Hairy goats do well in semi-arid or arid environments, but you can’t expect as much milk as they eat.
The fuzzy goats are great for fibers ranging from fine to coarse, but you have to care for the parasites in them, especially in their hair.
If you plan to add long-haired goat breeds to your farm, here is the list in detail.
1. Angora Goat
Angora Goats are known for a long, curly, lustrous fleece that produces soft, silky mohair. Their hair is not as fine as Cashmere, but they produce it in large amounts.
You can expect them to yield 5-10 lbs of mohair per fleece. Yearling kids can also produce fine fiber.
Besides, they give twice the harvest per year.
Their mohair is used for many crafts and products, such as upholstery, knitting, crocheting, felt, and clothing.
You can tell angora goats by their long, curly-haired coat from head to knees and hocks. They have a fleece-free or covered, straight face and boast a horned head.
At first glance, you would mistake Angora for a woolly sheep.
Though Angoras are mainly white, they also appear in black, red, and brown with solid, striped, or belted patterns.
Expect bucks to weigh 180-225 lbs and does to weigh 70- 110 lbs.
2. Pygora Goat
As the name suggests, Pygora goats are a crossbreed of Angora and Pygmy goats.
They are small- or medium-sized, with herd colors ranging from caramel and agouti to black and white.
You can harvest mohair from these herds twice a year. Expect 6 oz to 2 lbs of fiber per shearing.
Anyway, pygoras produces different types of fleece, from cashmere to mohair in type.
A Category: long, lustrous, curly locks
B Category: soft cashmere
C Category: a short, fine, non-lustrous fleece (only 1-3 inches)
So, these fibers are used for spinning, knitting, and felting.
Besides, Pygoras have fleece all over their body except in some areas, such as near the eye area and lower legs, and you can also see less mohair under the belly.
While goats are between 80 and 120 lbs, bucks weigh 75-140 lbs.
3. Cashmere Goat
No need to mention cashmere goats are known for their fine insulating undercoat. These are the goats from which the name cashmere comes.
These are small to medium-sized goats, weighing 90 to 128 lbs.
You can see them in white, black, brown, gray, and pied.
Actually, Cashmere is an umbrella term for goats that produce fine, soft, and downy undercoat. So, there are several breeds or types of goats under this name.
Some popular breeds include Spanish Cashmere, Australian Cashmere, Russian Cashmere, Gorno-Altai Cashmere, and Changthangi Cashmere goats.
You can shear cashmere goat wool once a year. Expect a full-grown buck to yield around 2.5 lbs of fleece, which includes types of fiber
such as cashmere and guard hair.
If you notice, they produce only around 20% cashmere fiber; that’s why it’s so expensive.
4. Nigora Goat
Nigora is a fiber-producing crossbreed involving Angora-type goats: a Nigerian Dwarf buck and an Angora goat.
They are polled as well as horned goats.
I think they make a perfect small farm or homestead herd, as they are good for milk and fiber production.
You can expect these herds to weigh around 88 lbs.
Anyway, there are three types of Nigora based on fiber production.
A Category: The fiber is similar to the mohair of the Angora goat. You can feel it is shiny and cool to the touch. Also, it’s about 6 inches long. Sometimes, goats also have curly ringlets and locks.
B Category: The goats give fluffy and very soft fleece. I think they have fluffy ringlets of hair, 3- 6 inches. The fiber is warm to the touch.
C Category: I feel it more like cashmere fleece, shorter, suede-like, and luxuriously soft. It’s a fluffy fiber with no luster or sheen. Expect their fleece to be around 3-4 inches.
Besides, Nigoras also get fleece combined A and B Category or B and C Category.
So, mostly their fiber goes to handspinning and crafts.
5. Orobica Goat
Orobica are medium-sized goats with 140 lbs to 180 lbs in weight.
They produce long, gorgeous, fine, silky hair in colors ranging from white to black. When in the sunlight, they look cream to brown to almost violet.
They have fleece over the whole body, but more often over the rump and thighs.
These goats have a clean face, long, twisted horns, and erect ears on their head.
6. Golden Guernsey
Though Golden Guernseys are kept for milk, you can also raise them for long golden mohair. They produce a dense, coarse, and shaggy coat and range from pale blonde to deep bronze.
