Fainting goats, or myotonic goats originally came from Tennessee. A Nova Scotian, John Tinsley, brought a few with him when he came to Tennessee looking for work, he then suddenly dissapeared, leaving his animals behind. All the myotonic goats around today are decendants of these few animals. There are now more than 5000 fainting goats in the United States and Canada. The goats have a condition called Myotonia Congenita, which causes their muscles to stiffen for a few seconds when the goat is startled or excited. If they happen to be moving at the time, they'll fall over and appear to faint. They are of course still aware of what is going on and are unharmed. A few seconds later, the muscles relax and they are able to move again. This flexing and relaxing of the muscles makes this breed of goat excellent for meat and of course for the novelty. Due to the Myotonia, it makes it difficult for them to climb fences or do much jumping, making them much easier to keep fenced in. Fainting goats are very resiliant against most goat diseases and parasites. They also tend to have easy births, usually not requiring human intervention. Coat colors include black, white, brown, tan and everything in between. Blue or brown eyes are the norm. Fainting goats are usually medium sized, however some breeders are trying to breed a smaller or mini variety. Some also have long hair, which can be used like cashmere.