French angora

[Zass]

Someone near me (only 2 1/2 hours away) is selling out of french angora. I can get a pedigreed bred doe (chocolate doe bred to a tort senior buck) for a a pretty decent price.

If I got into french angora...I'd have to scrap my agouti-fox mutt project.

The tempers on angora tend to be a whole lot nicer, and I'm comfortable grooming, harvesting, spinning, felting and generally finding uses for angora wool. (it's another good barter item. ) Letting the kids show one every now and again would be a plus.
I'm not really the competitive type, but it's nice to have the option to participate. I'd be able to offer the occasional angora kit for sale. I'm rarely ever comfortable with selling the mutts, but taking angora and hari juniors to shows every now and then to sell directly to breeders would be alright.

Both breeds produce meat even if they are not show quality or don't sell.

I didn't keep the french angoras I had in the past because I had a much smaller rabbitry at the time, and I wanted to focus on heavily producing meat rabbits...But it turned out I hated(and still hate) the silver fox tempers.
I think my halis are going to work out better for me in that regard.

I absolutely do not have room for three breeding projects. So...If I wanted to raise angora and magpie harlequins, the mutts would have to go.

What would you guys do?

 

[alforddm]

What would you guys do?

I'd love to have some angora's but I don't think they would do well outside here. I bet your meat mutt line would be valuable to someone wanting to get started raising for meat.

 

[Zass]

What would you guys do?

I'd love to have some angora's but I don't think they would do well outside here. I bet your meat mutt line would be valuable to someone wanting to get started raising for meat.

Bikegurl is going to take a trio to replace her pasteurella infected stock, and I've had another inquiry for a pair.

So yeah, I'd already planned on moving along the proven adults.

I was going to gamble on saving just a trio of juniors and the SF doe...
(Which already kind of tells me that I wasn't too worried about that line)
If the two doeling's tempers end up annoying me, I'll have already sold all the adults that had made the temper cut from previous litters.

I'd be stuck starting the line over with just a lynx buck and the SF doe. Which wouldn't be that bad.

Or I could just use this as an opportunity to start into a pure breed that I already know I like with very fun colors...Wool pelts for tanning would be pretty cool too.

I tried to get a pair of english angora a couple years back, but they were so obviously sick that I just drove the 5 hours back home empty handed.

I don't mind sending all the leftover mutt kits to freezer camp, and I have a hunch the SF doe would sell even unpedigreed.

__________ Sat Apr 25, 2015 1:01 pm __________

As you can see...I'm doing my best to talk myself into it..

Some help here guys??

 

[alforddm]

As you can see...I'm doing my best to talk myself into it..

Some help here guys??

:lol: :lol: :lol: It doesn't sound like you need much help.... :lol: :lol: opcorn:

Can't wait to see your new rabbits!

 

[Nyctra]

Haven't you put a lot of work into your mutts' growth and coats though? IDK, seems like a bummer to just scrap a project.
I have doubts angora could compare with a good meat rabbit...I know my litter of four seem awful small, but that could be 'cause they were on oats 'til 5 weeks before getting on pellets. I hear angora felt up when tanned, too. (Like that's gonna stop me. :mrgreen: )
So far my angora seem to be a little unpredictable with temperament. My buck oftentimes digs and nips when I groom, one doe constantly honks at me 24/7, and the other doe went from the sweetest bunny ever to a vicious witch for a few weeks after her first kindle. Otherwise, they seem alright...except when they know they're on their way back to the cage - then they start kicking and squirming usually. :?

But there needs to be more fluffy bunnies around here. I vote get 'er. :twisted:

 

[Zass]

I hear angora felt up when tanned, too.

I think... if one was placed in an industrial tumbler it would probably felt.

Breaking the hide by hand (like I do) is an entirely different story.
Just ask Celice. The giant angora I tanned for her didn't felt up at all.

__________ Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:01 pm __________

Out of curiosity, what colors are showable in French angora?
Are there any particular colors or color crosses to be avoided? (Aside from the obvious, like tort otter.)

 

[Celice]

I have 2 french angoras and I love them to PIECES! they are such good tempered rabbits that I often cross my mutts with my Lilac buck. He's such a little spazz!

Angora's can be shown in most colors. Self colors seem to do better though! since they are a wool-type rabbit. I did hear Sallander is no good for the show table.

and yes! I bet you felt that thing up! I unmounted it and still feel it up all the time!

 

[Zass]

and yes! I bet you felt that thing up! I unmounted it and still feel it up all the time!

By "felt" in this case, we meant fur matting. It's essentially the same process by which wool becomes felt.
(BTW, I was REALLY sad to put that one in a box and ship it. SO huge. SO fluffeh.....!!!!)

 

[Celice]

By "felt" in this case, we meant fur matting. It's essentially the same process by which wool becomes felt.
(BTW, I was REALLY sad to put that one in a box and ship it. SO huge. SO fluffeh.....!!!!)

lol, I knew that I'm just totally messing with you!

I bet you were! she just so big and fluffy! if you like I'd be happy to send you her sisters fleece in exchange for raw pelts!

Oh, I don't think there is a Harlequin coloration in FA maybe that can be something you can work on?

 

[Zass]

lol, I knew that I'm just totally messing with you!

:roll: I thought you might be.

I don't think I'd ever want to cross the breeds.
A magpie angora would produce wool that wasn't much different than a broken black's wool.
and I think... the lack of density modifiers that the harlis have could really harm the angora fur.

It would take too many generations and more cage space than I have...just to introduce a gene that many find troublesome in color crosses...

 

[Celice]

:roll: I thought you might be.

I don't think I'd ever want to cross the breeds.
A magpie angora would produce wool that wasn't much different than a broken black's wool.
and I think... the lack of density modifiers that the harlis have could really harm the angora fur.

It would take too many generations and more cage space than I have...just to introduce a gene that many find troublesome in color crosses...

very true! they are a really nice breed to have! when the kits start to get fluffy it's way too funny!

 

[imajpm]

I LOVE the angora temperament and personality. I have mostly angora's now, plus a few meat breed rabbits which I am going to phase out. That being said. I also have the most vicious aggressive buck I have ever seen, and he is angora. He has a date with the stew pot.