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. 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; easily recognizable by their very short ear pinnae. They are also known for their high milk production, and the comparatively high butterfat content in their milk, and people-loving temperament. The short-eared American Lamanchas first gained recognition as a distinct breed in the early 1950s, and the breed was registered formally on January 27, 1958 as “Lamancha or American Lamancha” goats. Approximately 200 animals were accepted at registration as their original stock. The first true American Lamancha goat registered was named Fay’s Ernie, L-1.
The LaMancha goat is the only breed of dairy goat developed in the United States. Although it is interesting folklore and short-eared goats do run throughout history, there is not, nor has there ever been, a breed known as the Spanish LaMancha. The Term “American Lamancha” is an ADGA term that 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.
Modern Lamancha ear definitions, according to the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) breed standard are, “Gopher ear: An approximate maximum length of 1 inch but preferably nonexistent and with very little or no cartilage. The end of the ear must be turned up or down. This is the only ear type which will make bucks eligible for registration.” “Elf ear: An approximate maximum length of 2 inches is allowed, the end of the ear must be turned up or turned down and cartilage shaping the small ear is allowed.”
History of the ears
When first registered as a breed, there were four distinctly described types of ears catalogued as acceptable for the Lamancha breed registry. These were two specific ‘gopher’ types; short and long, and two ‘elf’ types; regular Lamancha ears and Cookie ears. Short gopher ears were closest to the head, could have one fold (but no length), and gave a smooth appearance to the head. After 1960, these were the only ear-type that a registered buck could have. Long gopher ears were small and round-tipped, between one-half inch and one inch long, and accordion-folded, such that when pulled out flat and released, they would fold right back. The elf types were a little longer, but still very small compared to other breeds. Cookie ears, named by Mrs Frey after the first goat born with such ears, were pointy-tipped and turned up and back toward the head; hugging closely to the head. Regular Lamancha ears were flat, stood out from the head, bent downward, and could be an inch or up to two inches long. Only Lamanchas with Swiss-type (long) ears were unregisterable.
Mrs Frey’s herd consisted mostly of regular Lamancha-eared and Cookie-eared goats, but the 1960 rule specifying only gopher-eared bucks did not disqualify pre-existing registered bucks, so her herd as it stood at the time remained registered, though later bucks born had to conform to the standard to be registered. In the early to mid-1980s, the breed standard was changed to define only two types of ears: gopher and elf.