While goats weigh 120-130 lbs, bucks range from 150 lbs to 200 lbs.
Remember, not all Golden Guernsey goats produce long, lustrous hair. Also, these goats are easy to raise.
7. Valais Blackneck
Though it doesn’t have thick hair like other long-haired goats, Valais Blacknecks have long hair.
They’re medium-sized goats with 100 lbs- 145 lbs in weight. You can tell them by their long, wavy, shaggy hair and tufts on the forehead.
I love their hair color, with the front half being black or mixed with brown and the other half back is white.
Also, they have a clean face and boast long and elegantly curved horns.
8. Bagot Goat
Bagots are small-sized goats that have long, elongated, and curved horns and upright ears.
You can easily recognize them by their black or dark brown front body, which includes the head and neck. Their belly and back are all white.
They grow long, shaggy fleece, which tends to be cashmere-like. This helps make the herd hardy enough to thrive in harsh weather conditions.
Don’t worry, they are hardy enough to thrive in the tough terrain.
9. Messinese goat
Though Messinese goats are mainly raised for meat, you can also keep them for ornamental purposes.
They have long beards and long coats ranging from white, golden, and black to gray-brown and pied.
Besides, they grow long spiral horns. You can expect these goats ranging from 83 lbs to 158 lbs.
Also, Meishan goats are frugal and adaptable, and can forage in poor pastures.
10. Dutch Landrace
Dutch Landrace are medium-sized goats with long and rough hair. Their fleece can be anything from black, blue, and brown to gray and white.
They also have fairly short legs and sporty horns.
You can expect them to weigh between 130 and 166 lbs.
11. Bilberry Goat
Bilberries are endangered and not used for meat and dairy production. But you can keep them as pets and get some hair when grooming.
They have beautiful, long, shaggy fleece of hair.
You can tell them by their long, curved and sporty horns that grow backwards to their backs. While males weigh 110-165 lbs, females range from 77 lbs to 132 lbs.
12. Finnish Landrace
These goats are white, gray, and pied. Mainly used for milk, Finnish Landrace also produces thick wool coats for fiber.
I think they are double-coated goats with long and dense hair. Their outer coat is wavy, while their undercoat is soft.
They are a medium-sized breed with bucks weighing 110- 154 lbs, and goats weighing 88- 132 lbs.
You can identify them by their horned or polled head and long beards.
13. Pyrenean Goat
These goats are raised for milk and meat production. But they also make fiber or pet goats for their beautiful coats.
They have long, thick coats, which produce black, brown, tan, chestnut, and gray hair.
Besides, Pyrenean goats are medium to large herds with weights from 130 lbs to 200 lbs.
They can be either horned or polled. Long head, droopy ears and long, rounded or twisted horns are some other characteristics.
14. Saanen Goat
If you want to raise goats for milk and fiber, Saanen goats can be the wise choice. They can give over a gallon of milk per day.
They are large goats, with adults weighing around 200 lbs, which also makes them mutton goats.
So, they are tri-purpose goats.
Besides, they are a hardy breed, which can do well in various climates, so they are great for both homesteads and commercial farms.
Anyway, Saanen goats produce thick fleece with long, straight hair that ranges from light tan to creamy white.
15. Icelandic Goat
Icelandic goats are also tri-purpose animals. They are a small-sized breed with short legs. While males are 132-165 lbs, females weigh 77-110 lbs.
They produce long, coarse hair on the outer layer and a thick layer of cashmere undercoat.
You can expect the goats to be ⅕ white, and the rest are black, gray, brown, or pied with several markings.
16. Girgentana Goat
Girgentanas are known for their milk production and attractive horns in hilly or mountain areas.
They are medium-sized goats with weigh 100 lbs-143 lbs.
You can tell them by their large and twisted spiral horns that grow upward. Also, they have a white coat with long hair.
Final Thoughts
Long-haired or hairy goats are great for fiber and pets, but you need to groom or take care of their thick and wavy coats regularly.
Besides, I see these goats as a great milk herd.
Their thick layer of hair helps them withstand harsh winters, and you can harvest their mohair in the spring and summer.
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