This here is a freshly sheared angora. "But I thought that you had to kill them and skin them to get there wool?". NO, NO, and NO. All you have to do is shave, cut or "pluck" there wool. "PLUCKING!!!!!! That's torture, No stop, your so cruel". It is not cruel animal torture to pluck if its done right. You have to wait till the right time when the top coat is loose and the bottom or new coat is coming in, this way when you pull on the coat it comes right with out ripping it out of the follicles because the old coat is not connected to the skin. It is actually helpful to the rabbit if you pluck it at the right time, otherwise if you let them groom it they will ingest all of the loose wool, get wool block and potentially die. Now when shaving and cutting with scissors you should leave at least a half inch of fur from the skin and leave the fur on the face, paws and tail untouched unless needed.
You can make almost any cloth item out of angora wool. Shirts, sweaters, socks, skirts, hats, gloves, scarves, pants and sometimes even shoes, although I would not suggest it unless you have a sole on the shoe. There are also wedding dresses with an Angora wool top piece (I am more than likely going to do that with my wedding dress).
Which one is the best? Well that all depends on the purpose you are using the rabbit for. If you don't mind almost constant grooming and your after a calm animal and really soft wool then the English Angora is your ideal Angora. If you would rather have something that doesn't take as much grooming and you don't mind coarse hair here and there you can choose between the Giant and the French Angora. Now lets break it down, Which of these is better for your purpose. If you want something with no size limits and only white wool then the Giant Angora is the best for you. When you want more variety of color and a medium sized rabbit then the French is best.
The giant angora can serve as both pet and fiber producer. Keeping a giant
angora means a bigger care commitment than less woolly bunnies. Because of their size, they also require larger amounts of food. The giant angora rabbit is one of the few breeds registered with the American Rabbit Breeders Association with no maximum weight stated in the breed standard. An adult giant angora must weigh at least 9.5 pounds if male, and 10 pounds if female. The weight size corresponds to a medium-sized cat. If you show your rabbits and have any physical impairments, this means transporting a bunny twice the size of many other breeds. All giant angoras are white with reddish, or "ruby" eyes. Giant angoras require constant grooming. English Angoras are the smallest of the angora rabbit breeds. Bucks
usually weigh up to 7 lbs at maturity and does can be as much as 7.5 lbs. The English Angora is easily recognized from the other angora breeds because it is compact and has wool on its cheeks, head, feet and ears as well as all over the body. It also is usually a very good natured rabbit and has often been referred to as the "clowns" of the rabbit world. I think this is because they like to be around people and are often entertaining. They come in two varieties coloured and white and are considered a fancy or 4 class breed when showing. English Angoras reach senior age at 6 months old. Angoras are a little more delicate than most rabbits. The French Angora has a long history as a functional rabbit with a history of
being raised commercially in Europe for their wool. These rabbits not only for fiber but also for showing. As a four class breed shown grouped by age of junior and senior and sex as buck or doe, the French Angora is shown as white or colored and available as agouti, broken, pointed white, self, shaded, ticked and wide band varieties. They are a medium sized breed with a range accepted of 7 to 10 pounds and an ideal size for bucks and does of 8 pounds. The wool of the French angora is somewhat coarser than other breeds and ideally 2 to 3 inches long. The feet and legs are furred to the first joint and they might have tufts on the ears but not nearly as noticeable as on the English Angora. Like the other angora breeds, the French Angora needs regular grooming to keep the fleece tangle and mat free. In the French Angora they will shed and extra grooming during this time "plucks" the shed fiber without hurting the rabbit in any way. This is also true of the Satin Angora, of which the French Angora was used to develop. Sometimes breeders will clip the baby coat of young rabbits at 6-8 weeks then again at 20 weeks and from there follow the harvesting of wool during the natural shedding process. There is then a variety from the baby wool to the adult fiber in density. Of course if you clip babies you must insure that they stay warm enough to maintain condition and growth as well as growing another coat. A good, tangle free coat means a higher quality fiber. Hey, My name is Emily R Knupp.
I was born in 1995, my favorite color is blue and I love Raising Rabbits. I've been raising rabbits since I was 11. I've raised almost all the breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association. This blog was designed to help people with questions and to inform people about rabbits. |
AuthorMy name is Emily, I've been raising rabbits since I was 11 ArchivesCategoriesDo you have dry hands or maybe you are in need of hand soap? Check out Sugar Plums Family Far
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