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Owners Tom and Denise Wogatzke,
Herd founded in 2005,
Located 45 minutes north of Los Angeles in Acton California
P.O. Box 403
Acton, CA 93510
(661) 269-2403
(661) 317-7796
Feel free to e-mail us with any questions or to be
put on our waiting list.
bottomsupranch@aol.com
Fainter's make wonderful pets. Unlike Pigmy's,
fainter's are not escape artist. They're very gentle,
they don't butt, they love to go for walks and they
make wonderful companion animals for older
horses and dogs.
The origin of the Fainting goat has been
traced back to the 1880's in Marshall County,
Tennessee. A man by the name of Tinsley came to
town bringing along a few goats and a "sacred"
cow. He stayed long enough to marry a local woman,
and to help a farmer with the harvest. He sold his
goats to a man by the name of R. Goode and then
departed the community. He took the cow with him,
but alas for the poor wife, left her behind.
Today's Fainting goats descended from those few
goats. The goats were used primarily for meat,
although they were also used to protect sheep. With
a Fainting goat in the herd if coyotes or dogs
threatened the sheep, the sheep could run away
while the Fainting goat fell over, providing the
predator with an easy meal while the sheep escaped.
These goats were close to extinction by the 1980's,
but have now been bred back to where they are no
longer endangered.
The name "Fainting" goat is
a bit misleading because they do not actually
faint. They have a genetic problem with relaxing
muscles. When they are startled or surprised
their muscles lock up and the goat then sometimes
falls over. Hence the name "Fainting"
Goat. Older goats are more adept at leaning
against a fence or barn and so they don't exhibit
this trait as much as younger goats. It's kind
of like doing isometric exercises and so these
goats have about 40% more meat than a comparably
sized goat. They are also known in some parts
of the U.S. as "Nervous" goats, and in Texas as "Stiff-legged" goats.
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