The Chocolate Agouti Giant Angora COD Journey Begins
- Tammy Vaughn
- May 12
- 6 min read
Big news from the barn, a new village forming, weekly lives returning, and a royal little Kickstarter too.
Holy Cannoli, This Is a Big One
The Chocolate Agouti Giant Angora COD application is officially ready to go in the mail. After a full weekend of finessing, checking, talking, thinking, and maybe overcomplicating a few things because apparently that is one of my superpowers, the paperwork is ready.
This is not the finish line. It is the beginning. But goodness, what a beautiful beginning it is.
This first step represents a whole lot of dreaming, planning, researching, and teamwork. It also represents something much bigger than one rabbitry. My hope is that this becomes a true village effort to help move colored Giant Angoras forward in a thoughtful, healthy, and exciting way.
The Application Is Headed to ARBA
Once ARBA receives the application, the office will verify the membership information and make sure the paperwork is in order. After that, the ARBA Standards Committee will review the application and the proposed wording.
There may be some back and forth. There may be small tweaks. That is perfectly okay. We all want the same thing: a solid, thoughtful, useful standard that helps Chocolate Agouti Giant Angoras move forward in the best possible way.
My hopeful dream is to be able to exhibit Chocolate Agouti Giant Angoras this October in Reno. That would mean bringing twelve beautiful animals, fluffed up and looking their best, for the membership to see. It would be an exhibit, not a final presentation, but it would still be a very important step.
So yes, keep your fingers crossed. The ball is rolling.
The Colored Giant Angora Village Is Forming
As this excitement has been building, I have also been thinking hard about how to organize the people who want to help. And goodness, there are people who want to help. That makes my heart so happy.
I am building this with two levels in mind.
The first level is the Colored Giant Angora Village. This is for anybody who is interested in what is happening with colored Giant Angoras. Whether you are brand new, curious, experienced, or simply cheering from the sidelines, you are welcome in the village.
The second level will be a smaller working group for people who are serious about breeding colored Giant Angoras and specifically helping support the Chocolate Agouti COD. This group will involve a simple questionnaire and agreement so we can keep the focus clear, friendly, open, and productive.
The Big Dream: 100 Chocolate Agoutis in 2028
Yes, I am going to say it again. My dream is for our village to bring 100 Chocolate Agouti Giant Angoras to the ARBA Convention in Kentucky in 2028.
Not all from me. Not even close. Good gravy, no.
The whole point is to spread the genetics, encourage teamwork, swap stock, share studs, help each other evaluate juniors, and work together so this color has a real, healthy, strong foundation.
The Chocolate Agouti is our first focus, but I also have my eyes on the bigger picture. Opal and Lynx matter too. My endgame is to see all of the agouti colors moving forward in Giant Angoras.
One step at a time. One litter at a time. MANY breeders working together! That is how big dreams become real.
How to Get on the Interest List
If you are interested in being part of the Colored Giant Angora Village, please visit my Sinfully Soft website.
You can find the interest form through the homepage, under the Rabbits tab on the Colored Giant Village page.
Fill out the interest form first. That lets me know you want to be kept in the loop. From there, I will be sending out the next steps for those interested in the smaller builder group.
And please help me come up with a name for that working group. I have thrown a bunch of ideas at the wall, but I would love input from the village.
A Quick Note About FV's Available Chocolate Agouti Stock
Just FYI, my intent is to bring a slew of junior Chocolate Agouti Giant Angoras to the Reno Convention this coming October. My hope is to use this opportunity to help spread genetics thoughtfully and support the breeders who are actively working toward the Chocolate Agouti COD goal. Because of that, I will only be offering any available Chocolate Agouti stock to members of the working group.
The larger Colored Giant Village will absolutely be kept in the loop and included in the news, updates, and excitement, but any stock sharing, sales, swaps, or breeding discussions from my barn will be handled within the working group. If you are seriously interested in a Chocolate Agouti and want to participate in the project, please be sure to get on the list and complete the working group steps when they are available.
And then there is my other big fluffy project: The Angora Royalty Deck.
I have been designing a special Angora playing card deck featuring all four Angora breeds. Each suit has its own breed and personality, and goodness, it has been so much fun bringing these rabbits to life.
The laminated prototypes are fun, but I want to create a real, tangible, playable deck of cards. That is why I launched a Kickstarter.
Kickstarter is all or nothing. If the project does not reach its funding goal, nobody is charged. But if it does fund, then the cards can be printed and mailed to backers.
This first edition will be limited, and the Kickstarter price will be the lowest way to get one. If there are extras later, they will cost more after the campaign is finished and backers have received their decks.
After Angora Nationals, I am going to take a little breath, probably sleep for a few days, and then bring my weekly lives back.
Starting Wednesday, May 20th at 10:00 AM Pacific, I plan to go live once a week every Wednesday. Once a week feels doable for me, and I want to do a really good job for you all. I want each live to have a helpful focus.
We may do baby evaluations, grooming sessions, wool discussions, color talks, COD updates, handspun pricing, rabbit evaluation, or whatever topic the group wants to learn more about.
I expect to have a whole bunch of litters soon, so we will have plenty of babies to evaluate together. That means real examples, real learning, and real conversations as we keep moving forward.
If you have a specific topic you want to dive into, please let me know. Email me. Text me. Message me. Send smoke signals if you must.
I have been having a lot of fun sharing this information, and I love learning right alongside you.
More Education Is Coming
I had hoped to launch my Mastering the Art of Giant Angoras course sooner, but I have been honest with myself. It is not quite ready yet, and I want it to be solid before I open it up. But it is coming.
I have so many pieces already outlined and ready to grow, including proper Giant Angora wool structure, handspun Angora yarn pricing, wool preparation, marketing fiber, and preparing Angora wool for commercial yarn runs.
Angora is a luxury fiber. It deserves to be understood, respected, priced properly, and handled well from rabbit to finished yarn. That is part of what I want to keep teaching.
We Can Do This
This is a big season. The Chocolate Agouti COD application is headed out. The Colored Giant Angora Village is forming. The Angora Royalty Deck Kickstarter is live. The NARBC auction and boutique are rolling. Weekly lives are coming back.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, there will be babies, grooming, fiber, coffee, and probably a little chaos.
But good chaos.
The fluffy kind.
We can do this, you guys.
BTW, if you want to join our Colored Giant Village on Discord, Here's your way in;
We’re creating more reasons for people to stay engaged, to show up at shows, and to fall in love with Angoras all over again. And that right there… is what this is all about.
Stay Fluffy My Friends,
Tammy,
Life’s just better with a Giant Angora hug
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