All about fainting goats, why we test ours and the story of Helmcrest Wooden Legs

Where did Fainting Goats Come From?

History is sketchy at best but most will agree that things date back to  1880’s. Story tellers believe that a man named John Tinsley traveled from place to place. It was believed that he was from Nova Scotia, Canada but no one knows for sure. He was a migrant farm worker. He arrived at a farm in central Tennessee with (4) unusual goats, (1) buck & (3) does plus a sacred cow. The goats would often get stiff and fall over. He stayed at J.M. Porter’s house which was next door to Dr. Mayberry’s farm. Dr. Mayberry was very interested in these goats and offered to purchase them from Tinsley but Tinsley wanted to hang onto them for the time being.  Tinsley stayed in the area for about a year and in that time it was thought that he married a local girl. He decided to move away and he sold the goats to the good doctor for $36. It is rumoured that he left his wife behind but took the sacred cow!

Dr. Mayberry began to breed the goats and discovered that all of the offspring also stiffened up and “fainted”. The doctor realized that he had a new breed on his hands.

The breed soon became known as the Tennessee Fainting Goat as they were becoming well known in Marshall County as well as Giles, Lawrence, Maury and Coffee Counties. They were referred to as the stiff, nervous, scared goat.

This breed is renown for their calm disposition and easier to contain for fencing compared to other breeds.  The original breed were smaller in size weighing somewhere between 50-170 lbs and stood between 17-25” at the shoulder. They came in both short and long coats and a variety of colours.

Sometime in the 1950’s(possible the 1930’s)  the breed was taken into the hill country in Texas. Here they were selected for their meat qualities and selective breeding done to increase their size. Some refer to these bloodlines and the “Texas Line”. In the 1980’s the breed is rediscovered but at this time is considered a rare breed and almost extinct. Some say the conditions in the foothills wandering wild was too tough on the breed subject to the weather,  coyotes,  bob cats, stray dogs etc.

 Diseases We Test For

We do not want to sell you an animal that has a fatal and contagious condition! This is why we maintain a “closed” herd meaning that we don’t allow any animal on the property that has not tested negatively to CL, CAE & Johne’s and we screen our own herd members every 18 months for these conditions. There are 3 very devastating diseases to goats and sheep that can wipe out an entire head and there is not much you can do to stop them. So what are these diseases?

01

CL (CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS)

CL is a chronic infection caused by Cornebacterium pseudotuberculosis bacteria. This contagious disease causes abscesse filled with pus in the lymph nodes of the neck and abdomen. It can also result in abscesses in internal organs.

The bacteria enters via open wounds or the eyes, mouth or nose. Head butting with an infected goat can transfer the infection to another herd member. This disease can also be transmitted to humans!! CL positive goats do NOT respond to antibiotics. There is a vaccine for sheep in Canada but not for goats due to high frequency of adverse reactions such as fever, swelling and abortions. Control and eradication of this disease is extremely difficult. Many people opt to cull (destroy) a sick animal in order to prevent the spread of disease.

02

CAE-CAPRINE ARTHRITIS ENCEPHALITIS

CAE is a contagious viral disease. It is usually spread from doe to kids through the intake of colostrum or milk. The virus can also be spread among adult goats through bodily secretions including blood and fecals. Forms of the disease are arthritis, encephalitis, pneumonia, mastitis and chronic wasting. There is no vaccine for this disease and the only real method to control it within your herd is to cull the diseased animal.

03

JOHNE’S (“YO-KNEES”)

Johne’s (“YO-knees”) is a fatal gastrointestinal disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratubcrculosis (MAP). This is most commonly passed through the manure of infected animals. It is usually shared between adults and kids when the young swallow the organisums via water, milk or feed contaminated by fecals. The symptoms tend to be vague and include weight loss and weakness, parasitsm & dental disease. Usually if one animal is diagnosed with Johne’s the entire herd, even those not showing and signs are also contaminated. There is NO cure for this devastating disease.