Description:
Mini Silkies, who were bred to resemble Silky Terriers, should have long, flowing body coats, bangs, muffs on their faces, beards, and an abundance of body-coating-blending hair on their necks and chests. Coats ought to sparkle in the sunlight and have a high sheen and velvety feel.
Behavior:
Fainting goats are extremely sociable and amiable creatures.
Benefits/Uses:
Mostly bred as a pet and exhibition breed. They don’t hop, which makes them easier to contain within a fence, and they are more resistant to stomach worms. The four-board fence that Orr has is adequate. The miniature goats are good moms and avoid the kidding issues that smaller breeds have because of their middle size.
Origin/History:
The breed was created by Renee Orr of Sol-Orr Farm in Lignum, Virginia. It is a mix between a long-haired Tennessee Fainter and a Nigerian Dwarf goat. When she and her late husband, Steve, started breeding Silkies for their own delight in 1998, she recalls the favourable reaction people received when they first saw the pups.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Mini Silky breed was created by mating long-haired Nigerian Dwarf stock with Tennessee Fainting Goats. Due to the prominent role fainting goats play in their origins, most Mini Silkies have some degree of myotonia, a muscle disorder that makes them stiffen or trip when startled or overexcited. Not all people faint, but they all have the myotonia gene, which will probably manifest itself in coming generations.
Since breeders are more concerned with creating a specific physical look than with fainting ability, Little Silkies are not required to faint. Since myotonic ability varies, the majority of our herd do faint to some extent. We never purposely scare or startle our goats to have them faint, though it is kind of hilarious to see when they do. Furthermore, although we watch their comedic melodrama, they do a pretty good job at surprising or thrilling each other while playing.
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