Do Rights Fainting Goats - Page 2

DoRight,  I think they are WAYYYY COOL !!!  

I could not help but look at Tex and think "Trophy" status right there though... FORGIVE ME !!! 

that's the sportswoman in me creeping out.... I would LOVE to go to spain and hunt the wild goats they have in the mountains near Barcelona...  Beautiful Trophy animals there,  they usually only allow you take VERY old billy's  12 to 14 yrs. of age,  which is a better end with a swift clean....rather than alternative of starving or falling victim to predation...

Anyway they are REALLY cool,  and if I hear of anyone having any of the females that keep the coat,  I'll be getting ahold of you right away !!   I think it's really neat you wanting to preserve an old line of the original fainters !!

DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON HUNTERS! 

Thanks.  The pasture where I keep them is the part of my property that can easily be seen from the road and we see so many people slowing down (it's a 55 mph road) as they go by, looking at our goats.  One guy stopped and pulled into our driveway wanting to know what kind they are and if I wanted to sell them.  I told him I just got them and they were not for sale.  Then I told him if I ever get a female or two and some kids from them, I would call him.  He just lives down the road.  I am going to put up some better pics without the fence in the way, just as soon as I find them (they are around here somewhere).They look magnificant in person.  But I have to admit, that they have a really dumb look in their eyes.  My buddy Gary is a very religious person (Baptist) and he doesn't like them because he says in the Bible and throughout history, the goat has been compared to and an instrument of the devil.  I know what he is talking about but I don't take it too serious.  I just think that they are goats, nothing more.

I don't know if all goats do this, but my goats pee on themselves, pick it up onto their beards and then rub it onto their hair everywhere they can reach on their body.  (We don't pet them anywhere except on top of the forehead because of that. ).  I wonder what reason nature makes them do that?  Another thing is that they do fight a lot, just like on TV where two rams will back up on their hind legs and ram their heads together.  I am amazed that they don't hurt each other but so far, no cuts or anything.  They only do that if fighting over food that we throw on the ground, so now we feed them by hand, but then they crowd you and can accidently hurt you with their horns because they surround you, up close.  Strangely though, even though they are all males, sometimes they seem to groom each other by rubbing their horns gently together, as if sharpening them, or just keeping them trimmed.  I have also seen them use anothers horns to scratch themselves where they can not reach and the amazzing thing is, the other goat will let them, and it looks like he knows that his horn is being used to scratch and is okay with it.  Very interesting animals to a city slicker (but 100% hillbilly).

I am JEALOUS of you having fainting goats! I have always wanted them. My brother has nubians on his farm, and I have begged for years to get the fainting ones. Years ago I was fortunate enough to meet a "goatman" who had faints. He had several kids and I was able to hold newborns. Since then I have dreamed of a paddock full of fainting goats!

That's pretty cool DoRight.  Hope you find a female.  You could make and sell goat's milk fudge.  I could even take a drive if it's fresh enough!

Do Right,  the Cologn thing is YES indicative to all intact Male goat species wild and domestic...  This activity is more promonate during the times when females are in season....  It's a way of saying to the girls.."I'm a mature boy I'll be your huckleberry"   :-)

It's a NASTY smell to any human nose though.... LOL

Sparrow:  Although I pride myself on being able to do just about anything, if it has to be done, I might balk at milking a goat.

For anyone who wonders.  They do not faint.  Their genetic condition causes their muscles to "tighten up".  Sort of like freezing when they are startled.  They are rated on a scale from 1 to 6, if I remember correctly.  A 1 would not do anything but carry the myopic genes.  A 3 might "freeze" just on the back legs and the front legs would be running and dragging the back legs.  A 6 would have its whole body just "freeze" up and it would topple over with its straight legs sticking up into the air.  There actually are a couple of Registries, like AKC, where the goats get registered like dogs, but also get "rated" on the 1 to 6 scale.

The legend is that goats were cheaper than sheep, so a sheep owner would keep a fainting goat or two in his flock of sheep and if the wild dogs (wolves or whatever) attacked the flock of sheep, the sheep would run away and the goat would faint just long enough (about 6 to 10 seconds) to allow the wild canine to get them instead of the sheep.  This, being cheaper in the long run for the sheep owner.  Sad, if it is true.  I can just imagine the poor thing getting caught and being eaten but he can't fight or run as his muscles are "frozen".  They are still conscience when they "faint".

I have said previously that it sucks in many cases to be dog, but I think that it sucks more to be a fainting goat.

As a side note, wouldn't it be wonderful if GSD's could get tested genetically and rated on a scale, as to whether or not they carried the gene/s for HD or Epilepsy.  A dog can have "good" hips but carry the genes that might produce bad hips, but if they could be genetically tested and found to be a "1" on a scale of 6, with six being a high possibility of passing on bad HD genes and a "1" having a slim to none chance of passing on the bad genes for HD and Epilepsy.  I see that in the future, and don't really think that it is that difficult now, maybe a little expensive.  Although, I think that most GSD's bred from today, might be 3's, give or take 1.

A magazine I receive had a recent article about the fainting goats. Some websites posted for more information and breeders of them are as follows:

www.FallOverFarms.com

www.ahartacres.com

There is even a fainting goat association at www.faintinggoat.com

The article did mention that the genetic disorder known as myotonia congenita even effects dogs, cats, horses and humans as well.

Have fun with your goats.

i like tex the best he has great horns ; we have a large herd of texas longhorns close by and they are my favorite breed of cow (sorry angus). enjoy your "farm" - i envy anyone with "land". i look forward to the day i can have chickens (fresh eggs!) and who knows, maybe a spastic long horn goat or two.

DoFear how kind of you to address my post on the other goat thread.

LOL BTW Do Right, if you're ever interested I think I have a great recipe for "Curried Goat" that I got while I was working on Andros Island in the Bahamas.  It is right up there with my Fish Head Soup recipe, also Bahamian.