The Fainting Goat: Interesting and Hilarious
The myotonic or “fainting” goat is a rare breed that, as its name suggests, falls over when alarmed. These comical animals come in a variety of patterns and colors including brown, black, white, cream and gray. They are a small breed, normally reaching about 1½ to 2 feet tall and weighing between 60 and 170 pounds. Sometimes, a male may weigh as much as 200 pounds.
It is known by a number of names including Tennessee goat, stiff-legged goat, nervous goat and wooden-legged goat. The name of myotonic fainting goat is a recently popularized one.
Why Do Myotonic Goats Faint?
The reason these goats react to surprise the way they do is because of a muscular condition called myotonia congenita, which gets passed on genetically. It is believed that it is the result of a mutated gene. It should be noted that the goats don’t actually faint, rather, their muscles seize up and they simply fall over, all the while totally conscious. Myotonia congenita is also known to occur in humans.
The Popularity of Fainting Goats
This special breed of goat holds a special place in many peoples’ hearts as both pets and show animals. They make interesting, amusing and friendly companions and require less care than most goat breeds. Their small size makes them ideal pet goats for those without a lot of yard space or money.They are also highly intelligent and can be taught a variety of tricks and even trained to work! The females are reputed to be particularly good mothers and often produce twins. The males, especially large ones, have their fur in such a way that they look almost like little bison.
Where Can Myotonic Goats be Found?
These goats are thought to have first become popular after a man allegedly brought several of them with him from Nova Scotia in the 1880s. They began being coveted for their disinclination of climbing fences and escaping, as well as their fecundity. The goats naturally vary in size with particular sizes preferable for different purposes. They even come with different lengths of hair.
What Uses do Fainting Goats Have?
The fainting goat is primarily kept as a pet. It has an excellent reputation as a companion breed and can easily be kept in a small area with minimal care. However, they are also valued for their meat. Their small stature and ease of care makes them a good livestock choice for small farms, but they aren’t used as often as other meat goats. The reason for this is that they are considered to be a threatened breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and efforts are being taken to preserve their unique and important genetics.
Besides being kept for food and pets, fainting goats are also raised for their fur, which is then made into cashmere. Goats that have long hair are selectively bred to yield high quality and abundant fur.
Things to Consider
A myotonic goat, although usually small, is still a goat. As such, they do the odd things that goats do like butt people and other pets, eat things that aren’t edible, have a lot of energy and can be very destructive, so house them with that in mind. It isn’t a good idea to allow them around small children, as they could easily be hurt by the goat’s rambunctious play.