# How do you transport your goats?



## Ariel301

I'm going to sell my horse trailer because I don't have horses anymore, so it is pretty useless except as a storage container and goat quarantining area. It's just really too much of a hassle to hook it up to pull goats in. So, I need to come up with an alternative way to move my goats--we go to shows, or on hiking trips, or sometimes I have to leave a couple with a sitter if I have to go out of town, or I need to haul bucks for stud service. If it's kids or one or two does, they can go in the back of our little car, but then it's a hassle to clean the car out and get rid of the goaty smell...and there's no way I'm sticking a stinky buck or a horned goat in the backseat of our car! We will be driving on anything from the freeway to one-lane mountain dirt roads, so it needs to be safe at speed, and also sturdy for going down rough roads. 

So, those of you who haul your goats around and don't have horse trailers, how do you do it? I can have the horse trailer sold within a couple of weeks, but I need to figure out what to do after that, especially with the county fair coming up next month.


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## ohiofarmgirl

we have a truck with a cap on it. throw in some straw, add goats, lock the cap and voila.... we're truckin' right along with them goaties!


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## ksalvagno

I do have a trailer but I also put goats in the back of my truck. I have a cap on the truck. However, alpaca people use vans all the time. Just get a cargo van and revamp it for goats. You could also just hose the whole thing down if you get a basic cargo van. Mini vans work too.


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## Shiloh Acres

I have a little homemade multipurpose 4x8 trailer with wood sides and floor. But I'm really liking the truck with cap idea. Sounds great!


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## SDGsoap&dairy

ohiofarmgirl said:
			
		

> we have a truck with a cap on it. throw in some straw, add goats, lock the cap and voila.... we're truckin' right along with them goaties!


Us too.  It works great!


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## aggieterpkatie

We've done several things.  Usually we put them in our truck w/ the cap on it.  The truck is leaking transmission oil at the moment, so recently I've had to use our other vehicles.  I had to take my goat a couple miles down the road, so we borrowed my FIL's truck and I sat in the bed with her and held on to her lead/collar.  We got a few funny looks.     The other day I had to take one ewe to the breeder's so I put her in the back of my Explorer. I also used to transport my sheep in my Jeep (GC, not Wrangler) before I married hubby (because it was the only vehicle I had).  I just lay down a tarp and tape it up on the sides of the vehicle so the entire back of the vehicle is covered.  Sometimes I'll put an old blanket down on top of that then cover with straw, and sometimes I just put straw down on top of the tarp.  If you are careful enough to secure the tarp, your vehicle will be safe from urine/pellets.


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## dbunni

We have a Honda Element (and a big van).  In the element we use a very large wire dog crate (one for the bernese mtn dog).  Straw in crate and an old blanket underneith to soak up any accidents.  In the van we tie them to the wall or block off a section.  I have a friend who has a raised unit that she just slides into the van for the goats.


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## jodief100

If it is just one big or two small goats, I have a large plastic dog crate, the kind they use on planes.  This just barley fits in the back of my Matrix.  Literally, it scrapes against the top of the weather stripping on the back door to get it in.  The plastic sides keep the mess contained.  

If I have several goats to transport I have a truck cap on my Ranger.  I bought it on Craigslist for like $30.  I installed soffit vents on the sides for ventilation, 2 circle vents. I bought them at Lowes.  I have been putting a carpet remnant in the back with a bunch of straw on top but I think I am going to start using a section of field fence for traction.  Someone here suggested it.  If it is really hot, I freeze two buckets of water and put them in the back with them.


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## Roll farms

Now we use a truck with a topper....very easy.  
We've tried other things in the past, and they 'work' but each has pros / cons.

Years ago, a fellow farmer buddy gave us a 'calf box'...a sturdy, home made wooden crate made big enough to haul a calf or 2 in all weather.

My husband, the king of "bigger / stronger is better" revamped it to haul horned sheep and pigs in.  It worked great, but was no longer easy to put in the truck w/ just two people....that became a hassle.  We finally threw it on the burn pile last year....

I bought a huge, and I mean HUGE fiberglass dog crate (solid sides w/ vented windows) at an auction for 10$ several years ago, w/ a very sturdy mesh door.  But...it too is pretty heavy to load in and out of a pick up / jeep / van, etc.  Also not 'warm' enough for cold weather hauling in a pick up...but will work on warm days.  Can fit yearling does in it, but not bucks.

