Down production of 93 feral, F, and F 2 cashmere-producing goats run in Victoria was investigated. The goats were visually assessed for down production and shorn. Their fleeces were evaluated for total fibre, down yield, fibre diameter, grease and moisture content. Analyses on down yield and fleece characteristics indicated that they compared favourably with those of traditional cashmere-producing countries. Mean down production ranged from 330 g for males to 148 g for females. Sampling at three body sites was accurate in determining total fleece measures and visual assessment proved a reliable screening technique for on-farm selection. Large variation was found in down production indicating the possibility of rapid genetic gain through selection.
A modified Shirley Analyser has been shown previously to be effective in removing guard hair from down-bearing goat fleeces. The technique used was shown to be capable of dehairing fleeces of both cashmere and Angora x. cashmere types. The latter fleece type is characterized by the increased length and fibre diameter of down fibres. This paper reports an investigation of the effect that fibre diameter and length and hence breed type had on dehairing efficiency.Findings indicate that fibre diameterper se had little effect on dehairing ability and that less fibre breakage occured in longer, coarser, and stronger fibres. However, there was a highly significant interaction between fibre length and machine type, indicating that some machines are able to dehair more efficiently and cause less fibre breakage than others.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.