Angora Rabbits
Angora rabbits are a nice match for the gardener who also enjoys home-grown crafting because they are gentle pets who provide useful products for the garden and the gardener. They eat kitchen and garden waste and their nitrogen and organic rich manure are good for the garden.
The plus about angoras is their long hair which can be used to spin into yarn or in felting projects. Fiber craft hobbies are becomming quite popular so even if you are not interested, there may be people who are interested purchasing Argora hair or wool from you.
The wool of the Angora provides the raw ingredient for making yarn projects for knitting, crochet and felting projects. Spinning fiber into yarn is one of the most ancient of human creative activities, going back to the Neolithic period. It is quite easy to learn, and needs very little in the way of equipment. It is such a satisfactory feeling to make a nice item and know you never had to go and purchase the yarn.
A Short History of a Working Breed
Angoras have been known to the European world for several hundred years as a fiber breed. It is said that they originated in Turkey, but it is unclear when exactly when the Europeans discovered them or for how long they existed before that.
Long-haird rabbits occur as sports or mutations occasionally in many breeds, so it is possible the long haired rabbit has been around for a long time. The Angora or "silk" rabbit, as it was called, showed up in Europe in the 18th century.
Angoras were known in England by 1708 and in France by 1723, where they became an important source of fiber for the fiber industry for the next 250 years. These long-haired rabbits were first used as pets of the royalty.
The French were the first to see a commercial possibility for the Angora under Napololeon, who supported this new industry. It was not long before there were farms raising as many as 2,000 animals, each shedding it's entire coat four times a year. The French developed a technology for processing the fine wool and had a commercial monopoly because they were able to keep it secret until the 20th century.
Angoras were imported to the United States in the late 1920's and a small commercial industry developed that lasted for a while, but farmers were unable to support themselves on rabbits alone because it is such a labor intensive business.
Angoras decreased in productive value in the United States because rabbit show breeders have bred for animals with longer hair that shed their wool less often and thus have less productivity. Breeders pay less attention to the commercial production quality of wool and more to winning beauty shows, although the rabbits still produce very good wool.
Today China produces the greatest amount of angora fiber in the world.
Several varieties of Angora are recognized by most rabbit breeders. In the United States, The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) has determined standards for the various breeds and Angora rabbit breeders try to breed to attain the best of these standards.
Long-haired rabbit breeds appeal to fiber-minded people. Their fur (or wool) is harvested and used in many fiber projects. It can be turned into felt or spun into yarn and knitted, crocheted or used in weaving. Angora fiber is extremely soft and silky to use.
It becomes a commitment to have a long haired rabbit. The life span is up to 9 or 10 years, but is usually 5 to 7. Their care is important in order to prevent wool block, and to keep the fiber free from mats. If left to nature, the long-haired rabbit, as known today would be extinct.
Angoras have to be handled often because of the need to groom and harvest the wool often. This has led to the tendency to breed the more gentle rabbits. It is not pleasant to groom a mean agressive rabbit, so Angoras tend to be very gentle, mellow, and sweet, although there are a few notable exceptions. Grumpy individuals tend not to be included in breeding programs, so are more the exception than the rule.
Long-Haired Rabbit Breeds
The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) recognizes a number of long-haired breeds, four breeds of Angora Rabbit, the Jersey Wooly and the Fuzzy Lop. All have wool that is usable for spinning into yarn, only the Angoras have historically been used are wool producers on a commercial basis.
- The Fuzzy Lop and Jersey Wooly are small breeds, both around 3 1/2 pounds. Not as much wool can be harvested from them as from an Angora, but they are easier for children to handle and do not take up as much cage space.
- The French Angora is the oldest known of the four recognized breeds and the wool is more coarse than the other breeds and each hair averages from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches long. The average weight of a French angora is 7 1/2 to 10 1/2 pounds. The hair has a good percentage of stiffer guard hairs that tend to stand outward, giving angora the characteristic halo effect that is so prized in angora items.
- The English Angora has a more silky and softer wool and fluffy tassels of hair on its face and ears. The wool covers most of its body, giving it the appearance of a round fluffy ball. English Angoras weigh between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds, so are a little easier to handle than the other breeds, although the soft wool tends to mat a little easier on some individuals, making it necesary to keep them well groomed.
- The Satin Angora is a new breed, developed from a cross of a breedcalled Satin and a French Angora. The Satin Angora has a brilliant sheen to its wool, and is of a finer more silky texture. They are supposed to weigh from 6 1/2 to 9 1/2 pounds.
- The Giant Angora was bred for maximum wool production and has a coat that has 3 distinct types of hair and it does not regurally molt like the other angora breeds so must be sheared. The Giant has a much sturdier body type and can weigh 9 1/2 to 10 or more pounds.
Questions
Do you kill the bunny to get the wool?
This is the most frequent question I have been asked when I am telling about my rabbits. No. The wool falls out about 4 times a year and is harvested by combing, plucking or cutting it. If it is not removed, the bunny swallows the loose hair and it gets clogged in its stomach and gets sick and may die.
Can you make money selling the wool?
Ocassionally you can find someone to buy the wool, but people in other countries ask less money for the wool, so it is hard to make very much money except for selling small amounts to local spinners. Spinning or felting the wool yourself and then selling the yarn or finished products can make some money but is not comperable to having job. The amount of time spent spinning the wool and knitting a garment are so great that it is difficult to find someone willing to pay a living wage for the work.
Local fiber artists and people who enjoy spinning their own wool will be interested in finding a good source of fiber. Try leaving your contact information at local yarn shops, contacting local fiber guilds or try selling it on the internet.
How much angora wool does it take to make a sweater?
Pure angora does not make a very good sweater because it is too soft and limp. There is not very much spring to the yarn like there is in sheep wool so angora is usually blended with wool. A small amount of angora will go a long way because it needs to be blended with wool or other fiber to make the yarn have the spring it needs and yet it will still yield the halo effect of typical angora yarn.
