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Transporting goats in the back of a pickup truck
I do not have a trailer and was thinking I could build a "carrier" out of cattle panels for the back of my pickup truck. I could then cover that with a tarp so the goats wouldn't get too much air. Do you think it would work? Does anyone have plans for something like this? I would like to get this...
http://www.behlencountry.com/small_a...imal_carriers/ but I think I could build one with cattle panels....what do you guys think? Any tips, plans, ideas..... thanks, Holly |
I've heard of it being done, even saw a picture once. I think they connected the panels with U-bolts if i remember correctly.
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We have one of those small chain link dog kennels that fits in the back of our truck that we use. When we aren't using it in the truck it is also used as a dog kennel, chicken tractor, breeding pen, kid pen, etc, etc, etc...
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I use a dog crate but friends built a wooden box that looked like cube shaped pallet.
Either way, I feel like a redneck whenever I drive with a goat in the back of the truck. ;-) |
Holly,
I have one similar to the picture. I got mine at Orscheln's farm store. I love the sliding door on it. They're not very heavy, even fully assembled. So, easy to move without disassembly. I think they're built too low and too short. If you've ever had to crawl in after a goat, you'd know what I mean. It's like trying to fit into a dog house. You also need to anchor these carriers, they will bounce out, I found. Luckily, it was empty at the time. Oh, but that sliding gate, the best part. If you could just get someone to make the gate, you could use your own panels and covering, and it would be a lot cheaper, and of course, customized for your particular wants/needs. |
Forgot to mention, they also work great on the ground, as a kidding pen or playpen.
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we have always carried our goats in the back of the truck... if it is just a goat or 2, in the back of our minivan
WE used cattle panels and moved our goats from CA to MO in the back of a truck... I would love to have a livestock trailer but dont see any possibility of that at all... Loading goats into the back of a truck is a whole lot easier than loading pigs :help: |
Goats ride in the front of our truck or the backseat of the airplane, although I have also transported them in dog crates in the back of the truck. Our goats really like dog houses... But if you're trying to move several goats then stock panels should work, but I think I would wire a plywood top on it. My goats love to jump!
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What is it about goats that brings out the redneck engineering in all of us? :baby04: I've built hokey looking things for goats that I would NEVER do normally. :rolleyes:
Don't you just love them? |
I use the pick up all the time, but I have a cap on it.
Ruth |
A homemade cattle panel cage should do the trick just fine.
Our tempremental truck stopped working on a day we had to pick up a doe - we borrowed my MIL's Mercedes station wagon. (She was SUCH a good sport) I still laugh about it, as do the people we bought the goat from....but Kelly loved her limo ride to our farm. :) |
I do hope you took pictures!
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I've transported pack goats in the back of my pickup in a homemade box made out of 2X4's and chain link. It's very sturdy and safe -- my goats are large and I had nightmares of them going out the window of a camper shell, and I don't care to transport them tied. (Too easy to get a leg over a tie.)
One thing I'll recommend is, if you're dealing with LARGE goats, to teach them to jump up into the bed on a command. Mine is a tug at their collar and the word, "Hup!" It is very difficult to load a 200 pound goat into a pickup bed if the goat is actively resisting. Training helps. :-) -- Also, at least in my area of the country, goats in the bed of a pickup generates quite a bit of reaction from other drivers. I've had people pull alongside taking photos. Had people yell offers to buy the goats at me from the next lane while driving 65mph down the highway. Drive defensively! I have also had a few attempts by people, for various reasons, to open the crate. Once it was an attempt to steal the goats, and once it was kids, and once it was someone who wanted to give them water because it was a 'hot day and there was no water in the cage' -- city woman, animal rights type person who was also offended by the idea of making the goats work. (The goats had just been given water, too.) So a lock is a good idea. |
another question. I've read that they should be covered because if they aren't they'll get pnumonia (sp?) from too much wind? Is that true?
The trip will be 4-5 hours. My husband is worried about the truck getting scratched up, we have one of those rubber mats for the floor of the truck bed but he is worried about the wheel wells. |
We wondered about the health issues too. Looks like we won't have to worry about that now but we've seen both homemade crates and goats ring in the back of minivans (also works for Llamas - TALK ABOUT LOOKS!!!).
