Goat got stuck in a flue during an estate sweep outside Nashville

I was clearing out a 1920s farmhouse chimney last Tuesday and a goat wandered into the house through an open door, then somehow jumped onto the hearth and wedged itself halfway up the flue. It took me, the owner, and two neighbors about 45 minutes to coax it out with corn and a rope, and now I check every damper before I start brushing. Has anyone else had to deal with animals getting into a chimney system, and did it mess with your tools or your sanity more?

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craig.sage24d ago

Did you check if the goat had a buddy waiting outside? I read somewhere that goats are herd animals and will do some seriously dumb stuff if they think they're alone. That chimney thing sounds like a nightmare, but at least you got it out before it got fully stuck. A buddy of mine had a raccoon set up shop in his flue once, and it chewed through his brush cables before they even got it out. Took him a week to get the smell out of the house, and he had to replace half the damper assembly because the thing bent it trying to escape. Your sanity is probably shot, but at least your tools didn't get destroyed like his did.