Pretzel

pretzel, originally uploaded by mhall209.

Pretzel is one of our angora goats. We started raising these goats when my younger son was in 4H. We started with two goats, and Pretzel is one of the kids from one of those original goats. She got her name from her ability to stick her head through any hole in a fence to get at something good to eat. For a long time she had no hair on her chest because she rubbed it all off straining through fences!

She is a little odd because her horns look more like those of a male goat than those of a female. A typical female, or doe, has horns that curl back in a 'C' shape, sort of what you think of with a wild ram. A male, or buck, has straighter horns that sort of twist out sideways. Pretzel has horns that cant decide what gender they are!

For the record, angora goats produce mohair. The best mohair comes from the first shearing of the young kid goats. When they are young, quality goats produce fine, curly mohair, which are the properties people want for yarn. As the goat gets older, the mohair becomes more coarse and less curly, making it less desirable. Pretzel is old, her hair isn't worth much. But she loves to eat star thistle, and that makes her a very valuable animal around here!