Tennessee Fainting Goats

Fainting or myotonic goats are goats that fall over when they get startled. When they fall over, they don’t actually faint or lose consciousness. These goats fall down because they are born with a medical condition known as myotonia congenita or Thomsen’s disease that causes their muscles to tense up when they get startled and the muscles don’t immediately relax. The severity varies; some will stiffen up every time they get startled, while others less frequently. The symptoms lessen over time as they get older. Younger goats tend to fall over and tumble but as they get older they learn to avoid falling over and just run away on stiffened legs. Older goats also become more secure and have a better sense of the environment, and thus startle less.

For more breed information, visit The Livestock Conservancy.

Benefits to Homesteaders

Our fainting goats are similar to other breeds of goats, although they generally run a bit smaller. We raise them not only for their meat, but also their highly digestible and delicious milk. We have found our does to be excellent mothers… having unassisted triplets and twins year after year.

These valuable farm workers stay busy managing the weeds around our fence lines and newly timbered pasture.  They also don’t climb our fences or have the tendency to escape like the Boers, Nubians, and Nigerian Dwarfs we’ve had in the past. They are content keeping their heads down browsing. As for personality, they are loaded! Our fainters are very gentle and mild in temperament.

Popularity

The Tennessee Fainting Goat is what we raise here at the Old Crowe Farm. Fewer than 10,000 Tennessee fainting goats remained a decade ago. Now the breed is recovering. But its numbers still aren’t high according to The Livestock Conservancy (TLC). Just like the TLC, the Old Crowe Farm is working to keep rare breeds of farm animals from going  extinct.