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Breed standard
*IAGARB has no champion or grand champion designation for their rabbits. German Angora rabbits that have been promoted as champion or grand champion constitute false advertising. This practice is to be discouraged as it is contrary to the mandate of the Association.*
The German Angora is judged by the seven positions of the German Standard:
- Weight 20 points
- Body Type 20 points
- Wool Density & Length 15 points
- Wool Uniformity 15 points
- Wool Texture 15 points
- Furnishings 10 points
- Condition 5 points
Aim for a medium-sized rabbit with good length/depth/width ratio, firm flesh and noticeable furnishings on head, ears and feet.
The German Angora should produce constantly a high supply of usable wool, with a minimum of labor involved, should be very productive in the litters, and should have a good feed-intake/growth ratio.
This combination of usefulness has been proven as possible, and therefore shall be the goal of both the hobbyist/exhibitor and the commercial wool grower.
For the different positions, we add the following:
Weight
Average weight is 3.5 kg; minimum weight is 2.5 kg; top weight is 5 kg. Points are given as follows:
2.5 kg 5.51 lbs 15 points
to 2.75 kg 6.06 lbs 16 points
to 3.0 kg 6.61 lbs 17 points
to 3.25 kg 7.16 lbs 18 points
to 3.5 kg 7.71 lbs 19 points
to 5.5 kg 12.1 lbs 20 points
Body Type
Great oversize is undesirable and not compatible in combination with other, more important goals to be achieved in this breed. Judging the body of an Angora in full wool is more difficult that on normal haired rabbits, because the density of the wool has a tendency to stand in the way of properly discovering the faults in the body type.
To judge the type, it is necessary to feel the body with your fingertips. The body is of medium length, cylindrical, of good depth and width for balance. The ideal body is as wide at the shoulders as it is deep. The length should be three times that same measurement.
The strong hind legs are of medium length, appearing shorter and heavier with the wool on. The head is of good width, not too narrow, attached to a short neck.
The ears are meaty, well-haired, carried erect, in balance with the body. Older does should have a well-formed dewlap.
Wool Density & Length
The wool must be very dense, so that the skin is fully covered. The more density is on the animal, the more value the animal has.The length of the wool, judged in the staple, should be 2-1/2 inches (6.35 cm). A minimum of 1-3/4 inches (4.44 cm) is required for animals to be able to compete in show. Exceptions to that rule are special wool production record shows. Wool length may be estimated or measured with a ruler.
Wool Uniformity
The wool length and texture should be evenly distributed on the whole body, even on the belly, with preference given to higher density.
Wool Texture
The wool consists of three types of hair, is to be healthy, strong, and not to lend itself to felting.
A. Undercoat
Must be predominant, finely crimped and silky soft, of good length. Desirable is a medium fine, soft, even wool, of even fine crimp and silky sheen.
B. Awn fluff
Awn Hair and Wool – are the intermediate fibers between the Underwool and the Guard hair. Both Awn Hair and Awn wool tend to be longer and have a slightly more relaxed crimp than the underwool . Awn fibers always terminate in a curved tip. Even after shearing, the curved end will reassert itself approximately an 1/8 of an inch below the originally shorn end.
C. Guard hair
Extends the other hair types, is stronger and straight. The tip is strong. As a rule, does have more guard hair than bucks, especially older does.The texture of the wool coat is comprised by a good balance between all of the fibers types under a shearing system. Underwool should be predominant. Guard hair must be present in bucks and should not be too heavy in does. Obvious crimp is desirable.
Furnishings
The ears, forehead, cheeks, front feet and hind feet should be furnished. The ideal amount of furnishings would be attractive underwool tufting which require little maintenance. Excessively heavy furnishings or “wool blind” furnishings are not desirable. The bucks have better developed furnishings than the does. This is to be kept in mind when judging.The color of albino German Angora, seen in the staple, appears to be ivory, while the normal haired areas are pure white. These differences
are not to be seen as a fault.The eyes of the albino German Angora are transparent, colorless, with a
pink or bluish-pink appearance. All of the claws are white. Colored animals may be exhibited as long as they are not bi-colored. In colored animals, the color on the normal haired areas is darker than the wool.
The toenail color must match in non-albino angoras.
Condition
Only clean, well-cared-for animals belong in an exhibition. The legs, ears, and vent area is to be clean, the claws to be well-trimmed. Animals with lightly soiled areas and long claws shall lose points. Animals that are heavily soiled or have lice, fleas, mites, etc. shall be removed from the table and eliminated. Yellow wool on the underside of the feet and the vent area is not to be faulted.