Last year I bred the Nygerian Dwarf goats to an Angora buck and the result were 19 baby Nygoras. But Nygora goats do have to be shorn, just like Angora goats only if they have a type A fleece, which looks very much like Angora. Types B and C will shed their coats, but if they are shedding, it has been left too long on the goat and is likely too matted to use. That is the case with my goaties, but who knew? The shearer cancelled twice and I am waiting for him to rebook, if that ever happens. In the meantime, the Angora buckling and his mom will still have decent fibre, but the Nigerian cross Angora goats have been left longer than they should be and the fibre is too matted to use. Too bad, but I know now.
These goats will be bred to a Nigerian buckling this fall and to the Angora buck the year after. That is cross #1 of Angora/Nigerian Dwarf, then cross #2 will be the cross to a Nigerian bringing the goat to 75% Nigerian, then back to an Angora then being 50/50 again. The advantage of doing it this way, though it takes 4 years, is that the off spring should have some colour to them. Angora fibre is usually white, but there are coloured Angoras. Nigerians come in a multitude of colours and patterns, so by the fourth generation, some of the colour hopefully will be in the babies.
The other way to do it is to breed the crosses and then breed the crosses to each other so long as they are not related. That is harder to do with a small herd because the babies in my herd are all sired by the same dude in a single year. I would have keep two bucks and separate the does in order to do it the other way. That might be a possibility down the road. For example, Sofi is a Nigerian/Angora cross from Daphne last year. Next year when the Angora buckling gets to breed, then a buckling that is cross bred and not Daphne's can breed with Sofi. Then it is Nygora to Nygora. Both arrangement might be possible. I will see how it goes. In the meantime, these little F1 (first generation) hybrid Angora/Nigerian cross goats are shedding their lovely fibre and it is a mess. I wonder what the new fibre will be like for next year. Wait and see!
These goats will be bred to a Nigerian buckling this fall and to the Angora buck the year after. That is cross #1 of Angora/Nigerian Dwarf, then cross #2 will be the cross to a Nigerian bringing the goat to 75% Nigerian, then back to an Angora then being 50/50 again. The advantage of doing it this way, though it takes 4 years, is that the off spring should have some colour to them. Angora fibre is usually white, but there are coloured Angoras. Nigerians come in a multitude of colours and patterns, so by the fourth generation, some of the colour hopefully will be in the babies.
The other way to do it is to breed the crosses and then breed the crosses to each other so long as they are not related. That is harder to do with a small herd because the babies in my herd are all sired by the same dude in a single year. I would have keep two bucks and separate the does in order to do it the other way. That might be a possibility down the road. For example, Sofi is a Nigerian/Angora cross from Daphne last year. Next year when the Angora buckling gets to breed, then a buckling that is cross bred and not Daphne's can breed with Sofi. Then it is Nygora to Nygora. Both arrangement might be possible. I will see how it goes. In the meantime, these little F1 (first generation) hybrid Angora/Nigerian cross goats are shedding their lovely fibre and it is a mess. I wonder what the new fibre will be like for next year. Wait and see!
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