# Myotonic goat kids



## Kitsara (Apr 14, 2013)

For those that have raised myotonic goats, I have a question. When do new kids typically start showing signs of myotonia, or how can you be sure that the awkwardness comes from myotonia or is just normal getting their 'sea-legs' behavior.

I've two kids 5 days and 1 day old, their sire is myotonic while their dams are not.


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## Mamaboid (Apr 15, 2013)

All goats are different.  I have several full blooded kids, some started 'fainting' at 3 days old, some don't ever go all the way down, they just kinda freeze up.  It has been my experience that only my full blooded kids ever faint.  I have several 50% and a 62.5% kids, and none of them faint at all or even freeze.  In my research, I have seen some people say that crosses will faint, but have never seen it myself.  My full bloods all do to some extent, but none of the crosses even hint at it.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Apr 15, 2013)

Mamaboid said:
			
		

> All goats are different.  I have several full blooded kids, some started 'fainting' at 3 days old, some don't ever go all the way down, they just kinda freeze up.  It has been my experience that only my full blooded kids ever faint.  I have several 50% and a 62.5% kids, and none of them faint at all or even freeze.  In my research, I have seen some people say that crosses will faint, but have never seen it myself.  My full bloods all do to some extent, but none of the crosses even hint at it.


That's not surprising that your crosses don't stiffen up. The Myotonia is gone after the first cross most of the time. Its rare they still stiffen up after the first cross.


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## Riverside Fainters (Apr 15, 2013)

I have three Myotonic goats.. Isabell and her twin bucklings Finch and Reese.. Isabell is three years old and she will stiffen up.. I have only seen her go "down" once. As for the boys who are 2 weeks old tomorrow.. I have not seen then stiffen up or go "down", then again... I have not tried to startle them or anything..

I forgot got to add that they are all Registered Fainting goats..


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## treeclimber233 (Apr 16, 2013)

I have a friend that has these goats.  She wants to put up an electric fence to expand her pasture but is afraid they might "freeze" if they get shocked and get stuck on the fence getting shocked over and over.  Any one used electric fence with this type of goat?


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## Kitsara (Apr 16, 2013)

Thanks for the responses, still learning a lot of the genetic factors involved with goats. 

I too would be interested in hearing about the hazards of electric fences and fainters.  Been trying to think of ways to keep my buck from trying to smash the fences so he can walk over them.


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## Mamaboid (May 8, 2013)

We have fainters, but they have never tried any of our fences.  We don't use electric, so I cannot answer your questions in that regard.  Our bucks don't ever bother to try the fences at all.  Now, the Nubian and Mini Nub...........whole other discussion.


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## Kitsara (Jun 4, 2013)

Well, my little boy has been fainting pretty regularly now. Poor guy, he stiffens up a lot more readily than his sire does. Our doeling has only shown a faint sign of stiffening, and even then I'm not sure that's what it really was. So, I've read that it's a recessive gene, which makes it even more interesting that he does faint. Which means that my doe carries it I would figure.


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## Rocco (Jun 26, 2013)

Greetings all.

Regarding how soon do you see clear signs of myotonia...we have noted it by about 2 weeks many times. To me, kids seem to have a more intermittent myotonia. Some times they can run and jump as well as any of my Boer kids. Other times they are stiff as a board and...just....can't...get....going. But, by two weeks you should see some clear signs.

And on electric fencing and goats, we recently plowed and replanted a portion of a pasture to reestablish some grasses (after years of drought and compaction). So, I put an electric net fence around it to keep the goats off. We stayed out with them for a while until they figured it out. Most had to learn the hard way, but all survived. A few fainted after hitting it and jumping back. The only problem we had was a Myotonic X Boer kid. She hit it and rather than jumping back like the rest had done, she jumped forward into the fence (it is a 10/42/12 electric net). She made it through, but it made me rethink the connections, and I put in a cut-out switch that was easily accessible if needed. 8000 volts....ouch.

A big Myotonic breeder in my area has an electric fence across the front of his property. It is a single strand. He says they don't even challenge it, and he isn't sure if it even is working. After seeing the fear this fence put into our herd I can see that after a little training electric fencing isn't a bad idea for goats.

It did take (at least) four touches for one of our Boers to learn cause and effect...LOL.


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## Thomas Kilpatrick (Jan 9, 2014)

I have my fainters in an electric fence that is relatively weak.  It is not challenged by my fainters at all but my crosses are not bothered by it at all.


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## Kitsara (Jan 12, 2014)

Well, the goats do pretty much leave the electric fence alone. They really don't like being zapped. That's for sure.

As far as Myotonia, I've managed more research and have found that it can be recessive or dominant. Depending on the mutation. Though the more I read, it seems that goats tend to have the dominant form. Now that my buck has six kids to his name now, I'm thinking he is homozygous for the gene. So far, 5 out of 6 are showing signs. Still waiting on the bottle baby to show signs. Course, he's only 3 1/2 weeks so it could still be early.


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