Did you know there are 11 common breeds of Angora rabbits? And they’re one of the oldest types of domestic rabbits?
Their life span is generally 7 to 12 years, and have litters anywhere from 2-12 kittens (yep, somehow rabbit babies are called kittens). 🤷🏽♀️
The fiber is harvested by plucking, shearing or combing. And when I say plucking, it’s kind of like petting a super furry dog and ending up with a handful of hair. They naturally molt every four months. In order to keep the fiber fine, it’s necessary to comb them once a week to prevent matting.
Angora rabbits can produce anywhere from 1-4 pounds of fiber a year. 90% of the worlds Angora rabbit wool comes from China, and there are no ethical standards for the treatment of the animals. It’s unsure as to what the true sustainability is of the commercially produced version of the fiber. Something like 50 million angora rabbits are plucked yearly. I don’t know about you, but 50 million of anything seems a tad bit excessive to me. So I personally choose local sources and spin it myself.
The great news is many cottage industry fiber farmers have lovely angora for sale. And even more great news they’re cheap to feed. And one more thing...they don’t take up as much land as an Angora goat!
Yep, go on ahead and add it to your list of fiber animals to purchase!
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