Myotonic (Fainting)

The Myotonic goat, better known as the Fainting goat, is a meat and companion breed that came out of the United States. The name comes from myotonia congenita, an inherited condition that makes the skeletal muscles seize up for a few seconds whenever the animal gets a fright or gets over-excited. The goat never actually loses consciousness. It just goes rigid, and younger or more severely affected animals can topple onto their side until the muscles let go again.

It is a placid, good-natured breed by any measure. Myotonic goats are quieter than most and far less given to climbing or jumping, partly because the muscle condition itself puts a limit on sudden athletic movement. That makes them a good deal easier to fence in, and it is one reason they have caught on as smallholding animals and pets as well as a meat breed.

Fully grown, most stand between 43 and 64 cm at the withers, so this counts as a medium-sized goat. Coat colour varies widely and both sexes may carry horns. Given routine care, a Myotonic goat will generally live 10 to 15 years.

Who this breed suits

This is a goat for anyone after a docile, low-escape animal to keep on a small farm or smallholding. Its calm nature and reduced urge to climb make it manageable for someone new to goats. It also does well as a companion animal or as foundation stock for a meat enterprise.

The breed's documented history goes back to the 1880s, to Marshall County, Tennessee. As the story goes, a farmhand named John Tinsley turned up with a small group of goats that seized up whenever they were startled. He moved on again before long, and the goats he left behind became the founding stock for the breed.

From that small start the goats spread through the region, with a notable population building up around Marshall County and, later, in Texas, where breeders picked out the larger animals for meat. Because the goats were so easy to contain, farmers sometimes ran them alongside flocks of sheep, on the logic that a startled goat would freeze up rather than scatter when a fox or other predator came near.

For most of the 20th century the breed stayed a regional working animal, known mainly to local farmers and not much beyond. Interest picked up later on as keepers came to value the placid temperament and the unusual trait. Breed associations were set up in the United States to record pedigrees and keep the population going.

The Myotonic goat is recognised today as a heritage American breed. Livestock heritage organisations have listed it as a conservation priority, since numbers have stayed modest next to the mainstream commercial breeds.

The Myotonic goat has a compact, well-muscled body carried on legs that run from short to medium in length. The head is medium in length with a broad muzzle and large, prominent eyes that can give the animal a slightly startled look even when it is standing at ease. Both sexes may carry horns, and the ears are medium-sized and held out to the side.

Coat and colour

Coat length differs from line to line. Some animals stay short-coated the whole year round, while others grow a longer outer coat over a cashmere-like undercoat once the weather turns cold. Colour varies enormously. Black and white crops up often, but solid and mixed patterns in brown, tan, cream, and roan are just as much part of the breed. No single colour marks it out.

The Myotonic is one of the more even-tempered goat breeds going. It is friendly toward people and generally tames without much fuss once it gets regular handling. The muscle condition tends to leave these goats less reactive and less athletic than other breeds, so climbing and jumping are rarely on the agenda. That is one reason keepers find them so straightforward to contain.

With family members and anyone familiar to them, the breed is gentle and sociable. Strangers get a wary look at first, but most animals settle down soon enough. Because a sudden fright can set off the stiffening response, calm, unhurried handling keeps unnecessary stress to a minimum. These are herd animals through and through, and they do best with at least one goat companion rather than being left on their own.

They generally get on fine with other pets and livestock. That quiet nature has, historically, let them be run alongside sheep and other stock without any bother.

Grooming

• Brush longer-coated animals during the seasonal moult to clear out loose hair
• Trim hooves every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if growth calls for it
• Check the coat for external parasites while you have the animal in hand
• Keep an eye on horns and any wounds for signs of injury

Exercise

• Give daily access to a paddock or exercise yard for grazing and moving about
• Gentle activity suits them fine; the breed climbs and jumps far less than other goats
• Keep the ground level and free of hazards, since a startled goat may stiffen and go down

Environment

Myotonic goats need a dry, draught-free shed for shade and shelter from rain, wind, and the cold, which is no small thing given how changeable the weather can turn. Fencing can be lower and plainer than for more athletic breeds, since these goats rarely bother trying to climb out, though it still has to be secure against foxes and other predators. Keep clean water on tap at all times, along with a mineral supplement formulated for goats. Keep them in company too, since goats are social animals and isolation stresses them out.

The Myotonic is both a browser and a grazer. The bulk of the diet should be good-quality forage: pasture, browse, and grass or legume hay when grazing is scarce. Goats digest fibre through a four-chambered stomach, so a steady intake of forage keeps the rumen working properly. Meal or concentrate feed is only added where forage on its own cannot meet the goat's needs, such as during late pregnancy, lactation, or a growth spurt.

Treats and supplements

Offer a loose goat mineral with the right level of copper and selenium for your area, since goats have particular trace-mineral needs that vary by region. Keep salt and clean water available at all times. The odd bit of fruit or vegetable makes a fine treat now and then, but it should stay a small part of the diet so it does not crowd out forage.

The Myotonic goat is a hardy, generally healthy breed with a typical lifespan of 10 to 15 years. The defining myotonia congenita is not painful or dangerous in itself. The affected muscles simply contract for a moment and then release. If anything, the trait can cut down on certain injuries, since these goats are that much less likely to go climbing or jumping. Routine herd health practice covers most everything else.

Preventive care

• Draw up a vaccination and dosing schedule with your vet
• Trim hooves on a regular cycle and keep bedding dry
• Provide the right loose minerals to head off deficiency and urinary trouble
• Keep an eye on body condition and isolate new or sick animals
• Rely on routine faecal egg counts rather than dosing the whole herd as a matter of course

Myotonic goats reach sexual maturity within their first year, though most breeders hold off until does are well grown, often around 8 to 12 months or older, before the first mating. Does are seasonally polyoestrous and cycle roughly every 21 days through the breeding season. Gestation runs to about 150 days, close on five months.

Litters commonly run to one to three kids, with twins frequent among mature does. Kids are usually strong from birth and are up on their feet and nursing soon after. The myotonia trait is inherited, and kids can show the stiffening response from an early age, often becoming more obvious as they grow.

Does tend to make attentive mothers. Kids nurse on the dam's milk and start sampling forage within the first few weeks, then are weaned at around 8 to 12 weeks depending on how the holding is managed. Keep kidding areas clean and dry, and check newborns for warmth and that they are nursing properly.