# "Swiss-eared" Lamanchas?



## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I have a question for all you Lamancha lovers...I love what I hear about Lamanchas, but I don't like the short ears. I think it would be cool to have a Lamancha with "normal" ears. I suppose it couldn't be registered, of course. But does the Swiss-type ear ever show up in the breed?


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## Kfin (Jun 23, 2010)

I felt the same way intact I wrote the lamacha off because I did not like the no ears thing but as I looked at goats it was the lamancha that won my heart they are so sweet. Now I prefer their looks and ears on a goat look funny to me. I thin lamanchas are beautiful. So if you ever get one it will surprise you how quickly their looks win you over. I do have one doe with elf ears though I think she is goofy looking but I love her to bits.


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

I think lamancha ears are dominant so you'd never get a purebred lamancha with regular ears but they do show up on lamancha crosses sometimes. I thought the ears were weird at first too...but it becomes surprisingly easy to overlook once you get to know the goats!


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## tracyqh (Aug 9, 2010)

I LOVE my LaManchas. The milk is fabulous, they are calm, easy to milk and well, I just love them. No ears and all!


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

:greengrin: I found a page on ear genetics and it looks like if you breed an elf-eared doe to an elf-eared buck you have a chance of getting upright ears in the kids? Which is why elf-eared bucks are non-registerable.


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## Coyote Night Acres (Dec 27, 2010)

The lamancha ear is prett dominate, thats why when you cross them with nubians (big ears) you get dwarf looking elf ears most the time. However I have seen some with long ears.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

My buck is an elf earred mini LaMancha (not registered of course, because of the elf ears)

I got two kids with elf ears and one with huge big floppy ears!!!! These were out of big earred mixed breed does, mostly Boer bred. These guys all have the same daddy.




























I've had my buck for almost a full year now, and he is super sweet. i adore him. But I still can't get used to those ears. I'm keeping a little earred wether, but I just prefer my goats with up or airplane ears.


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## Coyote Night Acres (Dec 27, 2010)

:scratch: Oh, my you guys the ears are adorable. Honestly I'm really glad that the ears are so dominate, because that's part of the breed. It's what makes them so fun to be around. If you get one and keep it around long enough you'll learn to love the ears. 

I'm also thinking that if you do a cross like your suggesting and get long ears that it probably will not be a true representation of the lamancha. Just my thoughts here but I'm thinking that genetically it would probably be taking more off the out cross breed rather than the lamancha and that would probably include the personality/disposition. I have no idea for sure because I've not been around a cross like that. If someone has a lamancha nubian that got Nubian ears, I'de be interested in knowing if it took more from your lamancha or nubians. 

Trust me you learn to love those ears and the regular ear goats look funny to me now. NO ears is what a goat should look like around my place and the odd erect ear goat just looks off to me.


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## iddybit acres (Feb 18, 2011)

my new doe has ear's like that i wasnt sure of her breed though.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

Coyote Night Acres said:


> I'm also thinking that if you do a cross like your suggesting and get long ears that it probably will not be a true representation of the lamancha. Just my thoughts here but I'm thinking that genetically it would probably be taking more off the out cross breed rather than the lamancha and that would probably include the personality/disposition. I have no idea for sure because I've not been around a cross like that. If someone has a lamancha nubian that got Nubian ears, I'de be interested in knowing if it took more from your lamancha or nubians.


Well, I didn't cross with Nubian, but you might be interested to hear my results: Of my three mixed breed kids the long earred one is the most like his daddy personality wise. Parsley has typical LaMancha temperament (oh my gosh, is he such a sweet good natured boy!!! Just an absolute babydoll!) and this long earred kid of his is just exactly like him, except the ears. Actually all three kids are super sweet and affectionate and gentle like their dad. Don't get me wrong, my Boer cross does are super sweet, too... but it's a typical pushy goatie kind of sweet instead of the gentle kind of sweet Parsley has.

I don't know if Parsley is a mix with a smaller breed or a stunted LaMancha, he had a rough start in life so it is hard to tell. His kids were bigger than expected judging from his size so i guess we will see how they grow up. Either way they are between 50% and 25% LaMancha and they all clearly got the LaMancha temperament. I don't call mine LaMancha, though... I have started to say "they have LaMancha breeding". It's a small semantic difference but I want to make sure people know that they are mixed breed and it takes more than just tiny to non-existent ears to make a LaMancha.

I do love mine, I just still prefer ears. That said, my keeper kid from this year is one with elf ears. lol.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I can see y'all love your earless goats.  Okay, I won't argue with you; I admit they do look pretty cute, and I see it's as much a part of the breed as floppy ears are part of the Nubian breed.


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## Coyote Night Acres (Dec 27, 2010)

Thanks for posting. I guess I'm wrong on my thinkings then makes no difference nubian or boer, I just said nubian because they have such a loud personality and you often see them crossed with the lamanchas.


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## newmama30+ (Oct 4, 2010)

Here is my airplane eared girl she is 50% Lamancha, cause both mom and dad were 50% and 25%togg 25% Kiko. so she got the personality but not the ears


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

milkmaid said:


> I can see y'all love your earless goats.  Okay, I won't argue with you; I admit they do look pretty cute, and I see it's as much a part of the breed as floppy ears are part of the Nubian breed.


And even if it isn't your preference you do get used to it on the individual goat. I barely even think about Parsley being almost earless until someone else comments on it.


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