What's a good (non truck/trailer) vehicle to haul kids and critters?

[promiseacres]

I'm putting this here b/c I have sheep but goaties feel free to answer too!

I currently have a 4 door car that's great on milage and just fits me, DH and our 2 kids with their carseats. BUT I'm looking at getting some lambs, chicks (ok they do fit) rabbits and thinking I need a different vehicle....:/ DH doesn't part with his pick up very well and if I were say going to pick up 2 lambs that are 2-4 mos old I have dog crates so would a mini van work? We have a very nice 3 horse/stock trailer BUT again for 2 lambs (or other critters) it seems like over kill. I know people use their SUV's and other vehicles to haul critters so wanting some ideas (photos would be great too). Thinking about making some type of "hauling" pen to put in the pick up also. THANKS!

 

[brentr]

Pickups are for hauling. Seems to me you need to invite your DH along to get these animals however it takes to use the truck. If they are in dog crates, your van would work as long as they fit and have pan bottoms so no waste gets smeared in your van.

 

[goodolboy]

Cattle panel works good for a cage in the truck. Bolt cutter to make the panels fit the truck. tie them together at the corners alittle loose so it will fold flat when your not using it. Small D-ring on one corner to open easy. A small trailer and a large dog crate would also work on the car.

 

[Roving Jacobs]

I fit a 3 year old Jacob ram in the back portion of a SUV once. Just put a tarp and some hay down. He complained the whole time and people looked at me like I was crazy at stop lights but it was fine. 2-4 month old lambs should fit in a larger sized dog crate so as long as the car can fit that you should work. Lots of people I know use mini vans to transport critters too.

I have a pickup now and if I'm picking up only one or two small animals like lambs they go in a pen made of cattle panels in the bed with a tarp over the top to keep them in and weather out. I only use the trailer if I'm getting multiple adults.

 

[Shelly May]

I say take the trailer and just buy a full load to make the hook up and trip worth it ..................
so what breed of lambs??????

 

[ksalvagno]

I used to haul alpacas in a minivan. So a minivan should do fine for the smaller stuff.

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

I haul everything in a mini van. Just tarp the back of it. Pick one that has sliding doors on both sides and that the seats are easy to get in and out. (we have an old sillhouette and they are all single seats so I can arrange them as cage blocks or a table or kid seats or whatever. Just tarp everything you don't want dreck on and away you go.

 

[EllieMay]

I used to have an SUV that I would put a large dog crate in the back. Worked just fine.

I now have a pickup, so I just throw a pen onto the back and tie a tarp over it.
I have had as many as 5 lambs inside this pen.

 

[PotterWatch]

I have a mini van with stow-n-go seats (seats that fold down flat into the floor leaving the whole back space flat and usable). I have used it to haul goats, chickens, and dogs. When I moved goats and new livestock guardian puppies with it, I folded down all the seats, put a waterproof painter's cloth down with a blanket on top of that. Worked a treat. The folding seats are the best feature. I can pop seats up and down as I need them to transport kids' friends or animals. I've never put sheep in the van though, most of ours are too wild for that. We had a guy buy some lambs from us once and he just stuck them in the backseat of his four-door pickup. Nothing covering the seats or anything... I'd love to know what shape that truck was in after the 30 minute drive back to his house!

 

[promiseacres]

Elliemae I love that set up.....thanks for all the input...

BTW DH is always invited but Someone needs to work to pay for all these critters.....