Myotonic goat
The Myotonic is the Tennessee fainting goat: a stocky, heavily muscled American landrace whose muscles lock up for a few seconds when it is startled. It is not a true faint. The same condition builds muscle, so the breed is kept for meat as well as for pets. Size varies a lot, with does from about 50 lb in pet lines to 130 lb in meat lines. It climbs and jumps less than other goats, which makes it easier to fence.
- Temperament
- Quiet, Good-natured, Alert
- Cold tolerance
- Heat tolerance
Is the Myotonic right for you?
Good fit if
- You want a goat that stays in. The stiffness limits climbing and jumping, so it is easier to contain than other breeds
- You want meat from pasture and browse. The meat-to-bone ratio is about 4 to 1, against about 3 to 1 in other breeds
- You want a quiet goat. The registry calls the breed much quieter than many others
- You want to help keep an American heritage breed going
Poor fit if
- You want milk. It is not a dairy breed
- You want fast growth. The registry calls it a relatively slow-growing breed
- You need a goat of a predictable size. Does range from about 50 lb to 130 lb depending on the line
Appearance and varieties
A Myotonic is stocky, with obvious width for its height: the body is wide, full and deep, and the muscling is heavier than on other goats of the same size. Tennessee bloodlines tend to be lower and broader; Texas bloodlines are taller and a little less blocky.
The head is the best guide to the breed. The eye sockets are prominent, which some breeders call bug-eyed, there is an obvious stop at the level of the eyes, and the profile is usually straight. The ears are medium-sized and held out to the side or a little forward, often with a ripple halfway along.
Coats run from very short and smooth to long and shaggy, but the hair is always straight and never forms ringlets like an Angora's. Any colour is correct. Most goats are horned and some are polled.
Size varies more than in a standardised breed. Does run from about 50 lb in the pet lines to 130 lb in the meat lines, and bucks from 80 lb to 175 lb.12
Temperament and handling
The registry describes Myotonics as alert, good-natured and generally quiet, much quieter than many other breeds. The Livestock Conservancy says does are quiet, good mothers.
The stiffness comes from myotonia congenita, an inherited condition in which the muscles stay contracted for a moment when the goat is startled. It is not a true faint and has nothing to do with the nervous system. How stiff a goat gets varies: some lock up readily and others only rarely. The registry warns against breeding for extreme stiffness, which gets in the way of the goat using its surroundings.12
Animals vary within a breed. Treat this as what to expect, not a promise, and meet the animal before you buy if you can.
Production numbers
What our sources report for the breed. If two sources disagree, you see the full range.
| Measure | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meat-to-bone ratio | About 4 to 12 | Against about 3 to 1 in other breeds, from studies at Virginia State University cited by the Livestock Conservancy. |
| Kids | Twins or triplets for does over two years old12 | First kiddings are commonly singles. Four or five kids are rare and may need extra feeding. |
| Breeding season | Uneven; ideally year-round1211 | The Livestock Conservancy says does may breed out of season and some kid every six months. Oklahoma State's older description calls the breed seasonal. |
| Growth | Slow to moderate1 | Meat breeders are selecting for faster growth. |
Housing, feed and health
Housing
For meat goats on pasture Penn State suggests an open shed with 10 to 12 sq ft per doe as shelter in very hot or cold weather. Cornell's minimum is 12 to 15 sq ft of shed floor per doe when she also has a yard, and at least 25 sq ft of pen per goat.
Goats need tight fencing. Penn State recommends five or six strands of high-tensile wire with some electrified, or woven wire with an electric strand inside, and warns that horns can get caught in fencing. Myotonics are easier on fences than most goats: the Livestock Conservancy says the myotonia limits their climbing and jumping.
The shelter should be dry, well ventilated and free of drafts. A three-sided shed open to the south is enough in many places.5942
Feed
The breed was shaped by low-input, forage-based farming, and the registry says the diet should be forage based, with concentrate feed mostly kept to winter. The Livestock Conservancy calls Myotonics active foragers.
Penn State's advice for goats in general is that hay, pasture and browse should make up most of the diet, with a goat mineral mix on offer because forage rarely has enough minerals. Most products made for sheep do not contain enough copper for goats.1210
Health
Both the registry and the Livestock Conservancy describe the breed as parasite resistant, the Conservancy as reasonably so. That is a help, not a guarantee: Penn State calls internal parasites the most important health issue for goat keepers, and rotating pasture is part of its prevention advice.
