Golden Acres Ranch

Oh, let me tell you about my wonderful goats! These heritage goats are being raised here at Golden Acres Ranch for breeding stock, pets and meat. They are technically in the meat goat category and we are trying to raise awareness about their nutritional value and good taste. 

They are called "Fainting Goats" because they stiffen up when startled and sometimes fall over. This is due to what's known as a myotonic gene, which is also what makes their meat so tasty. The medical term for this condition is myotonia congenita, which, from the Latin means 'muscle tone that is inherited.' This trait also makes them great pets since they can't afford to be aggressive like their other goat cousins.

My original breeding does were born in 2001/2002. They came to the farm at eight weeks of age and grew into beautiful young does ready to breed in late fall.

I purchased Hercules and Zeus when they were about six months old. These two bucks were our sires for several years then went off to live on other farms in Tennessee and Florida. The active sires this last year were Prince Valiant and Celtic, and we now have Lone Ranger, an offspring of Hercules, who 'came of age' in 2008.

As with any livestock, there are sometimes just too many young bucks. We do castrate several young bucklings after each kidding and they make the greatest pets. The wethers (castrated bucks) can still be registered and used in shows. We've sold several to youngsters for 4-H projects.