When I have to haul a doe in my jeep (wrangler), I stick an adult diaper on them, tape it to their fur w/ duct tape so it won't slide down, and off we go.  
I got some mighty, MIGHTY funny looks bringing Penny home a few years ago, the 'gathers' in the diaper (so it will stretch) look a lot like ruffles.
That won't work well for a long haul, but for a short trip it'll catch all the berries and if you can get the goat to lie down, they rarely pee while lying down.

Kids I transport in a large rubbermaid tote w/ a blanket / towel in the bottom to absorb any wet stuff.


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## lnm03

I have a minivan and I take out the seats necessary to fit one or two Large dog crates.....one is a pet taxi and the other is a wire crate.  I put a large tarp on the floor of my van going up the sides put the crate(s) in the van put some hay in, my goats just jump into my van and walk into the crates.  When we're done all we have to do is pull out the tarp and no hay is on the floor!  Works great!!

The only thing I have to worry about is I have 2 that like to do this so if theyre out and someone comes to the house they want to get into their car.  My mom (a big time city girl) is afraid of my little nigerians and its so funny to watch her try to get out of the car when my little wether wants to get in her car....


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## jodief100

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Kids I transport in a large rubbermaid tote w/ a blanket / towel in the bottom to absorb any wet stuff.


Do you put a lid on?  How do you keep them in?


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## Dreaming Of Goats

My friend's dad uses his truck....he has 2 posts and a plank attached to the back, and you just tie the goats to it!


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## Roll farms

jodief100 said:
			
		

> Do you put a lid on?  How do you keep them in?


I'm talking less than 2 week old kids, and a really, REALLY large tote.  They can't see over the top of it.

Make sure it's stable / can't tip over, though.


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## dkluzier

We picked up 2 kinder kids in Illinois this Spring and drove home to Pennsylvania with then in the back of my Focus.  Cardboard on bottom, towels and blankets, straw on top.  14 hour trip.  I luv my goats 

When we need to go to the vet we transport them in the back of our Jeep Wrangler with the rear seat removed on blankets and/or towels.


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## cmjust0

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> ohiofarmgirl said:
> 
> 
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> we have a truck with a cap on it. throw in some straw, add goats, lock the cap and voila.... we're truckin' right along with them goaties!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Us too.  It works great!
Click to expand...

x3

We also have a bare-bones '03 Chevy Suburban 2500 series 4x4 w/ a Vortec 6.0L gasoline V8..  Vinyl seats and rubber floors..  Aside from the roof liner, there's no fabric upholstery at all.  As utility vehicles go, it's fantastic.

It came from the Tennessee Valley Authority's fleet, which is why it's as bare-bones as a Suburban gets..  There's actually a little 'cap' on top where it used to have a yellow flashy light.    People pretty routinely ask me "Did this used to be a government vehicle or something?"  It just looks like some kind of "official" vehicle, which is funny, because when you come rolling up behind someone on the interstate they tend to jump over really quick thinking you're a cop or something.  

It "only" had 121K miles on it when we bought it in early '08, but it was pretty beat up on the outside...which was OK, because it was gonna be a farm truck anyway.  

Only paid $6,700 for it..  

The cool part is that because they don't really make that many "cheap" Suburbans, they didn't bother to remove a lot of the "creature comforts"....so everything on the dash is pretty much like a regular Suburban...which means it also has PW/PL/PM, tilt, cruise, and triple-zone climate control, etc.  

...but with an AM/FM radio.  They didn't even spring for an old school cassette tape deck.


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## sammileah

we use the topper and dog crates (have great dane).   buck goes in crate he has horns.   doe just gets tied in  she likes to stick her head through window to get petted.


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## Ariel301

Hmm...I'm probably going to have to look at some sort of trailer. We don't have a truck at the moment, because we can't afford to get another vehicle yet. We borrow my husband's parents' truck when we need it. We could get a camper shell for it, but then it probably would not fit the truck we end up getting down the road...and I'll be needing the capacity to haul around a dozen goats if for some reason I have to get somewhere with all of them. If we're going somewhere around the neighborhood, I put them in the back of the truck and sit back there with them, since we have one doe who unties herself no matter what knots I use...that's not safe on the highway! 

