Myotonic (Fainting)

The Myotonic goat, also known as the Fainting goat, is a meat and companion breed that got its start in the United States. The name comes from myotonia congenita, an inherited condition that makes the skeletal muscles lock up for a few seconds when the animal gets a fright. The goat stays conscious throughout. It simply goes rigid, and kids or more strongly affected animals can topple onto their side until the muscles let go.

This is a placid, sociable breed. Myotonic goats climb and jump less than most other goats, partly because the muscle condition limits any sudden burst of movement. That makes them straightforward to fence in on a lifestyle block or small farm, and it is one reason the breed has caught on with hobby farmers and pet owners as well as meat producers.

Adults are medium-sized, with most animals standing 43 to 64 cm at the withers. Coat colour varies widely and both sexes can carry horns. Given routine care, they typically live 10 to 15 years.

Who it suits

The breed suits keepers after a docile, low-escape goat for a small block or lifestyle property. Its calm temperament and reduced urge to climb make it manageable for newcomers to goats, and it also works well as a companion animal or as foundation stock for a small meat operation.

The breed's documented history starts in the 1880s in Marshall County, Tennessee. According to the old accounts, a travelling farmhand named John Tinsley turned up with a handful of goats that stiffened when spooked. He moved on before long, and the goats he left behind became the founding population.

From that stock the goats spread through the district, with a strong population building up around Marshall County and later in Texas, where breeders picked out larger animals for meat production. Because the goats were so easy to contain, farmers sometimes ran them with mobs of sheep, since a startled goat would freeze on the spot rather than scatter when a predator turned up.

For most of the 20th century the breed stayed a regional working animal, known chiefly to local farmers. Interest widened later on as keepers came to value the placid temperament and the unusual trait. Breed societies were set up in the United States to record pedigrees and safeguard the population.

The Myotonic goat is recognised today as a heritage American breed. Livestock heritage groups have listed it as a conservation priority, since its numbers have stayed modest next to the mainstream commercial breeds. New Zealand's strict biosecurity settings mean the breed has not been imported here in any number; MPI's import health standards for live goats are demanding, so most Kiwi interest in the breed comes through overseas contacts and reading rather than local stock.

The Myotonic goat carries a compact, well-muscled body on legs that run from short to medium in length. The head is of medium length with a broad muzzle and large, prominent eyes that often look faintly startled even when the animal is settled. Both sexes can carry horns, and the ears sit medium-sized, held out to the side.

Coat and colours

Coat length differs between lines. Some animals stay short-coated all year, while others put on a longer outer coat with a soft, cashmere-like undercoat once the weather turns cold. Colour is highly variable. Black and white crops up often, but solid and mixed patterns in brown, tan, cream, and roan also occur. No single colour marks out the breed.

The Myotonic goat ranks among the calmer goat breeds. It is friendly toward people and generally tames without much fuss under regular handling. The muscle condition tends to make these goats less flighty and less athletic than other breeds, so they climb and jump a lot less. That is one reason keepers rate them as easy to keep inside a paddock fence.

With family and familiar handlers the breed is gentle and sociable. Around strangers most animals are wary to start with but settle before long. Because a sudden fright can trigger stiffening, calm, unhurried handling keeps unnecessary stress down. The goats are herd animals through and through and do best with at least one companion goat rather than on their own.

They generally get on well with other pets and stock. Their quiet manner has, historically, let farmers run them alongside sheep.

Grooming

• Brush longer-coated animals during the seasonal moult to clear loose hair
• Trim hooves every 6 to 8 weeks, or as growth calls for it
• Check the coat for external parasites during routine handling
• 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 movement
• Allow gentle activity; the breed climbs and jumps less than other goats
• Keep the ground reasonably level and free of hazards, since a startled goat may stiffen and go down

Environment

Myotonic goats need dry, draught-free shelter for shade and cover from rain, wind, and cold, which matters through a typical Kiwi winter. Fencing can be lower and simpler than for more athletic breeds, since these goats rarely try the fence line, though it still needs to keep predators and wandering dogs out. Keep clean water on tap at all times, plus a mineral supplement formulated for goats. Run them with companions, since goats are social animals and stress badly on their own.

The Myotonic goat browses as much as it grazes. The bulk of the diet should be good-quality forage: paddock feed, browse, and grass or legume hay when grazing is short. Goats digest fibre through a four-chambered stomach, so a steady intake of forage keeps the rumen working properly. Grain or concentrate only needs to come in when forage alone cannot cover requirements, such as during late pregnancy, milking, or a growth spurt.

Treats and supplements

Offer a loose goat mineral with copper and selenium levels suited to your region, since goats have particular trace-mineral needs and New Zealand soils vary a good deal in selenium. Keep salt and clean water available at all times. Small amounts of fruit or vegetables make an occasional treat, but they should stay a minor part of the diet so forage intake is not crowded out.

The Myotonic goat is regarded as a hardy, healthy breed with a typical lifespan of 10 to 15 years. The defining myotonia congenita causes no pain and no danger in itself; the affected muscles simply lock briefly and then release. The trait can actually cut down on some injuries, since these goats are less likely to climb and jump into trouble. Routine herd health management covers most other concerns.

Preventive care

• Set a vaccination and drenching programme with a veterinarian
• Trim hooves on a regular cycle and keep bedding dry
• Provide the right loose minerals to prevent deficiency and urinary trouble
• Watch body condition and isolate new or unwell animals, and quarantine any newly bought-in stock as part of good farm biosecurity
• Run faecal egg counts on a routine basis rather than drenching everything as a blanket approach
• In warm, humid spells over late summer and autumn, watch for facial eczema, a fungal-toxin condition that affects goats as well as sheep in parts of New Zealand

Myotonic goats reach sexual maturity inside their first year, though many 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 about 150 days, close to five months.

Litter size usually runs one to three kids, with twins common in mature does. Kids tend to arrive strong and are up on their feet and nursing soon after birth. The myotonia trait is inherited, and kids can show stiffening from an early age, with the response often becoming clearer as they grow.

Does are generally attentive mothers. Kids nurse on the dam's milk and start sampling forage within the first weeks, then are weaned around 8 to 12 weeks depending on the management plan. Provide a clean, dry kidding area and keep an eye on newborns for warmth and for successful nursing.