La Mancha ears, the cold, and other such questions

[Sweetened]

These are likely ridiculous questions. I'm rolling around the thought of keeping a La Mancha or two in with my herd. I still can't figure out if I find them adorable or attrocious looking. I think I like the elf ears best, the entirely missing ears is just... weird to me, acceptable breed standard or not!

Anyway, I have a couple questions I'm asking for people's experience on. I was initially thinking the small ears would be very cold hardy, but I have small ears and they are NOT cold hardy at all. Is there a higher risk with frostbite on their ears than say, a boer's?

How are the bucks for meat? Are they poor yeilding or do they deliver a worthwhile carcass?

There may be more questions as we get into the hands on experience with the Manchas.

 

[Southern by choice]

Good questions... I live in NC so not and issue here. They could wear ear muffs.

The LAMANCHA IS BEAUTIFUL! IMHO
Not sure about meat yields... great for dairy though!
And just to help you along the Lamancha path....

Look how sweet

Now come on... that's adorable

Mini mancha baby "Trouble"

Who needs long ears when you are this gorgeous already!

 

[Sweetened]

ARE THOSE YOURS!?

Oh my gosh. That's actually the colouration I want if I get them. Do you find they breed true to colour when they're the same?

 

[Mike CHS]

LOL I don't think I could eat something that adorable.

 

[Sweetened]

I could. Beautifully delicious, and the pelt would be so beautiful. The get less adorable as they grow up.

That was dark... I'm such a dark person.

 

[Southern by choice]

LOL Yes they are mine.
Millie -The mom is a small Lamancha... we got her for milk production and for making mini-manchas!
Trouble is her doeling- a mini.... the Nigerian Buck we bred Millie to was Will a broken Buckskin.... yet Trouble is identical to her mom just with blue eyes. We recently acquired a Chamoisee Buckling- well almost a buck now for the purpose of trying to keep the Chamoisee color going he is also polled. That is what Millie and trouble are, chamoisee. I love the color pattern too! Just a heads up... NEVER get a Lamancha with horns. They are also extremely smart goats. They are very quiet... my daughter says it is because they are always calculating and do not like to bring any attention to themselves! Naughty goats!

As dairy goats go they are not that great for eating. Many will cross the Nubian and Alpine dairy goats with a meat goat though. We have Kiko and New Zealand Meat Goats... we do not cross our meat and dairy goats though.


And yes... very DARK! pelts!

 

[Sweetened]

Gah! So beautiful. Chamoisee, GOT IT. My Ober is Chamoisee.

Why no horns on Lamancha? Propensity to get into things? I'm pro-horns.

 

[Southern by choice]

I like horns too but I am being really honest here. Her doeling was the only goat we have ever had disbudded. I know it sounds terrible but we will be having Millie's horns surgically removed. My ND's and the big Kikos... no problem.... she is dangerous though- not to us but to the other goats and the LGD's and the LGD pups and to all the other does kids. Her best friend is the listeria goat. The breeder had surgery and couldn't do the horns.... never again will I have a Lamancha with horns. With her it really is all about those horns. That is why we also got the polled buck because I don't want to have to do the horns but no way no how with this breed. IMO

They are extremely intelligent and watch everything... smartest goat I've ever seen.

 

[Sweetened]

Fair enough. I have a doe like that, Agnes. She's a boer X, maybe Savannah. She tried to kill a buckling I had. I was going to sell her until we not longer had the buckling, and I decided to see if she kids out and then butcher her all things depending. She's not vicious with us, but I don't think pulling her horns would change how she is or the damage she does. I'm not sure really, my only experiences with polled animals has been badly polled ones, so I might change my thoughts on it should I get one that's well done.

Thanks for your honesty about it

 

[Southern by choice]

Polled goats are not the same as disbudded. They have the polled gene so they will naturally never grow horns.

In Millies case it is all about her knowing how to use them... she flips the young animals... take the horns and she may butt but no chance of stabbing something and no flipping.