German
- Weight: 2.0-5.5 kg (5-12 lb).
- IAGARB-accepted varieties: all (not subject to ARBA standards)
This breed, while not ARBA recognized, is common in the United States and Canada. It looks much like the Giant Angora, except it almost always comes in ruby-eyed white or albino. Many spinners breed the German Angora with another Angora breed for the bountiful German Angora wool in many beautiful colors. These Angora crosses are called hybrids.
Giant angoras were created in the United States using imported German angoras and also other large breed short haired rabbits. In a certain sense, a Giant is a cross-bred German. Many people confuse the Germans with Giants, which are only ruby eyed white.
A separate club for German angoras exists in the United States, caled the International Association of German Angora Rabbit Breeders, or IAGARB. Instead of conformation showing, the emphasis is on the wool bearing properties of the rabbit for commercial purposes. The rabbit must meet objective standards and perform well on 90 day shearing tests in order to be officially recognized as a registered German angora rabbit.
IAGARB, unlike ARBA, recognizes colored rabbits and a colored rabbit may achieve merit-based registration if it conforms to the standard and proves its wool bearing ability via the witnessed 90 day shearing tests. IAGARB also recognizes the worth of the rabbit based strictly upon its tests and judging, welcoming all breeds to test for registration status. It does not require breed purity.
Since IAGARB registration is independent of parentage, any colored angora rabbit that meets the registration standards of the club can be registered as a German Angora. The notion that they come only in white is a common misconception, as the rules have only recently been changed to include colored angoras as well as ruby eyed white.
Giant
- Weight: 4.5
kg (9
lb) or larger - ARBA-accepted varieties: Ruby-Eyed White
The Giant Angora is larger than other varieties of Angora, having been created to be an efficient wool rabbit on economical feed and housing. It has three hair types in its wool: underwool, awn fluff, and awn hair.
This is the largest of the four ARBA recognized Angora breeds. It produces more wool than the others in general. This breed may or may not have furnishings on the face and ears. In addition to the underwool and guard hairs, it has an "Awn Fluff" that does not exist in the other three breeds of Angora.
Satin
- Weight: 3.0-4.5 (6-9 lb).
- ARBA-accepted varieties: Agouti, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Ticked, Wide Band
The Satin Angora is derived from a cross between a Satin and a French Angora. This breed is named for the extremely soft texture of its wool. It has no furnishings on face, ears, or feet, and it is also easy to groom compared to the English variety. Satin Angora's wool is said to be stronger for spinning than other varieties of Angora.
Spinners love the wool and sheen of this breed. However, this breed does not produce as much wool as other breeds of Angora rabbits. This trait is being improved upon by selective breeding. The wool should have a silky texture with good guard hair for ease of maintenance.
The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/angora_rabbit). Please note the article may have been altered from original listing. Revised by Apparel Search 10/25/04 & 8/28/08 |