The Nigora is an American breed 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 digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

and for its fiber. It is the result of

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

Nigerian Dwarf The Nigerian Dwarf is an American breed of dwarf goat. Like the American Pygmy Goat, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa. History Between about 1930 and 1960 a variety of small goats of the West African Dw ...

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 ...

, 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.

History

Fiber

References

Further reading