Screaming Goats #1: The Many Voices of Goats
In the video below, “Funny Goats Screaming like Humans,” you’ll witness the many different voices of goats. Strangely enough, they sound almost like human beings! As their owners chuckle in the background, take video, and spur them on, these goats let the world know what they’re thinking. The video features everything from a high-pitched feminine scream to a warbling holler to a low-pitched “yeah.”
Screaming Goats #2: An Argument You Can’t Win
Our second video became an instant internet classic when it was posted in 2010. Entitled “Man argues with spitting goat,” it features a man questioning his goat in Spanish while the goat appears to scream back. At the start of the video, the man taps his goat to get its attention. When the goat finally raises its head to engage with its owner, it looks ready to do business. With its scruffy, floppy hair, massive curled horns, and bullish mouth, it’s every inch the irate customer! Nor is that impression misleading. What follows is about a minute and a half of emphatic Spanish laced with goat yelling. The goat even goes so far as to spit multiple times on its owner, as if it’s so angry that mere hollering won’t do the trick. Though the man seems earnest in figuring out his goat’s political opinions, the debate appears to come to an end without a satisfactory resolution.
Why Do Goats Spit?
As with the yelling, goats spit for several reasons. First, it can be a mating ploy to attract females in heat. Females may even spit back at potential suitors to express their interest. For this reason, spitting typically increases during the breeding season, usually September through February. However, goats may also spit as part of their eating routine. Goats are ruminants, which means at some point, they throw up what they eat and re-ingest it. This is to aid in the breakdown of hard-to-digest plant matter like grass. Spitting may just be another part of the process. The tree-climbing goats of Morocco, which have been trained by farmers to climb argan trees, may spit out seeds after eating fruit. This disperses the seeds and increases the likelihood of new trees taking root. Besides all this, do goats also spit when they’re angry? Yes, they do! If they feel anger or frustration toward another member of the herd or a human, they may resort to spitting in their direction, as seen in the above video.
Screaming Goats #3: The Littlest Scream
As if adult screaming goats weren’t funny enough, watch the video below, “Screaming With Cute Baby Goats!!!” In this post, a baby goat squeaks like a human child at the top of its tiny lungs. Its high-pitched shriek is unbelievably cute and heart-rending. At 4:10, the owner holds up a newborn Nigerian dwarf goat, a triplet, and listens to it as it screams for its mother. As he talks about the different goats on his farm, the baby goat bleats continuously in his hands. After a couple of minutes, he puts the goat down and allows it to find its family. As the owner explains, baby goats usually scream because they want to be fed or because they’ve become separated from their mothers. In the case of the triplet, it takes turns feeding with the other two kids because female goats only have two nipples. Keep watching the video for more adorable footage of tiny baby goats.
Why Do Goats Scream?
Different goats scream for different reasons. Pregnant goats, for example, can be very noisy, especially as the time for birth draws near. Similarly, male and female goats in heat tend to make more noise than they do at other times. Females yell to get dominant males’ attention, while males vocalize their desire to get closer to the females if separated. Mothers and kids who have become separated will loudly call out in distress or to locate each other. Of course, the cause of the screaming could be something simpler. A goat could just be hungry or bored, begging for food or attention. Or it could be in pain. If a goat begins vocalizing for no apparent reason and it continues or worsens, there could be serious issues at play. It never hurts to get a vet’s opinion on the matter.
Screaming Goat Breeds
All goat breeds produce individuals capable of screaming. Every goat’s voice is different, which means not every goat will make this noise, but many are born with the natural ability. Nubian goats, in particular, are renowned as a noisy breed. On the other hand, Boer goats are quieter and calmer. It pays to check a goat’s history before purchase. If you find noisy goats undesirable for whatever reason, it’s better to know in advance whether or not your chosen breed is likely to vocalize excessively. Interestingly, goats aren’t the only animals to scream. Foxes and mountain lions, for example, will occasionally let out a piercing shriek.
How Do I Stop My Goat From Screaming?
If a goat wants to scream, it will scream. Goats don’t have to be in distress to make a lot of noise, so just making sure they’re healthy and well-fed isn’t necessarily the answer. In fact, goats often scream from the sheer excitement of seeing their food or owner on the way. If the screaming is related to mating or herd communication, it’s a good idea to just let it run its course. Goats are extremely social animals and have a variety of ways to send each other a message. However, goats sometimes just scream for attention. If this is the case, it’s possible to deter your goat from making undue noise by refusing to come running every time they call. Constant capitulation to a screaming goat will reinforce the idea that the hollering works. As long as you’re sure they’re not in some kind of trouble, you don’t have to be at the beck and call of every yell. Despite the racket – or rather because of it – screaming goats are indisputably funny. The next time you hear someone yelling nearby, check it out – it just might be a goat!
