# Crusty lamancha ears?



## CBegins (Jan 26, 2011)

My wether has crusty ears. I have cleaned them with a wet cloth and even a q-tip a couple of times. I have used a dog ear cleaner that is peroxide based......oh..he really loved that. Not. This is my first experience with Lamanchas, so this ear thing is new to me but the entrance to his ear is very tight. I see him shaking his head occasionally and he does love having his ears rubbed. Any ideas on what I can do to stop this? Carla


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Make sure you have some way of controlling your goats so they can't pick and choose what you do to them  Milkstands are the best. Every month when you are trimming his feet, take a small amount of peroxide out in a bowl with a wash cloth, soak it well and put it over his ear, flooding the inside of it and really scrub at the ear. By keeping his ear cleaned this often you won't have problems. Some Lamanchas, crosses especially don't have ear structure that lets their ears drain.

Please add your name and area of the country to your signature, thanks! Vicki


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

Welcome! One thing I use to clean Lamancha ears is a baby wipe. I get the walmart brand newborn kind which seem to have more texture. I keep these in the milk room so they are handy and just wipe out the ears as needed. But I do like Vicki does if they seem to be having trouble.


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## Aeries09 (May 10, 2011)

Vicki, is it common to have one ear crusted up or usually both that don't have the proper structure? 

Thanks Carla, and welcome! Lamanchas are adorable!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Other than the LaMancha purebreds my daughter showed, nearly all the dairy herd we milked were crosses of most breeds with LaMancha, so it was crusty ears on both. We started doing this after we had our first full blown ear infection that ended up palsying the does face. With this simple prevention we never had ear infections again. Vicki


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## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

With mine the elf ears build up the wax and the boys much more than the girls. I squeeze the wax out, working the ear, squeezing one side then the other and upwards from the bottom. I do this weekly for my wether and the girls I do once a month. He is used to it and is very cooperative. The girls are good too and I don't have to tie them up. I can look down in the ear and see the earwax. They can get so plugged if not kept up on that it affects hearing.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

I just massage the ears when I am petting them. It keeps the ears clear and they seem to love the massage.


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## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

My gopher eared doe doesn't produce any wax at all, just some water. The narrow ear canal prevents evaporation and normal flaking and shedding of the wax in the elf eared ones.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Ugh, no wonder I don't have lamanchas!


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## CBegins (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks for the replies! I just wanted to make sure my goofball wasn't that unusual. My other "eared" goats don't seem to have issues with their ears so it makes me wonder if it's a Lamancha thing. No offense, Lamancha lovers, just trying to learn....lol.


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## Daniel Babcock (May 28, 2008)

I don't seem to have any problems at all with my LaManchas. However with all the loving and scratching they get from the children . . . maybe it keeps them cleaner???


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Maybe that's why my LaManchas never listen :rofl


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

I think you're on to something Marion


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