American Lamancha

American Lamancha
Country of originUnited States
UseMilk
Traits
  • Goat
  • Capra aegagrus hircus
LaMancha doe in the show ring
Closeup of a LaMancha doe's head, showing wattles present.

American Lamancha, or more commonly, simply Lamancha or LaMancha, is a formally recognized breed of dairy goat, first bred in California by Mrs. Eula Fay Frey about 1927.[1][2] Later she moved the herd to Glide, Oregon for further development. The Lamancha goat is a member of the Capra genus, specifically Capra aegagrus hircus (sometimes called Capra hircus), like all domestic goats.

Lamancha goats are perhaps the most distinctive goat breed;[3] easily recognizable by their very short ear pinnae.[1] They are also known for their high milk production, and the comparatively high butterfat content in their milk, and people-loving temperament.[2] The short-eared American Lamanchas first gained recognition as a distinct breed in the early 1950s,[4] and the breed was registered formally on January 27, 1958[5] as "Lamancha or American Lamancha" goats.[6] Approximately 200 animals were accepted at registration as its original stock.[5] The first true American Lamancha goat registered was named Fay's Ernie, L-1.[5]

The LaMancha goat is the only breed of dairy goat developed in the United States. Although it is interesting folk lore and short eared goats do run throughout history, there is not, nor has there ever been, a breed known as the Spanish LaMancha.[7] The Term "American Lamancha" is an ADGA term which denotes a goat that is mostly Lamancha but has unknown genetics or varied genetics of other purebred goats, however the breed now has a large number of registered purebred animals.[8]

  1. ^ a b "LaMancha". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University Dept. of Animal Science. 1998-12-16. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  2. ^ a b Woods, Dale L.; Hendrickson, Pat (1978). "The American Lamancha, and its Ears". Dairy Goat Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
  3. ^ Dohner, Janet Vorwald (2001). The encyclopedia of historic and endangered livestock and poultry breeds. Yale agrarian studies (illustrated ed.). Yale University Press. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-300-08880-9.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smith was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AmLamanchaClub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mason was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Goats: (Capra hircus)". Archived from the original on 2000-08-16. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  8. ^ "American Dairy Goat Association". Archived from the original on 1999-10-13. Retrieved 2013-05-30.