moving across the country with goats

[getchasome]

One thing to keep in mind....you'll be moving the goats to an entirely different parasite population.

A lot of Texas goats that come to this area (I'm north of you in IN, but it's hot / wet / muggy here, too) get sick very fast when they meet IN worms and coccidia. I hear KY bugs are just as nasty.
Just a heads up, I'm sure w/ a sudden move you're thinking in 100 different directions, and that may not be something you've considered.

I'm not saying it WILL be a problem, but forewarned is forearmed.

Try and bring enough of your water w/ you to give them. During the trip. I've read that sometimes goats who are travelling won't drink 'strange' tasting water. Another trick I've read about is adding a bit of plain kool aid (no sugar) to the water for a while before you leave, it can mask any 'funny' taste / smell in strange water.

I'd be tempted to stick a diaper on the littlest one and keep her in the passenger area w/ me. She might get jostled too much. Or keep her and the 1 mo. old in a dog crate (if there's room) in the back seat.

Bring the same hay / feed / milk they are used to.

Good luck w/ your move!

thank you for pointing those things out, you're right, I hadn't thought about it yet ... and I'd much rather be forearmed

 

[Sharonar22]

We are currently in Las Vegas, NV. We bought a farm in eastern Kentucky and are planning the move for end of April/beginning of May.

We don't have a horse trailer, just a partially enclosed utility type trailer (like what you tow motorcycles on). My husband was thinking that we could build an enclosed box onto the trailer (with ventilation near the top of the walls). We are calculating the trip to take 2-3 days.

My questions are:

Will traveling on the interstates, with the traffic noise, scare them so badly that they will be traumatized forever? Or (please don't laugh) give them a heart attack?

Do I need to have them checked by a vet before moving them? (I read in the other thread that they can be taken if pulled over)

Are there fees for moving them across state lines?

Will they eat when we stop? Or is this going to be such a stressor on them that they may not until we get there?

This decision happened kinda quickly due to job changes, so I wasn't prepared for any of this when we started raising them. Now I'm kinda freaking out!!

So how did the goats do on the trip!?
We're doing the same thing right now.
Trip will take approx., 30+ hours, and our (7 Nigerian dwarf), (2yr old) goats are big, fat babies! But I love them and don't want them to be scared
They'll be in a truck with a canopy, but it's an old loud truck and they're already afraid when someone just starts it up!

Anyway, I'm just really interested in knowing how you're goats did!?