Fainting goats: myotonic goats explained

The most striking characteristic of the myotonic goat is the condition of myotonia congenita, a condition frequently misunderstood by breeders as well as by folks unfamiliar with the breed. Myotonia congenita is a medical condition that is strictly muscular and causes the muscles to become rigid when the goat is startled, moves suddenly or steps over a low barrier. The condition is due to changes in the ion channels in the muscle cell membranes and has nothing to do with the nervous system. The characteristic stiffening has given rise to a number of names for this breed: fainting, nervous, stiff-leg, wooden-leg, scare and myotonic. The myotonia congenita goes hand in glove with heavy muscling. While not truly a faint, the name "fainter" was long ago chosen by some of the registries to indicate the condition and is a name that has stuck. The unique myotonic breed first enters historical note in the 1880s, when a farm labourer arrived in the middle of Tennessee with four of these goats and a zebu cow in tow. The labourer, Tinsley, worked in the area for few years and then moved on. His employer, Dr Mayberry, purchased the goats and their offspring. This is the beginning of the breed, although the ultimate origin of them is likely to always remain a mystery. They don't appear to have surfaced elsewhere in the world, but certainly must have originated somewhere...read more