THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK -- PART VI. 375 



WINTERING ANGORAS. 



The American Angora and Stockman. 

 In former years when Angora goats were confined largely to south- 

 ern and western states, in America, the question of wintering the animals 

 was one which needed little consideration. Now the situation has changed. 

 Nearly every state in the union holds some Angoras, and in those with 

 rigid winter climates, the question of proper protection and feed is one 

 of vital importance. Every farmer knows that other live stock require 

 feed and sheds during the winter season, and he is just beginning to real 

 ize that Angora goats are live stock, and that if he wishes to get the most 

 out of them, he must accord them the same consideration which he does 

 the other domestic animals. 



FOOD. 



By preference the Angora goat is a browser and his instinct prevents 

 him from doing well upon anything but the cleanest of a variety of food. 

 Natural ly he takes a bite of grass here and a few leaves there, then runs 

 to the next bush. He travels rapidly and if allowed to run on the open 

 range he will wander ten or twelve miles in a day. Knowing his natural 

 instinct, one must see at a glance that where climatic conditions compel 

 the breeder to shut the Angora in a small shed where he must feed upon 

 corn stalks, etc.. and depend upon butting his neighbor for exercise, that 

 wintering an Angora goat requires some attention. 



The goat should be allowed a good supply of clean roughness which 

 should differ in variety if possible. One cow will eat about as much as 

 twelve goats. The feed racks should be cleaned occasionally. It is impor 

 tant to feed nothing which contains burrs or other foreign materials which 

 will get into the mohair and render it unsalable. Whenever the weather 

 will permit, and Angora goats stand dry cold well, the goats should be 

 allowed to forage for themselves. 



Many farmers have learned that if they cut brush in the fall before 

 the leaves drop and stack this brush or even leave it where it falls, that 

 the goats clean off every leaf during the winter and require very little 

 other food. The goats should not be starved, how'ever, and if there is not 

 enough nutriment in the roughness one is feeding, they should be given a 

 little grain. 



Goats, as -veil as sheep, bloat readily, and scour badly if they get too 

 much grain before they are thoroughly used to it. Care is required to 

 see that goats commence with small quantities of any new food and that 

 they get to full feed gradually. Green alfalfa will bloat goats in less than 

 an hour, if it is moist and the goats are not used to it. Dry grains such as 

 barley and wheat have the same effect. Sometimes even after days of 

 feeding, large quantities of grain will cause goats to scour. It should be 

 remembered the goats with stomach worms and poorly nourished goats 

 also scour, so that the causes of scouring should be determined before a 

 remedy is attempted. The writer remembers a large flock of goats which 



