Make sure the hot water bottle is wrapped in an old towel or blanket or similar.  I then put the kid in the box in front of the fire.  When the kid recovers enough it can be given a feed.  If that happens in the evening I give the kid some artificial colostrum and keep it inside overnight and take it back to its doe the next morning.  Sometimes it may be necessary to bottle feed a kid especially with twins as sometimes one kid will get less than the other, or if a doe can't produce enough milk.
Shelter for kids can be wooden boxes or drums.  I have several 44 gallon drums on their sides with wooden slats fitted inside, and on cold wet days the kids will all cuddle up together in the drums to keep warm.  I counted 6 kids in one drum one day.  Trees and bushes also make good shelter.
Ear Tags
Goats usually park their kids in a sheltered spot when they go out to feed, so I tag the kids within the first day.  I use a small tempory tag with their number on it and record the details of its doe and sire.  When the kids are about 6 weeks old I then give them their permanent tags, or you could do the permanent tags straight away.  Having the kids tagged is also helpful as when the kids get to around two weeks old they don't always stay where the doe puts them, and I've occasionally had to help a doe find her kid.  With the eartags it is easy to match the right kid to the right doe.
Weaning
Kids are usually weaned at around 4-6 months.  Some breeders now don't wean the kids but leave them with the does until the does go back to the buck the following year.  By that time the does have weaned the kids themselves, and leaving the kids with the does cause less stress for the kids than taking them away from the does.

Shearing
Angoras are shorn twice a year.  The usual times for shearing are January/February and July/August.  The winter shear is done about a month before the doe's kid.  This gives the does time to adjust before.  If the does are not shorn the kids may have problems trying to find the teat to feed, also without her fleece the doe will take her kid to shelter in bad weather, whereas with a full fleece on the doe won't feel cold, but her kid will and may get hypothermia.
At shearing time the goats should be shedded the night before shearing to make sure their fleeces are dry.  When I'm shearing I put the individual fleeces in a plastic bag with the eartag number written on it, and then prepare the fleeces later.
As the goats are being shorn remove as much dags and urine as possible and put in a separate pile before putting the fleeces in the bag.  Sort the fleeces on a table, removing any stains that have not already been removed and any vegetation, eg barberry, blackberry, bits of hay etc.  Put the fleeces in a fadge, 4 to a layer with sheets of newspaper between layers.  Before starting have the fleeces in their different age groups, eg all the kid fleeces together, then the hoggets and so on through the age groups.  When all the fleeces are packed they can be sent or taken to the Mohair Warehouse for classing.  The Mohair Warehouse is in the North Island at 617c Runciman Road, Drury.
The fleeces are graded according to micron count.  The finest and most valuable is
ASFK0 - super find kid, which is the first shear fleece
AK0 - kid fleece
AYGO - young goat
FAH0 - fine adult hair
The A refers to the length of the fibre.  A grade is 90mm or longer. B grade is short lengh.  The 0 refers to kemp in the fibre.  Kemp and short length will both downgrade the value of the fibre.