
Angora rabbit breed is among the oldest types of domestic rabbit. There are at least 11 distinct breeds of Angora rabbit. There are four breeds among the eleven that are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and they include English Angora rabbit, French Angora rabbit, Giant Angora rabbit and Satin Angora. The other remaining breeds include German Angora rabbit, Chinese Angora, French Angora, Japanese Angora, Korean Angora, Russian Angora, St. Lucian Angora and Swiss Angora.
The angora is historically said to have originated in Ankara, located in the present day Turkey. It was brought in France in 1723 and it became a popular pet of the French royalty in the mid 18th century. By the end of the 18th century, the angora spread to other parts of Europe and their first appearance in the United States was way back in the early 20th century.
Types of Angora rabbit breeds
English Angora rabbit – What makes this breed unique is its long heavy fur that covers its ears and face. Its bunny features are covered to the extent of mistaking it to a small dog. It has very silky and fine wool which makes it very soft. It comes in white color and other beautiful colors as well. Its coat has little guard hair and it wraps highly when it is spun. Its fur has very minimal fluffing. It is the tiniest breed among the four. A mature English Angola mostly weighs around 5 to 12 pound at maturity.
French Angora rabbit – This one looks more like a regular rabbit. It doesn’t have wool on its head, face, ears or the front feet. Its wool is the easiest to care for because it contains a higher percentage of guard hair compared to under wool. Its fiber qualities are excellent for hand spinning since its wool spins very easily. Its wool is also good since it fluffs nicely in the yarn. Its weight at maturity is about 8 to 10 lbs.
Satin Angora rabbit – Just like the French Angora rabbit, it doesn’t have wool on the head, face, ears and front feet. If you compare its wool with other breeds you will notice that this one is lighter and less dense. This makes the wool to acquire more grooming. However, advanced spinners prefer it due to its shiny wool fibers. A mature satin angora weighs about 8 lbs.
German Angora rabbit – German Angora is quite recognizable and popular among hand spinners mainly because of its size and a large amount of fibers it is capable of producing. A pure German angora rabbit is white pure and the colored ones are considered to be cross-breeds. Their double coat makes them have dense wool. Their undercoat is normally sheared because it rarely molts. It has the mature weight…