# Sort of an emergency.  Transporting pregnant pygmys



## jimdanforth (Aug 25, 2010)

I am buying 5 very pregnant pygmies.  In fact the owner lost one the other day during delivery due to extreme heat we had last week.
Owner is recently disabled, and needs to sell them pronto.  I need to transport them about 75 miles.
I would make multiple trips, but 150 round trip adds up quick.
Any special considerations?  I would rather wait until they kid, but that's not an option due to seller's condition.


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## jimdanforth (Aug 25, 2010)

I should add, heat was 104 last week, and 84 this week. So I'm not as worried about heat during transport as general stress.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 25, 2010)

How are you going to transport them?  Just drive easy, no sudden turns/stops/starts/etc.  Make sure they don't go off feed or water.  Probably wouldn't hurt to give them a litte Probios either.


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## jimdanforth (Aug 25, 2010)

We're discussing that now.  I have a flatbed trailer that I can put 2 cages on.  Big enough for 2 does to be comfortable in each cage.  My pickup has a toolbox/shell that could carry the other.  I'm thinking the more rotund would be best in the truck, as the trailer would have a sitffer suspension.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 25, 2010)

jimdanforth said:
			
		

> We're discussing that now.  I have a flatbed trailer that I can put 2 cages on.  Big enough for 2 does to be comfortable in each cage.  My pickup has a toolbox/shell that could carry the other.  I'm thinking the more rotund would be best in the truck, as the trailer would have a sitffer suspension.


Just take it easy on the trip and they should do fine.  Most goats handle transport ok, especially if you're being easy with the driving.   

Let us know how it goes and when they kid!


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## cmjust0 (Aug 25, 2010)

I got three full-sized adult boer-cross does in the back of a short-bed pickup with a camper shell on it with plenty of room to spare.  They weren't bred, but...well, fetuses (fetii?) don't take up much room anyway.

If you have a camper shell, what's the problem with chucking all three in the bed of the truck?

If I've misunderstood and you *don't* have a camper shell...I'd probably recommend borrowing a buddy's camper shell.


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## jodief100 (Aug 25, 2010)

I put 4 large kiko does (about 150 lbs each) in my Ranger with a camper shell.  I put 6 small soffit vents on each side and froze two buckets of water for the trip.

They were fine.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 25, 2010)

They pretty much just lay down for the duration anyway, once you get moving..

One thing I do that I feel like kinda helps it to lay a section of field fence down flat in the bed of the truck (it's cut to fit the length) whenever I gotta transport somebody..  I throw in a little straw in on top of that just to take the edge off when they lay down..  If they happen to stand up, the fence wires give their slick hooves something to grab onto..  Otherwise, they may as well be on glass -- especially given that I have a drop-in bedliner.  Those things are SLICK.

I got that idea from seeing so many cattle trailers with welded-wire cattle panels nailed down flat on the floor.  "Moo mud" gets pretty slick on wood, and the last thing you want is someone going down in a crowded trailer on a long haul.


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## jodief100 (Aug 25, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> One thing I do that I feel like kinda helps it to lay a section of field fence down flat in the bed of the truck (it's cut to fit the length) whenever I gotta transport somebody..  I throw in a little straw in on top of that just to take the edge off when they lay down..  If they happen to stand up, the fence wires give their slick hooves something to grab onto..


I am going to steal that idea!  I have carpet remnets in mine, covered in straw.  I have to replace them pretty frequently.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 25, 2010)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> I am going to steal that idea!  I have carpet remnets in mine, covered in straw.  I have to replace them pretty frequently.


Have at it!  

I drove two nails in the side of my barn, so when I'm done, I just slide the section of fence out and hang it up on the nails.


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## aggieterpkatie (Aug 25, 2010)

We don't have a bedliner, but we don't have any issues with slippage on trips.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 25, 2010)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> We don't have a bedliner, but we don't have any issues with slippage on trips.


To be fair, I'd say the bedliner really is about 85% of the problem.  If I didn't put the section fo fence down, it probably wouldn't matter if the goats laid down or not -- they'd still be like pinballs on that bedliner.


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## Ariel301 (Aug 27, 2010)

I would not worry about them being pregnant, I have hauled some very pregnant goats no problem. I brought a LaMancha doe 14 hours from Colorado just a few days before she kidded, and she was fine other than the discomfort of going from 40 degrees and winter to 80 degrees and spring in only a day, wearing a heavy winter coat! lol


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 27, 2010)

We have a rubber truck bed mat.  They're not terribly expensive and I LOVE it for the goats and our Newfoundland.  We just throw some bedding on top and they don't slide at all.


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## cmjust0 (Aug 27, 2010)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> We have a rubber truck bed mat.  They're not terribly expensive and I LOVE it for the goats and our Newfoundland.  We just throw some bedding on top and they don't slide at all.


I tried that once.

It slid all over the bedliner.

I know that sounds funny right now, but you can probably imagine the stream of expletives I turned loose of when I realized I'd just thrown good money away on a rubber bedliner.


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