# Shipping in Goats?



## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

What are the procedures to shipping in goats? any tips/warnings, things a person should be aware of? Thought this would make an interesting thread . . .


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

I had several kids shipped in this year....really worked out perfect with no problems whatsoever, I just was waiting at the airport so I'd be there to get them as soon as their plane got in...brought some milk along too (mine were bottle babies) usually they didn't want to eat until they got home and settled in a bit though.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Well, I've only had a goat shipped in an airplane and that was pretty stress free. He was three months old so maybe that was why. I've never had younger goats shipped.

For air shipping goats, its always best to ask the breeder(if they have experience with the airlines) and ask them who takes best care of the animal during shipment and who has the lowest cost. The breeder books a flight the day before the goat is shipped then you basically just go to the airport, pay for the ticket and pick the goat up.

One tip, be sure and check the status of the flight online before you leave for the airport to make sure there are no delays. Yogi's flight was due at 2:45 and we got there at 1:30, but the flight was delayed two hours which means we had to sit there for 3 hours. Kind of fun, we were back in cargo so we got to see all the planes take off :greengrin:


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

I am hoping to ship in 2 bucklings and a doeling next year . . . the entire cost including shipping will be around 1300 dollars . . . so I may have to x one buckling to make it possible.


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

We have had goats shipped to Ohio in the past but some places won't ship when it gets really hot though.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

what are the prices .........any of you have paid for shipping?


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

We paid a little over $200 for 2 goats.


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## MissMM (Oct 22, 2007)

I used Delta Pet First 2 years ago when I had my original goaties flowm from Cafilornia to Minneapolis. It was a bit more expensive (about $40 per goat more; a total of $160 per goat = NOT including the cost of the kennel) than the other options, but it went so smoothly I don't think I'd do it any other way again. Not with purebreds/breeding stock anyway:

1. The goats were "last on, first off" flying via pet cargo. If there would have been a delay over an hour, they would have been checked on to make sure they have water. 

2. The kennels were tagged w/something so the airline could tell exactly where the goaties were at all times. 

3. Delta was just so very helpful, whereas the 4 other places I contacted were not at all "goatie friendly."

Words of caution:

* there are temperature limitations: they will not ship above a certain temperature (make sure you're checking the Departure AND Arrival locations)

* try to get a flight going directly from point A to point B with no "connecting flights". The fine print indicates that if there is a problem with the connecting flight (i.e. the flight is cancelled) the animals will be brought to the animal shelter for that area if no one claims them within 2 hours = a bad thing if it's a state half way between you and the breeder

* there are size requirements for the kennel, i.e. the goat must have enough room to sit down, stand up, turn around, etc. 

* make sure the veterinary/health check meets the requirements of the state the animal is departing from AND the state it's arriving in. 

They arrived safely and in much less amount of time than land travel, and they weren't exposed to other health issues from other animals.


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

Kennel sizes . . . okay how big should a meduim kennel be then? I have one that is big enough for two american Eskimos to squeeze in there and have room to sort of turn around . . . (note: this was a short transportation method for my dogs . . .were not in there long.)


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

some one directed me to Uship.com
worked out great!
will use again if i ever need a goat shipped
but don't plan on going to uship on monday to have a goat shipped on friday
it takes a while but worth it


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Coming from CA to OK 2 young kids in a size 400 kennel was a little over $300 for me....about the same for 2 I had shipped in from MN.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

wow ....thank you all....everyone has alot of information...........thanks for the pricing.........


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

heavenly haven, how much did you pay to Uship? ~


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

This is a great thread!! I was curious about shipping goaties. . . . doesn't sound as bad as I thought. Do most breeders make the shipping arrangements for you or do u have to?


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

The breeders do, unless there is a "special" situation.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

That's nice! I think we will end up shipping in a buck. . . .  Now to just pick a breeder! That's the tough part!


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

How about health certificate costs, vaccinating . . .etc? how long does it take for the goat to leave and reach its destination?


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Don't have to have any vaccinations that I know of, but you do have to have health papers...price varies on those. The breeders I ordered from made all the shipping arrangements...all I had to do was pick up.


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

No vaccinations, there are certain states that require TB Brucellosis testing for goats, I think just for 6 months an older for some states though. And health Certs range in price from about $25 to $50. I still need to find out what ours will cost here, but we don't currently have a phone book, my brother took it to a friends house and misplaced it :roll:


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Hi,

We shipped our new goats up this summer (see photo section - air cashmere)! It worked out well and the goaties were fine - we just did a little bit of preparing. I'm just re-iterating most of what's been said already - but the important points are:

1. airline reservation. airlines have various rules for shipping animals - *talk to the airline* you want to use. some will let you ship it as a pet, some only let them go 'cargo'. They also have high and low temperature cutoffs that you'll need to be within. And, our airline, had a maximum number of animals that they would put on any one flight so make sure to make reservations early to get the flights you want. we used alaska air and they required they go as cargo and had very specific crate setup rules (nonslip material on floor, absorbant material on that, a way for them to be watered, and only 1 goat per crate). we needed large dog kennels for 3 month old cashmere goats to meet space/headroom requirements, and we used rubber shelf liner glued to the bottom of the crate, and hay on top of that for absorbent material (plus food!), zip tied a plastic water bowl to the door. also used bolts and lock nuts instead of the plastic stuff that comes with kennel and clipped the door shut to prevent and accidental release (some airlines won't allow the kennels that just snap together...). i also recommend making your flight for early in the day with few stops (less to go wrong) and if there are delays or missed flights, then your goat may be able to catch later flights in the day instead of facing an overnight somewhere in limbo.

