Transporting a goat

[SDGsoap&dairy]

This will be our first time transporting a goat (though surely NOT the last since you moved Kate! ) and she'll be on the road for around 5 hours. We have a small pickup with a canopy and soft rubber mat, so we'll probably use straw bales to take up some of the extra space in the bed and provide padding should she lose her balance. Any tips for safe travel? Emergency supplies?

I'm sure it won't be any trouble at all, but I'd rather be prepared! She's our first Nubian BTW...

 

[ksalvagno]

You could put some hay in the back for her to eat while she is traveling. If you plan on stopping, you could always take some water and give her some water. But it sounds like you have it covered.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Food and water- check.

 

[SDGsoap&dairy]

Do you think it would be helpful to dose her with some probios before we leave?

 

[helmstead]

Yes, probios, then daily for a week might be a good idea. Mine never will drink on the road altho it never hurts to offer it...but hay, yes. Be prepared to scrub your truck bed...those Nubians pee a LOT LOL

Congrats on this beautiful girl!!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

this is how we move our goaties. we actually break up a bale of straw and they just snuggle right in. our drive was only 2 hrs.

also - goes without saying, make sure you secure the the door on the canopy.

 

[cmjust0]

You probably don't need to worry about providing any 'lateral padding,' as it were, or taking up extra space to sorta tuck her in with bales. Reason being, there's about a 99% chance that she'll lay down as soon as you start moving, and won't want to get up until the trip's over with. If she's on a rubber mat and won't slide around, she'll be fine.

Probios and a dose of b-complex as a pick-me-up probably wouldn't hurt.

 

[lupinfarm]

she'll probably lie down, but I can assure you that at any given moment she'll probably get up again LOL...

my 2 pygmy girls came only about an hour by car and spent the trip in a big dog crate on my back seat and everytime we slowed down for even a split second they'd get up, and then we'd start back up again and they'd almost fall over lol.

Lots of nice straw to lay on would be good though, and she'll probably save all her urine for that one trip mine did. They peed several big lakes on the way home, somehow all those lakes missed the seats.

 

[Iceblink]

I drove a goat 4 hours just yesterday! She was in a big dog crate with straw bedding, and a little hay, which she didn't eat.

I like the crate because in sudden stops she couldn't fly around, and I didn't have to worry, knowing she was secure. Also, it kept my car a lot cleaner.

Good luck with your drive. Hopefully you get a quiet traveler. I have driven for 3 hours with a sheep bawling constantly... it wasn't fun.

 

[Jupiter]

Hope your trip goes well! I've been wondering about this too but I don't have truck at my house :/ Wish I did.

Those of you that use dog crates.....are your goats full sized and what size crate do you use? Will the xl airline carrier work or does it have to be the giant size?

I have driven for 3 hours with a sheep bawling constantly... it wasn't fun.

Sounds like I need to remember ear plugs too just in case