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	History of Angora Goats and Mohair
Main Fiber Yarn History Links Goats For Sale Click on one of the items above to see our other pages of information about raw fibers, handspun yarn, and mill spun yarn.	Angora goats originated in Turkey and were named after the Turkish city of Ankara. In order to bring goats to America's harsher climate, the original Turkish Angora goats were crossbred to Kurdish goats to increase hardiness.
	Angora goats produce mohair, a strong, soft and luxurious fiber. The mohair from the young goats (kids) is particularly fine and soft. Kid mohair is ideal for soft sweaters, baby blankets and other fine garments.
	As the goats get older, their hair becomes coarser yet still soft. Adult mohair is an excellent fiber for sweaters, coats, other clothing and rugs. Prior to the development of synthetic fibers, adult mohair was used extensively for upholstery fabrics in railroad cars, buses and other public seating because of its strength and natural fire retardant characteristics.
	Colored Angora Goats The original Angora goats that came to the U.S. were products of crossbreeding of the always white, Turkish Angora (a frail and not very hardy goat) with the Kurdish goat (a larger, heavier and hardier goat). These Kurdish goats were also colored. Through selective breeding of the Angora and Kurdish goats, a hardy, always white goat was produced. However, colored goats are sometimes found in the white herds as a result of the recessive colored gene from the Kurdish goats. Usually the colored goats were culled to maintain a pure white herd. As time went on, some breeders kept the unusual colored goats and the Colored Angora Goat breed began. Today many breeders crossbreed Colored Angoras with other goats (dairy goats, meat goats, etc) to develop even greater varieties of naturally colored mohair.
		The Colored Angora Goat is a "work in progress," with breeding programs striving to gain the quality of goats and mohair found in the registered white Angora Goat herds.

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