# Transporting Goats Long Distance



## TheRidingLibrarian (Feb 23, 2009)

My brother has 12 goats (don't know the breed, but I think they are dairy types) and 3 pigs (medium sized).
He is moving from NE PA to Okeeechobee FL in the next couple of months. They are working on figuring out how to ship them all down here. So far they have a quote of $850 from a hauler, though I do not (nor does he, it was an online thing) what kind of rig this is. And they are very tight on money and are looking for cheaper alternatives.

My question is: what kinds of concerns does one have when transporting goats long distance? Don't they stress easy? He says he has some old ones. I have tried to convince him to sell them and get a new herd down here (it's not like he has a breeding program or anything ,they are all mutts and pets) but his wife will not here of it. :roll: Also, can the pigs be put in the with goats? And how tightly can you pack them in the trailer? We may be getting another quote from a person with a 4 horse slant load stock trailer. Do you think they would all fit in there?

Please forgive my ignorance...but I know you guys always have such great info and I am trying to prevent my bro (who honestly has only the very best of intentions, but is very clueless about travel like this) from hurting his goats. Btw, i did fill him on the need for the health certificates, and he has that lined up with his local vet.

Thanks in advance!
Patti


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## Thanatos (Mar 16, 2009)

I would NOT put the goats with the pigs that will cause injury to the goats as the pigs will likely bite them. And yes all of the should fit in a 4 horse slant. I put 4 goats in one side of a two horse tandem and 3 dogs on the other(test run for my move form Az to Pa in july). As long as the goats can turn then there is enough space. you dont want them to have too much room or if a sudden stop or turn is needed they will get hurt. Also they will need water and food for any trip over 6 hours. Plus they should get a shot of nutri-drench and mabey even so vit-b complex. some one else will jump in here in a sec and help out to :thumb:


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

850.00 to transport 12 goats? thats actually not a bad price. Especialy considering it can cost upwards to 250.00 just for one! They are looking at just over 70.00 per goat. If you add up the cost of a rental vehical, gas, tolls and places to stay along the way...it sounds like a good deal to me especialy considering that they wont have to do the driving and care - that would be the responsibility of the shipper.


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

How many hours will the trip take? I agree the price seems very good. 

When I travel them more than 12 hrs, I pack them a little looser in the vehicle, and I offer them a small amount of water and hay every 12 hrs. We occasionally make a trip up to Qld, buy some goats and then drive back again. Its about 24 hrs each way. We drive half way up, stop overnight, drive the rest of the way, stay for a few days, get the goats, drive half way back, stay over night - the goats stay in the trailer and thats why I like them to have a bit of extra room so they can shift round a bit, we also put hay and water in for them, then we reach home the next day. 

Good idea to nutridrench them before and after travelling, if its a long trip like this. 

I routinely do approx 10 hr trips with my goaties to shows and agistment etc. this amount of time doesnt bother them too much, I dont feed and water them with that sort of a trip. 

Also, some people say to take them off food and water before travelling, PLEASE DONT DO THAT, its a really good way to lose goats


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