A majority of the goats here at Cheshire Moon Farms are Myotonic or fainting goats. We have most of them registered with the MGR, Myotonic Goat Registry, with the exception of Misfire and her kids. We stick to the breed standard, and breed animals that can be used as pet, in the show ring, as well as good breeding stock.

I prefer the faster growing line that will show good solid breed characteristics within the first 6 months. We are very picky about who remains on the farm. You will see a lot of MJ daughters, because not only do they show great breed characteristics but they also produce multiples. We prefer does that produce multiple kids, usually twins or higher, but we do retain 2 does that only produce singles. If the does can raise multiples with no issues, we will retain a daughter or two from that doe.

Myotonic goats, also known as fainting goats, do not actually faint as humans do. They do not lose consciousness.  Instead it is more like a cramping of muscles. The scientific breakdown is the Chloride ion channels in the muscles that cause the muscles to relax get blocked. So when a burst of adrenaline hits the animal goes to run, but that first muscle contraction is unable to be reversed with chloride. That causes the muscle to remain tight and the goat is unable to adjust the muscle to keep its balance and it falls over, or remains stiff but upright. The stiff but upright animals are sometimes able to hop around, doing a sort of penguin walk.

There are 6 official levels of fainters:

Level 1: These animals do not faint or stiffen at all, but carry the gene and will pass it onto their kids

Level 2: These animals will stiffen for a very short period of time, seconds. They recover quickly and it takes a lot to get them to even stiffen.

Level 3: These animals will stiffen completely in their back end. They tend to bounce forward with their stiff back legs and not completely stop moving.

Level 4: These animals will stiffen and usually fall to their knees, but they do not stay down for very long.

Level 5: These animals will fully faint and tip over but it is not as easy to make them faint as a level 6.

Level 6: These animals fully faint and fall over. They are the easiest to get to faint, and the most likely to have issues related to the fainting. I have seen animals that have fainted and rolled down hill. Reba is a prime example of a level 6. It takes very little effort to get her to faint.

If you have any questions about fainters check out the MGR website: https://myotonicgoatregistry.net/ You will also be able to contact breeders in your area if you are interested in purchasing!

We will have kids available in December/January. Please let us know if you have any questions!