# Traveling with Pregnant Does



## HoneyintheHeart (Dec 1, 2011)

Hello All-

What is everyone's take on traveling with pregnant does (3-4 months pregnant)...the drive is just about 3 hrs from where they are boarding...They are due to kid late April/early May and as of this moment my goating partner is planning to pick them up on Aprils 1st...

Will the couple day shock be to heinous this late in their pregnancy or not at all...I know I just transported to other goats and it tooka good 3 days until they were adjusted enough to be eating appropriately...

Anyway, THANK YOU so much for any collaboration!

Alec Solimeo :shrug:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If they are 3 to 4 months along... that would be a big risk transporting them ....the stress alone.. can cause them to abort..... I wouldn't recommend transporting them ....that late in pregnancy....


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## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

Like Pam said it is kinda risky. It is also a long drive...pregnant or not.
I would say it might be possible if they are in the back of a station wagon, a smooth ride and hopefully they stay laying down.
If they are standing up they get knocked around and get hurt/can abort.
Maybe if you had a large dog crate..might be kinda tight but at least they won't be knocking around.

Your goat partner should pick up earlier than April. It might be better March 1st at latest.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

I'm probably not experienced enough to be commenting, but I have transported goats on three hour drives before. Compared to horses, goats are a dream to transport. If they are with their buddies and they have something nice like straw to lie down on, they lay down and sleep nearly the whole way. That doesn't seem particularly stressful to me. I think what would be more stressful to the prego does is arriving at a new place they are unfamiliar with. I would guess the level of stress would also be dependant on the goats. Does that have a high level of trust in humans are going to be better off than wild acting low management comercial types. Moving your does is less than ideal, but if that is what our business plan calls for, I would go ahead and do it. I would plan on babying them when they got there with excellent hay and grain and clean surroundings. I would vaccinate everybody a week before I shipped.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

I have transported them up to three weeks before kidding, provided they have enough room, good nutrition and a nice straw layer to bed down in, i am sure they will be fine

oh i have also transported a few thatwere due any day - i took them to a two week show with me so i was present for their births. One kidded two days after arriving, the other waited a week. I think goats are a lot tougher than we give them credit for sometimes


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## TinyHoovesRanch (Jan 16, 2010)

I transported a doe 5 months preggo and she kidded the week after.

It was 2 hours. She was in a crate by herself with TONS of food and water


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## mtmom75 (May 19, 2011)

I just transported my 2 pregnant does last weekend. It was about a 10 hour drive. They are 2 and 3 months pregnant. I made sure they had some hay to munch on and stopped for water breaks often. They were in separate dog crates for the ride with plenty of straw bedding to lay in. I know there's some risk in transporting them when they're pregnant, but in this case I didn't really have a choice, as I had to get them home somehow.  Personally I think fitting into a new herd once they got here was more stressful for them than the drive.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

The only experience I have w/hauling prggos is when they were about a month along. It was a 3 hr drive.
They all layed down & settled in good when they got here. (my first goats)
A week later went back to pick up a Nubian, the same gestation. She stood the whole time.
It was when she arrived that all goat broke loose, meaning the three sisters all took turns beating up on her for three nights; each taking turns in so many days.
Drifting even more from the original question, I went to spend time with this poor girl. I sat down & she came over, pawed the straw, layed down & put her head in my lap.
She was the first to kid & from that time on Herd Queen til death.


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## KBFarms (Mar 7, 2012)

We bought a pregnant doe from down south and it was at least a 20hr ride to PA, and then a 3 hr ride in the back of the jeep to NJ. She was due in less then a week though. She also came up with another doe who we also bought, and they stayed together the entire trip and when they got here, which helped the pregnant doe settle in. She actually held onto her babies for an extra 3 days from her due date, so we had zero trouble here.


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## mojomamma (Feb 13, 2012)

I am very new at the goat thing, but I bought a pregnant goat that I was told had 4 more weeks to go, after the owner wrestled her and she ended belly up on the ground flailing around we put her in the back of the mini van, she was a wild brush kinda goat bucking all around pooping, I felt horrible all the way home asking myself why I had done that ,I should have left her there, I could have hurt the baby.it was an experience :wink: I got her home and she popped out a baby a week later, totally easy birth, on time and both mamma and baby are doing great.


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