Fainting Goat Facts
Information about the breed
Historical Documentation & Articles About the Breed
The Journal of Heredity June 1930
Providence County Times December 20,1929
Sensitive Breed of Goats
The following is another article that you can view by clicking on the link below.
This article was written by R.J. Goode. The terms Fainting, nervous and Stiff-legged are used to describe this breed. They talk about the goats being unable to jump. Makes you wonder why some so-called Fainting Goats can jump. A true Fainting goat shouldn't be able to jump. I have seen goats that are Myotonic goats jump and run and never stiffen making them harder to contain and to catch. One reason the Fainting goats became so popular was their ease of containment! These "so called" animals can't be true Fainting Goats. The article refers to them fainting and says "this strange phenomenon is seen in ALL of their offspring in the pure-breed goats without exception! So a Fainting goat WILL Faint if it is pure and has not been breed away from the Fainting goat standard that was set so long ago. Some breeders have tried to deny this fact and state that there are different levels. I do believe that there are different levels; however, ALL levels should either, faint or at least stiffen if they are true Fainting goat. One registry for the Myotonic goats believes that if they show other characteristics without any sign of Faint-Ability; it is acceptable. That is fine for Myotonic goats but NOT for Fainting goats.
Wikipedia
Fainting Goats according to Wikipedia
"Slightly smaller than standard breeds of the goat, fainting goats are generally 43 to 64 cm (17 to 25 in) tall and can weigh anywhere from 27 to 79 kg (60 to 174 lb). Males, or bucks, as they are often referred to can be as heavy as 200 pounds.[1] They have large, prominent eyes in high sockets. Their hair can be short or long, with certain individuals producing a great deal of cashmere during colder months. There appears to be no angora strain of the fainting goat. Common coat colors are black and white; however, most possible coat colors are found in this breed ".
This is some of the documentation that shows them to be 17-25" in height; however, today many are claiming they are bigger. Some now have bred them to the point of being over 30". This is not original according to the old documention. This is what we call breeding away from the standard! Note:This is selective breeding to accomplish what the breeder wants. It is NOT maintaining the standard!
"Slightly smaller than standard breeds of the goat, fainting goats are generally 43 to 64 cm (17 to 25 in) tall and can weigh anywhere from 27 to 79 kg (60 to 174 lb). Males, or bucks, as they are often referred to can be as heavy as 200 pounds.[1] They have large, prominent eyes in high sockets. Their hair can be short or long, with certain individuals producing a great deal of cashmere during colder months. There appears to be no angora strain of the fainting goat. Common coat colors are black and white; however, most possible coat colors are found in this breed ".
This is some of the documentation that shows them to be 17-25" in height; however, today many are claiming they are bigger. Some now have bred them to the point of being over 30". This is not original according to the old documention. This is what we call breeding away from the standard! Note:This is selective breeding to accomplish what the breeder wants. It is NOT maintaining the standard!
American Livestock Conservancy
They state that "During the 1950s, some Tennessee Fainting goats were taken to the hill country of central Texas. They were further selected for meat qualities, including larger size, and came to be known as "Wooden Leg" goats emphasizing the meat qualities of the animals and selecting for growth rate, conformation, and reproductive efficiency."
Comment:
This is where the change started and it continues today as more breeders breed for bigger meatier goats. This is what selective breeding can do when breeders breed away from the standard.
Another thing that is surprising to me is that so many people state they want to preserve the breed, however, they are not members of the ALC? Just found this kinda odd.
Goat And Sheep Medicine By David G. Pugh D.V.M.
" Myotonia Congenita is a heritable condition of goats in which the animal experiences tetanic muscle contractions when startled. Occasionally the contraction is severe enough that the goat collapses to the ground. This phenomenon has led to affected animals being referred to as Fainting Goats".
This medical book was written in 2002 and if you notice they refer to the goats again as Fainting goats with a condition known as Myotonia. This is a great reference book that is easy to understand.
This book can be found on Amazon and many other places.
The Democratic Reporter Feb 1, 1945
In 1945 a letter was written from Dr. H.H. Mayberry to Mr. Goode. The letter talks about the Dr. purchasing his Fainting goats from Tinsley. He states he purchased 3 nanny goats and 1 billy. The letter is later republished by the Late Joel D. Jones in November of 2007.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tyIlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2BQGAAAAIBAJ&pg=2916%2C2369730
Waycross Journal-Herald April 1, 1935
Once again a Fainting goat should Faint!!. That is made very plain in almost every article that I read!
The Boham Daily Favorites Feb 14,1965 By Aubrey McAlister
The following article is about Nervous goats at a children's summer camp. The camp was called Camp Conestoga. The Blufords owned and operated the camp. The article only refers to the goats as Nervous goats. Again the name is not Myotonics. There were NEVER called Myotonics until recently.
Kentucky Era Dec 13, 1974
Bonnie Lackey recalls the Fainting Goats. She states that she remembers seeing them at the Altsheler farm many times but the dates are not clear. She states that they were allegedly afflicted with a rare malady akin to myotonia in humans that causes them to freeze when surprised or frightened. She stated that it only last a few seconds, but Joe Altsheler could just pop out and say boo and they would faint! Comment: A true Fainting goat once again we see will faint.
Joe Altsheler also remembers the goats. He refers to them as Nervous goats. He states that around 1940 he shipped them from Tennessee. He remembers 4 white nannies. He talks about owning other goats too and these Nervous goats were sometimes crossbred. Sometimes the kids fainted and sometimes they did no when they were crossed. The same is true today; a crossbred may have some faint-ability and in the past because of this they were registered. It takes MORE than the faint-ability to make a goat a true Fainting goat!
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dekrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0AUGAAAAIBAJ&pg=901,5107098&dq=nervous+goats&
Segen's Medical Dictionary
Fainting Goats
A breed of domestic goats which carries the gene for myotonia congenita which causes its muscles to stiffen for 5–10 seconds when startled, which often causes them to fall over (’faint’); they are otherwise completely normal.
Comment:This medical resource again only refers to the breed as Fainting Goats with a condition called myotonia congenita.