Myotonic (Tennessee Fainting)

The history starts in the 1880s, when an itinerant farm laborer named John Tinsley arrived in central Tennessee, reportedly from Nova Scotia, with four unusual stiff goats. His employer, Dr. Mayberry, bought the goats and their offspring off him, and the type spread through the region from there.

In the 1950s some went to the hill country of central Texas and were selected further for meat and size, which is where the Wooden Leg name comes from.

The famous trait is myotonia congenita. When the goat is startled, its muscle cells hold a prolonged contraction. The popular name describes what that looks like rather than what is happening: it is not a faint, and the nervous system is not involved.

The stiffness works like isometric exercise and builds muscle. The Conservancy cites a meat-to-bone ratio of about 4 to 1, against roughly 3 to 1 in other goats.

Almost everything else varies. Adults run 50 to 175 pounds and stand roughly 17 to 25 inches. Coats go from short and smooth to long and shaggy in any color, though black and white was historically favored. Horns range from large and twisted to small and simple, and some animals are polled. The eyes bulge a little; it is part of the look.

Docile is the Conservancy's word, and the breed has a reputation as quiet and trainable.

They are far less inclined to climb a fence and leave than other goats, which is a real advantage to anyone who has tried to contain goats. The myotonia limits climbing and jumping, so fencing that would only amuse another breed holds them.

Meat, first. The does are prolific, twins and triplets are common, and they milk well enough to raise what they bear. Some lines also grow cashmere.

They suit low-input, forage-based systems: they forage actively and resist parasites well.

Less than the standard meat goat. An active forager with parasite resistance needs less drenching and less grain, and modest fencing genuinely holds them.

Do not read the stiffness as sickness. It needs no treatment, and the goats live normal lives with it.

Recovering means the danger has receded, not that the work is done. The Conservancy treats the breed as valuable American genetic diversity, and the FAO still carried it as at risk in 2019.

The names are marketing as much as biology, and they are not interchangeable. The Myotonic Goat Registry records the traditional breed across the US and Canada. Tennessee Meat Goat is a trademarked name for one Texas ranch's selected line, not a synonym for the breed. Ask which registry stands behind the papers.

Expect variation. This breed is rooted in a regional landrace, and horns, coat and degree of muscling differ animal to animal; look at the animal, not just the name.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.