Nature creates many strange and unusual creatures, but in most cases they live somewhere in exotic places or in the depths of the ocean. Meanwhile, among our familiar domestic animals, there are some that are quite capable of capturing the imagination. For example, people who are far from animal husbandry are unlikely to know that there are goats without ears, and what breed they are, where they live, and what they eat.
Origin story
Earless goats are called Lamancha. As the name implies, the place where the breed was formed and became famous is Spain, the Iberian Peninsula.These specific animals most likely descended from ancestors taken from Persia and then Africa. Together with the Moors, goats entered Spanish territory, successfully acclimatized there and became the founders of a new breed.
The name "La Mancha" is not only a reference to the area - a Spanish province with a similar name. This word means “spot”, which reflects the characteristic features of the appearance of animals.
Description and characteristics of goats without ears
In fact, an earless goat is not devoid of ears at all, it just grows them in a “mini format”. Her ears are so small that they are almost invisible, especially in comparison with the size of her head. Because of this feature, goats have an unusual facial expression, which gave rise to the nickname “monkeys.”
This is why cute animals can have different colors, from white to dark, and also differ in spotted, longitudinal stripes along the ridge. They have soft, dense wool, it can be short or long, but in the latter case it is cut to give the goats a more neat appearance.
The animals have a wedge-shaped body and a massive udder, which indicates that the breed belongs to the dairy direction. The animals are medium-sized, strong, with strong slender legs. The height at the withers of a female is 71 centimeters, and that of a goat is 76 centimeters. Among the animals there are both horned and polled (hornless).
Based on the type of ears, La Manchas are divided into two types:
- Elven, with small pointed ears no more than 5 centimeters long.
- Gophers, or corrugated ones, with ears up to 2.5 centimeters, tightly pressed to the head.
Excessive ear size causes the animal to be denied purebred status, even though specific traits are passed on to the offspring through crossing.
Pros and cons of the LaMancha breed
The disadvantages include the nutritional requirements for feed, otherwise goats without ears may have a drop in milk production. Animals also need to be provided with hygienic conditions, because they love cleanliness - premises, bedding, food and water.
Requirements for maintenance and care
Representatives of this breed do not have any special requirements for maintenance. They need an insulated goat shed with a pen where the animals can walk in the fresh air at any time of the year. It is very important that the areas where the herd is kept are kept perfectly clean. This is important for the high productivity of dairy females, the health of the entire livestock, as well as maintaining a specific feature of animals of this breed - the absence of odor.
Diet
Earless LaMancha goats need to be fed 2 times a day, with plenty of water. It, like food, must be clean. Animals eat almost everything; you just need to make sure that no poisonous plants get into their food.
For the winter, you need to store a lot of high-quality hay, especially if the goat is pregnant or nursing kids.
Also, don't forget about adding minerals. Lick salt should be freely available, soda is also occasionally added to the feed, and iodine is dripped into the water to prevent diseases. This helps keep LaMancha goats strong and healthy.
Reproduction
Hunting for females begins in autumn or winter, lasts from one to two days, the cycle is 21 days. The duration of pregnancy is 155 days. Most often there are two kids in a litter, less often triplets are born. Earless goats have a voluminous udder for their size, due to which they are highly productive and produce milk with a fat content of 4%. On average, a goat produces 3-4 liters of milk per day, but record holders reach 5 liters. Goats milk for at least 10 months, but there are some that can give milk for two years in a row, and they do not need to become pregnant a second time and bring kids for this.
Frequent illnesses
Earless LaMancha goats are characterized by stable health, hardy and indifferent to cold weather, therefore they are little susceptible to colds. Generally, goats suffer from parasites, mastitis, poisoning from stale food or toxic plants, and hoof inflammation.
You can avoid health problems with the help of a well-designed diet, careful care, cleanliness in the barn and the animal itself. Goats are affectionate and need love, care and attention, so you need to treat them like pets. They behave like cats or puppies, petting and running after their owners.
To prevent infectious diseases, it is necessary to carry out examinations and vaccinations on time. In a standard household farm, it is not necessary to have a full-time veterinarian. But on a professional farm specializing in the production of expensive goat milk cheeses, this is an important condition.Attentive attitude to the dairy herd can prevent numerous troubles and financial losses.
With proper and careful care, animals are distinguished by fertility and milk yield, good health and an unusual attractive appearance.
