WV Farm Bureau Magazine April 2014 | Page 11

The online research eventually led to YouTube and videos of fainting goats. Pure hilarity. I think I would’ve wanted them for the entertainment alone, but they are also smaller than milk goats, seldom challenge fences, and are independent mothers. Weeks later, we purchased “Pan” and “Pittipat”. I mistakenly called them a billy goat and a nanny, but that nomenclature seems to have changed to buck and doe. Long story shortened, we didn’t even know what they were called, but we began raising fainting goats. Our learning curve was steep. Pittipat had a vaginal prolapse. We sprinkled sugar on her and pushed it back in. She had twins during Super Bowl ‘13, “Raven” and “Mr. Tumniss”. Such unmitigated joy – they climbed steps, played king of the concrete block and twisted and skittered and danced into our hearts. Children visited and cuddled the babes, dressed them in sweaters and bonnets. We learned about goat lice, that they are species specific, and we learned the power of lice powder. We learned about disbudding and castrating and that adult bucks stink and are rude. Mostly, we learned about fun. Fainting goats are never boring. Also known as “Tennessee Fainters”, “ Myotonic Goats” or “Stiff-legged Goats”, they have a congenital condition that causes them to become paralyzed when startled. Their legs stiffen and they fall over. They don’t lose consciousness and don’t seem to be in any pain and it’s all over in about ten seconds. Once Pittipat fainted on the bridge across our creek and rolled into the wate ȸ