2. vet check. these are usually good for 30 days before the flight.

3. state import regulations. we needed an import number that was issued by the vet during the vet check. if the animals are over 6 months old they may need certification/tests to be disease free. call your state vetererinarian as each state varies.

Some people recommended using calf calm and nutri drench and all sorts of stuff to alleviate the stress - but in the end the goats were probably calmer than we were! They managed quite well and we didn't use it (tho we probably should have used the calf calm on ourselves!)


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

i'm hoping to ship up, but waiting till i get more cash. it owuld cost around $400-$500 for the goat and (im thinking of OR) so $495 for shipping not including the kennel and vet check. but I'm already saving up. so this next spring. 

ArcticGoats - which airline and what price did you do?


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

i think it cost me around $200 on Uship.com
but 
there is an upside of this 
alot of the transporters are insured
but that's not the best point
IMHO
i bought goats from wisconsin and had ron keener ship them over
because he makes his living transporting livestock he has to watch his p's and q's and dot his i's and cross his t's
sooooooooooooo
i had to have health certificates for the goats just incase ron got pulled over
well, what i didn't know, was that when i vet does health certs for shipping purposes he has to send in a copy to his state health board and the state health board of the destination state
THAT'S how i got caught up in NAIS :hair: :angry: :hair: :angry: :veryangry: :veryangry: 
i will NOT ever ship commercially again 
but that's just me


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> THAT'S how i got caught up in NAIS :hair: :angry: :hair: :angry: :veryangry: :veryangry:
> i will NOT ever ship commercially again
> but that's just me


 wow .....does not sound fun at all...........


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

Okay how do you determine the size of a crate? Like where do you find the 400 on the crate itself? Mine still had the sale sticker on there and it said Meduim and then 650 . . . does this mean anything?


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## Laurel_Haven (Oct 20, 2007)

For crates, you must make sure the animal can stand up with head room to spare, and must be able to turn around comfortably or they will not accept it.

How to determine crate size:
Kennel type 100 accommodates an animal that is up to 18 in. long, 7 in. wide and 13 in. tall 
Kennel type 200 accommodates an animal that is up to 21 in. long, 9 in. wide and 17 in. tall 
Kennel type 400 accommodates an animal that is up to 29 in. long, 12 in. wide and 24 in. tall 
Kennel type 500 accommodates an animal that is up to 32 in. long, 13 in. wide and 28 in. tall 

Hope this helps!


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## Laurel_Haven (Oct 20, 2007)

After rereading your post I saw i still didn't really answer your question so here is more crate info that may help even more. :shrug: 

Kennel Type / Kennel Size in inches
100 = 21L X 16W X 15H
200 = 27L X 20W X 19H
400 = 36L X 24W X 26H
500 = 40L X 27W X 30H


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## Sonrise Farm (Sep 18, 2008)

okay my kennel is 24 long x 19 wide x 18 deep and that's in inches . . . is it too small to ship only one nigerian kid? >


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## Laurel_Haven (Oct 20, 2007)

I am not sure, you would have to measure the kid that is going to be shipped and then use the dimensions given for the shipping requirements per kennel size. 

I am guessing from the height you have given your crate is somewhere between the 100 & 200 size so the kid would have to be approx. no larger than 15 inches tall, somewhere around there? I would suggest putting the kid in the crate and as long as they can turn around easily, and you can move your hand between them (the head) and the roof of the crate they should be fine.


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## Amy Goatress (Oct 2, 2008)

The breeders we worked with arranged for the shipping of the goats but they just asked what town we wanted them to be shipped to and then we would go pick them up at the time they tell us that they will be arriving, etc. and all we have to do is pay for the shipping and the people have a special area at the airport that you pick up the animals at, we have done this with sheep too.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

every goat i have ever shipped has also had to be a certain age, they have to have food and water in the little cup things. if the flight is a certain amount of time. i usually ship about four to six weeks old. they seem to do better then they are younger. 
When i was quoted from Ron to bring a goat from southern california to southern washington he quoted me at five hundred! it was cheaper to fly the goat. this didnt include the health papers.
beth


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## Laurel_Haven (Oct 20, 2007)

I use AA Cargo to air ship my goats. I have never found them to have an age limit, but then I have never shipped any under the age of 8 weeks either. No food or water was need as all the kids have arrived within 5 hours of leaving, and I have shipped to CT, ME, CO most recently from SC. The cost for the flight is around an average of $200, give or take $25 depending on weight. And that is for 2 goats under 50 lbs, and this is a Priority Flight, meaning right on and right off, no layovers. So air shipping can be much cheaper than some groud shipping rates. And the kids arrive in half the time or less. 
And yep, you do have to have a health certificate, which I charge $50 for as my vet charges me an additional $50 just for pulling in my drive, and then he does draw blood and test for about everything, to put on the health certificate, TB, Burcellosis, etc... Why he does young kids I don't know but he does, and I don't mind as at least the new buyer has paper proof all kids they are getting from me is clean. So $50 for health Certificate which is good for 30 days only. And then the crate runs around $40. So for a total of $300 you can have 2 kids shipped to you which breaks down to $150 per goat. Sounds pricey I know, but really it isn't that bad when broke down. 
So far, knock on wood, every kid has arrived fine and in perfect health. So I am all for Air shipping these days. :thumbup:


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