Goatucation - Is a Goat's Fur Soft?

I have been searching and searching and I can't find who asked me this very interesting Goatucation question. I am very sorry I can't give credit. I hope whoever asked will forgive me. I am sometimes a less than organized goat. But here we go with the answer....when a kid is born their fur is very soft, just like a child's stuffed animal. In fact the publicist loves to pet the goatlings because they are so soft. Their fur is also quite thick to help keep them warm. You can see how soft and fluffy both Kevin and Harry look as very young kids:




Kevin's fur is now changing over to adult goat fur which is rather like short human hairs. It is rather coarse and from what I can understand it can be spun. You can see the difference in this picture of Kevin now at two months old.


When Winter comes on we grow a soft underfur that keeps us warm in the cold, cold temperatures here in Montana. Even though there might be snow on the ground and the thermometer reads in the teens or below we goats will be warm thanks to this underfur. But it leads to Shaggy Time in the Spring. You remember Shaggy Time!



The bucks grow lots of long fur to keep them warm in the Winter and then they shed it for the summer. See the difference in these photos of Michael? (He still has a bit of the shaggy on him)



So I guess the answer to the question is yes, a goat's fur is soft but it is most soft when the goat is a kid!

Tune in tomorrow to see who was sneaking some beet greens!!!