Long coated goats? Please help me brainstorm

[hoggie]

Does anyone know of any other long coated goats than the Golden Guernsey and the Angora?

I am having a bit of a light-bulb morning about my goats and am trying to find out a bit more.

My buck wilfred, has a funny coat - it is totally different to, for example, the BA or the BT, and really it is different to my Golden Guernsey nanny as well.

It is LONG and FLUFFY and he seems to be able to fluff it up like a cat or a rabbit to keep the weather out. Susie the nanny has a long hair coat - but she doesn't ever fluff it - in fact I don't think she could - and she doesn't seem to have the fluff that he has.

Wilfred and the pony were out last night when the weather turned bad. The pony was shivering like mad this morning even with his rug on - Wilfred was just .....well....FLUFFY

He seems to have passed it on to two of his offspring. I am wondering if the long coat has anything to do with the breed developing here in the islands where we are prone to sudden changes of weather and a lot of wind (and very exposed) But I am not sure - like I say - his coat is different to teh Golden Guernsey nanny. And his son's coat is the same - very fluffy - where as the GG boy who will be long coated has a totally different coat to them.

I am sort of thinking that maybe Wilfred's coat is something that I should be breeding FOR?

Does anyone have ANY thoughts about this? Doesn't have to be thoughts based on loads of knowledge of long-haired animals - just general thoughts/ideas AROUND the subject

hoggie

[pookshollow]

It could just be variation within the breed. Some of my Nigerians get quite a wooly undercoat (cashmere? ) and look very scruffy in the spring when they shed. I just purchased a couple of purebred Boer does (currently known as The Two Fat Ladies) and one has a hair coat - the other is positively wooly! I caught sight of her back end through the door last night and wondered where the sheepdog had come from.

I've also seen some very hairy Saanens and Toggenburgs, although mine aren't.

[bloogrssgrl]

My guess would have been cashmere as well but maybe you just have a fluffy.

Some of my boers have coats like this. One little kid that showed up this year had us wondering if our doe got together with the angora buck. Its winter coat is soft and downy and has a slight curl to it as well. But she's all boer.

We also have a few that does what you say - fluff up. I honestly think it is something they can just do to help keep themselves warm.

[betsy h.]

This is a normal coat type variants for GG's- I have one purebred buck who is coated like a doe with shorter front fur and pants on his rear legs, one purebred who has a coat like your doe does and we will be hosting a purebred buck here for breeding that has the big fluffy, plush coat. No worries!

[Sweet Goats]

I would have to say Cashmere also. When it is really cold, my goats seem to be a lot more fluffy. They are lucky to have those warm cashmere sweaters on.

[powderhooves]

Sweet Goats - we are nearly neighbors! I live in Steamboat Springs. My son attends the AFA. I would love to see your goats and also be interested in some fiber.

[Sweet Goats]

Originally Posted by powderhooves

Sweet Goats - we are nearly neighbors! I live in Steamboat Springs. My son attends the AFA. I would love to see your goats and also be interested in some fiber.

OK, Now I think this is really weird. Is this Becky?
I did not realize when we were talking that you are from Steamboat Springs. That is where my daughter is trying to go to College. She wants to go to Colorado Mountain College.

[betsy h.]

The English Milch Goat has males coated this way, as do some of the Bagots. And some of the germanic, scandanavian and northern European breeds of goats have this in their males. Big double coated plushy things.