About Lookout Mountain Goats
About twenty years ago, atop Lookout Mountain in North Georgia, we sold our cattle and purchased our first goats.
Like most newcomers to goats, we purchased beautiful Boer goats which derived in South Africa in the dry desert areas. As was the experience of most new owners, we watched them develop copious worm loads, forget to care for their offspring, and fail miserably. At the 16th goat burial, we sold the Boer goats at auction.
Next we bought a few Kiko goats at the recommendation of the county agents. They proved to be healthy, but tall and skinny, like the milk goats from which they came. We cross-bred them to improve them and soon sold the herd.
FINALLY, we found the answer—MYOTONIC GOATS (often called Fainting goat), a landrace breed which originated as feral goats in Tennessee in the 1800’s within 50 miles of our house
We purchased the best individuals available, going from Tennessee to Texas to Florida to Missouri, and buying from Dan Parker, Bending Tree Ranch, Onion Creek Ranch, Coyote Creek Ranch, Ravens Rest, Wolf River Ranch , HALR and more. Those names are still in the pedigrees. The first individuals in a herd are the most important.
Our herd now consists of about 23 does, 11 yearlings females, 18 weanling females, 20 yearling bucklings and a few bucks.