Weird noise?

[norcal]

I have a couple wethers that are young (5 months).
One was making a weird noise. It kind of sounded like that snort they do, but was lower sounding and less like he was trying to blow something out of his nose.

Anyhow, he repeatedly did it. Then I noticed there was a strange cat in their paddock. I scared it off, and then noticed the goat was still spooking at a piece of black plastic that was flapping in the wind (I moved it).

Was this noise possibly a warning sign? A protection thing? Something to scare off the "predator"??

Sorry if this is a weird question...

 

[lilhill]

If something disturbs them, they give that quick little snort. It could be anything that they aren't used to seeing or startles them or they are afraid of. When mine do that, my LGD comes running, ready to chase it off, what IT is.

 

[lupinfarm]

Mine do it when the cats are around, they aren't real fans of Spots and Smokey because they sit on the fence rails and stare them down LOL.

The horse doesn't much enjoy the cats either.

 

[cmjust0]

Sounds like a warning snort. Warning the other goats to possible danger, I mean...not warning the cat.

Whitetail deer will also do it if you spook one, but they really put a lot of wind behind it so it comes out like a sharp, fairly high pitched, almost whistling kind of a sound.. Hunters call it a "blow," and if you hear it close and see one running....well, you're pretty much hosed for the next little bit since all the other deer within quite a distance likely heard it, too, and are now aware that there's a flaw in the slaw in the general area of wherever you've set up..

There's this ONE FRICKEN DOE on my place that's got a chronic case of the blows.. Cricket chirps -- she blows. Squirrel barks -- she blows. Leaves rustle -- she blows.. And, as she's blowing, she's practically running laps around my woodlot.

I'm sure this sounds mean, but I kinda hope she's the first to go in my freezer this year... She hosed me again just this past Saturday..

 

[lilhill]

Sorry.

 

[norcal]

Thanks guys!
I haven't heard it since the cat & the black plastic were removed from their field (paddock, what do you call it?).

So, I'm guessing it's not a cold coming on....

 

[cmjust0]

Sorry.

Yeah, yeah...yuck it up...

I had a little young doe walk within just a few yards of me this past Saturday.. I'm ground level, no camo, sitting in a fricken solid dark blue coleman camping chair and this little doe just wandered around right in front of me.. She knew I was something...she just didn't know what.

Too small to take -- 100lbs, give or take -- so I just held still watched her prance around..

Anyway, she stopped and started staring behind me.. Bobbing up and down, pawing, etc.. I can't turn to look or I'll spook her, so I have no way of knowing what she's looking at.

Next thing I know, I hear old blow hard snorting her brains out and crashing through the brush right behind me...spooks the doe in front of me, and here they all go running through the brush and leaves making just a horrendous racket, and old snort face is blowing every time her hooves hit the ground.. She went off behind the next hill, stopped, blew for probably the next five minutes.

I dunno if deer are prone to panic attacks or anything, but I think I may have to set out a diazepam salt lick or something to ease her up.

 

[lilhill]

At least now you know she's going to snitch on you.

 

[cmjust0]

Yeah...wanna guess what we do with snitches 'round these here parts?

 

[sred98]

My male pygmy buck will actually blow raspberries with his tongue out. Usually if he's excited or mad. It still cracks me up when he does it.

Shelly