We had a lot of fun with punit squares last time around, and flexing our basic knowledge of genetics, but there was one question the squares couldn't answer. How do you really know if you have a genuine gopher eared kid??? This is were the rubber meets to road when it comes to breeding mini LaManchas for correct breed character. And it can be very challenging! Breeding from F1-F6 is as easy as pie... but what about trying to get a goat with great conformation? Staying within the height requirements? Staying within the generational percentages? Keeping up with productivity on the stand, and the correct ears?! That's a lot of pieces of the puzzle to juggle! Breeding minis isn't for the faint of heart. And in a way, you are more of a scientist-artist, than you are a 'Martha Stewart Magazine' farmer. You will find that the most dedicated breeders love to discuss genetics and biology more than anything else, and its no wonder why. When you start on your path to breeding minis, you will in short time find yourself immersed in the study of genetics. And seeing your breeding program as more of an experiment to test your theories and formulas for gaining consistent results more than anything else... But that's beside the point. As a beginner just trying to tack down one thing at a time is challenging enough. And one of the most frustrating things in our programs tends to be the smallest feature on our goats-- those cute little 'manchie' ears... You think you got it all together. You are set to register your F3+ generation goat. You are ready to sink your pen down on the pure bred status box on the application, and then you think to yourself: "Are those really gopher ears? Does this animal really qualify for American or Purebred? Did I check the wrong box for ear type? " And now we have a real conundrum. Sure you can just send the pictures and applications in to the registry anyway, and let them try to sort it out.. But what happens if you breed that handsome F3 'gopher' eared buck to your prized (although if we are being honest is probably elf-eared) F3 doe? Are all your buck kids going to be F4 experimentals?! That could really set your (or someone elses) program back if you are wrong about the genes he is expressing.... What do you do? How can you test those ears? Ear typesYou probably already know what an elf ear or gopher ear is--generally speaking. But here is a recap on LaMancha ear types to refresh:
Gopher vs elf:Gopher ears are very tight to the head giving the animal a almost 'stream-lined' appearance when they are facing you. From the side you can see the tiny 'shrunken' ear makes wrinkles close to the head, and the tip of the ear is very slight and turned up or down. Elf ears are almost unmistakable. You can see them from almost any angle. But sometimes the cartilage is almost just the same length as that of a gopher ear. The difference comes down to a measurement... or, a test: Testing the Ears: |
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