The registry cautions against the extremes. Very small, dwarf-like goats are likely to have health problems, and extremely blocky goats can have difficult kiddings and poor mobility.
This is a starting point, not veterinary advice. Work with a vet who treats goats, or ask your county extension office.125
Price and where to buy
Creekside's page was last updated on 4 January 2025 and prices kids at $350–650 by coat pattern, eye colour, sex and horn status. Acres of Fun's price page, which refers to the 2025 market, starts kids at $175, asks $300–400 or more for breeding-quality does and bucks and $500–600 or more for moonspotted kids.
Where to look
Start with a breeder you can visit. Nobody pays to be on this list.
| Seller or directory | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Myotonic Goat Registry breeder directory | Directory | The registry's member breeders |
| Creekside Farm, Bennett, North Carolina | Breeder | Kids $350–650; $100 deposit |
| Acres of Fun Fainters, Minnesota | Breeder | Kids usually for sale in February and March |
Similar breeds
History
The breed traces to the 1880s, when a farm labourer named John Tinsley arrived in central Tennessee, reputedly from Nova Scotia, with four unusually stiff goats. His employer, Dr Mayberry, bought them and their offspring. Farmers came to value the type because it stayed inside fences, was muscular and bred well.
In the 1950s some were taken to the hill country of central Texas and selected for meat and larger size; these became known as Wooden Leg goats. Both branches were rediscovered in the late 1980s. Some breeders then selected for meat traits and others for small size and extreme stiffness as a novelty.
The Livestock Conservancy now lists the breed as Recovering. It warns that using too many purebred does for crossbreeding could threaten the breed.28
Common questions
Do fainting goats really faint?
No. They have myotonia congenita, a condition in which the muscles stay contracted for a moment when the goat is startled. It is a muscle reaction, not a true faint, and has nothing to do with the nervous system.2
How big do Myotonic goats get?
It depends on the line. The registry puts pet-type does at 50 lb or more and meat-type does at 80 to 130 lb; bucks run from 80 lb to about 175 lb. Small pet animals can be as short as 17 in at the withers.1
What are fainting goats used for?
Meat and pets. The myotonia builds muscle, and the Livestock Conservancy reports a meat-to-bone ratio of about 4 to 1 against about 3 to 1 in other breeds. Smaller goats are sold as companion animals.12
How much does a fainting goat cost?
On the two breeder pages we checked, kids ran from $175 to $650. One breeder prices by coat pattern, eye colour, sex and horn status; the other asks more for breeding-quality does and bucks and for moonspotted kids.67
Are Myotonic goats good for beginners?
They are one of the easier goats to start with. The Livestock Conservancy says they are easier to contain than other breeds, reasonably parasite resistant and suited to low-input, forage-based keeping, and the registry calls them good-natured and quiet.21
What colours do Myotonic goats come in?
Any. The registry accepts all colours, patterns and markings and prefers none. Black and white is very common because early Tennessee breeders favoured it.12
Where do fainting goats come from?
Tennessee. The breed traces to four stiff goats that a farm labourer named John Tinsley brought to central Tennessee in the 1880s, reputedly from Nova Scotia.2
Does every goat that faints count as a Myotonic?
No. Crossbred goats can show myotonia too. The registry describes the breed by a set of traits, including head shape, stocky build and muscling, and says the breed is more than the stiffness.1
Sources
The small numbers beside each fact point to one of these.
- Myotonic Goat Registry, Breed Description.
- The Livestock Conservancy, Myotonic or Tennessee Fainting Goat.
- BreedBarn, Editorial rating, method on the editorial policy page.
- Purdue University Department of Animal Sciences, Housing for Dairy Goats.
- Penn State Extension, Meat Goat Production.
- Creekside Farm, Kids for Sale.
- Acres of Fun Fainters, Prices.
- The Livestock Conservancy, Conservation Priority List.
- Cornell University, New York State 4-H, Goat Fact Sheets: Goat Facilities.
- Penn State Extension, Dairy Goat Production.
- Oklahoma State University, Breeds of Livestock: Myotonic (Wooden Leg) Goats (archived copy).
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