We've gotten some funny looks too with two or three goats in the back seat of a Ford Focus lol. If we have to transport them that way, we try to do it after dark so no one can see!


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## jodief100

Ariel301 said:
			
		

> We could get a camper shell for it, but then it probably would not fit the truck we end up getting down the road...and I'll be needing the capacity to haul around a dozen goats if for some reason I have to get somewhere with all of them.


We got our cap really cheap on Craigslist, it might be worth it even if you only use it for a short time.


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## ksalvagno

If you look around, you could probably find a decent full size van for the same price as a trailer. You could put rubber mats down and even put a raised edge on it so urine stays contained. An alpaca breeder cut rubber about 2" or 3" high and then glued it somehow to the rubber that he laid down on the floor. Has had no problems with urine going anywhere and has had the same van for over 10 years.

Another alpaca breeder friend of mine got a cargo van for $500. It runs great, just has a couple dents in it and a bit rusty but she can just hose the whole thing out if needed.


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## TigerLilly

Ranger with a topper or mini van with airline approved carriers. I have ND's & one pygmy.


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## ThornyRidge

the back of my jeep liberty.. quick trips put a tarp down and keep goat(s) confined to cargo area behind back seat.. longer trips put seat down and bring out xlarge dog crate with some hay/straw in it.. as far as cleaning my jeep has leather seats so that is great.. I also find that after hauling a buck leave windows down for a couple days and voila.. and as far as the other mess after a couple days goat poop pellets become hard and are very easy to vacuum out!  heck I just hauled two bales of hay in the back the other day.. a good vacuum and looks good as new!  who knows what you may find in the back of my jeep.. but it gives a good excuse to not drive a bunch of coworkers around at lunch!


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## mully

I use a cage made by Bill Goat Gruff  Tractor supply sells them ....about $350 and you can put in in the back of a pickup, van or trailer. Works so well and also doubles as a small ares to contain a goat for a day or so. It is about 4x4x4 with a sliding door.


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## Jupiter

Will an adult oberhasli doe fit in a giant dog crate? It's 48" long, 32" wide, 35" high. Or are they just for nigerian dwarf/pygmy sized goats?

I'm bringing mine home a week from tomorrow


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## peachick

As a dog show person  I shopped around to find a mini van that could handle 2 large dog crates side by side in the back.  mini vans are a lot more comfortable than a cargo type van.  I have a Chevy Cavalier.....  if you take out all the back seats you can put 4 large size dog crates in it.  I treat my mini van like a truck....  and keep a plastic tarp under the crates to protect the carpet...  although  I really dont worry much about keeping it clean.  I have a shop vac and a kid for that .   lol 
I prefer the mini van over the truck because  the truck bed is taller and harder to lift things in it by myself.


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## cmjust0




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## ksalvagno




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## Calliopia

I use a minivan with the seats taken out.  After moving several sets of goats, some chickens, a pair of pigs, and a few dead deer......  well, that carpeting is never coming clean.  

Our plan this spring is to rip out the floor and put in a spray in liner so I can just hose the beast out after a transport.  (I have the only van amongst 4 of us that have goats so guess who makes the vet trips)


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## bbredmom

We bought an 1981 Dodge Ram Van b250 for $800 for the sole purpose of moving the goats. We ripped out the carpet and the plywood so we have the metal floor, and are thinking of drilling a few holes for drainage. 

The goats are happy because they are enclosed and have A/C, and I'm happy because I can access them no problem.


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## Jupiter

Jupiter said:
			
		

> Will an adult oberhasli doe fit in a giant dog crate? It's 48" long, 32" wide, 35" high. Or are they just for nigerian dwarf/pygmy sized goats?
> 
> I'm bringing mine home a week from tomorrow


Yup, they did!  Picked up Pandora on Saturday, she is a petite girl and fit with room to spare. She had no problem for the 5 hour trip with an hour break in the middle. Picked up Cecily yesteday(she is much bigger), and she could turn around/stand easily, but I was glad her trip was only 35 minutes.  Woohoo. Our minivan with the seats that fold into the floor has been the most versatile car we've ever had.


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