The Nigora is an American
breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
of small or medium-sized dual-purpose
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
, raised both for its
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
and for its fiber. It is the result of
cross-breeding Nigerian Dwarf bucks with does of
mohair
Mohair (pronounced ) is a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. (This should not be confused with Angora wool, which is made from the fur of the Angora rabbit.) Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster ...
breeds such as the
Angora.
History
The Nigora is of recent creation: breeding started in 1994. A
breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members o ...
, the American Nigora Goat Breeders Association, was formed in 2007. Another association, the Nigora Goat Breeders Society, was active in 2014.
Fiber
As with the
Pygora breed, the fiber is classified into three types, A, B and C, depending on the length and type of the fibers. Type A is Angora-type mohair, long and lustrous; type B is "cashgora", which combines mohair with
cashmere-type undercoat and is of medium length; type C is like cashmere and is shorter.
References
Further reading
*Cheryl Kimball (2009). ''The Field Guide to Goats''. Voyageur Press.
{{commonscat-inline, Nigora goats
Goat breeds
Fiber-producing goat breeds
Goat breeds originating in the United States