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BREEDING:
Our philosophy is that it takes
near perfect goats in your breeding program to produce perfection. You need the confirmation for breeding, fiber for sale or personal use and the disposition to love. We have taken the time to research every
pedigree to identify possible cull-type animals. If you find a problem in the pedigree it can turn up in your breeding program.
 As a breeder we have many choices. The best thing about the Pygora is that if you do not like the choice of animals
available close to your home, you can start your own new line. All that it takes is an Angora (AAGBA) and a registered Pygmy (NPGA) and you have a new beginning called an F-1, first
generation. Keep in mind the importance of each animal’s size, which will help to eliminate possible birthing problems. Remember the value of correct confirmation and the advantage of
quality fleece. Starting your own new line can be exciting along with eliminating the cost and stress associated with shipping goats. Our motto has been to “choose wisely and always do your homework”. Why gamble
with a questionable pedigree or possible problem?
WHAT FLEECE TYPE AND COLOR?
It is important to raise the animal that gives you the most pleasure, regardless of
its fleece type. Our personal preference of fiber is the fine mohair like, “A” type. It is hard not to like the long silky ringlets with very few guard hairs. It did not
take us much time to figure out that the fewer the guard hairs the easier it is to process the fiber for spinning.
Harvesting your herd’s fleece can be a real challenge. The Pygora goat is an
individual when it comes to its release or felting time. The thing that we have had to decide is, do we want to shear, pluck or comb, the fleece off of our goats. You
have a little lead way with the “A”, mohair type. If you choose a type “B”, combination, or “C” cashmere type, the goats will plan your time. When they are ready to release, you need to be ready  to harvest. If we were too busy, they left their fleece hanging on the fence, on
the ground or felted on their body. Believe me timing is everything with the Pygora if you want to harvest their beautiful fiber. Planning your time with the goats is well worth the end result.
We have not found the perfect formula for these little guys and every breeder has his own idea as to what makes the best combination.
The Pygora comes in all of the different Pygmy colors plus the Angora white. Some Breeders like to raise large goats with more fleece and some prefer the
smaller cute ones. With color like everything else one year the color white is #1, then brown or black. No one color is better then the other. It is supply and demand and again your personal preference.
Our emphasis is on the wethers and their fiber. They always seem to be placed at the low end of the totem pole when in fact the wethers are the best fiber
producers. The does are busy having kids and the bucks are, well you know, smelling. |