Will be following this thread with interest! Take Care, Mike |
Bought my factory-made square tubing metal truckbed pocket goat panels at an farm auction, $120. No top. That was less than it would have cost me to build them with cattle panels. They are also nice as a pen in the barn. Got them before I snagged a 12-foot WW cattle trailer at another auction for $350.
Auctions are good! No need to cover them unless it is cold or precipitating outside. Then a windbreak and roof is good. Alternative for a truck is just to get a cheap topper. That's how I carried my last 10 home, in my pickup with topper on it. I have also picked up a buck before where we just turned duck tape inside out and taped its feet together and laid it in the truck bed for a short trip. It was none the worse for wear. Farm truck is gonna get scratched up. :shrug: They were made to work. |
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Most of my goats(even LARGE bucks), travel long or short distances in a truck with an old campershell on it. Never a problem and I can transport in nasty cold weather just as well as in nice weather. Also have done the back of the mini-van on occaision. And old wooden stock racks work well for goats and calves.
But my favorite is the campershell. By the way, old campershells with the end flap taken off, work very well as rain shelters in small kid pens. Just be sure to leave it on high ground and be sure its even. They love it and they can jump all over it. :) |
I also have a camper shell that I use ALL the time. What my husband did before we found the shell for $10.00, he had a "shell" and he had the legs of it go in the holes at the corners of the truck, and he put that rubber tape on the bottom of the wood so it did not scratch the truck. It woulked great. They will be just fine in the travel. I have lots of hay for them to eat, and if it is a long trip like that I give them Nutra drench for about 2 days twice a day to help any stress.
Good Luck |
We made a cage with chain link fence panels (I think they are the things that are put next to a gate or to close up a small space). Anyway, they are 4 x 4-back, sides and top and some hinges to make the last one into a gate of sorts. It works great and as another poster mentioned, we've used it for so many other things on the ground. I like the size because my 11 year old and I can load it onto the truck. Never know when you get the urge to go get a gaot and the husband is not around!!!
Harplade Oh, forgot, bought all the panels at a Habitat for Humanity store-about $60 for all and hardward. |
I had a guy buy 4 full sized goats last year and he used 5 wood pallets to make a crate in the back of his pickup. His hinge and latch for the gate end of it wasn't very well engineered, just wire, but it worked. I'd try to rig up a cover for a windbreak, especially if your traveling at expressway speeds. Goats get stressed when being moved and can end up sick no matter what you do, so eliminating a cold/windy ride could only help the situation. Nutra Drench as suggested by Sweet Goats is a good idea both before and after the ride.
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I'm particularly cheap and when it came down to time to take the pigs to the butcher we built a pen out of pallets to put on our flatbed trailer. it worked great and I'm sure you could do the same in the back of a truck. it cost me nothing except some screws I had laying around. I had an old peice of plywood that went on top, its well ventilated yet doesn't allow them to get really wind blown. all the pallets have been put to good use afterwards too as a "deck" in the goat shed and I put legs on some and have them set up as shade/playground equip. for my buck. just an idea if your into cutting costs. although I did feel slightly embarrassed going down the road with that thing! I should dig up the picture.
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We used to have a topper for the back of our truck until I backed into it while carrying a load of hay. (I told DH that was a bad spot to store it). I now use a stock rack when transporting a larger number of goats. I usually take them only 30 miles like that. My friend has a nice horse trailer we haul in when going to shows. When I'm hauling baby goats or only one or two does, they go into the back of my Subaru wagon. I have the back seat folded down and one of those doggy grates behind the front seats and then I put down tarps and blankets. I actually prefer the car with gas prices what they are. Some people do stare, but what the heck. It's Montana. Folks here still run their cattle through town.
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We built a cage for the back of our truck using cattle panels, with the roof out of cattle panel as well. We just wired it together.
We cover it with a tarp to cut down on stress on the goats, and then use a big strap or two to keep it from flying out. It was MUCH cheaper than buying one of those on that link. They are nice though!! :) |
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It's a pet peeve of mine, the town kids and the town "cowboys," riding in what once were perfectly good pickups that have been lowered so far you can't put a load in them, or else making sure they are all spiffed up and spotless all the time, nary a speck of dirt on them. And that thumpa-thumpa music all the time. Oh, and around here, everybody has to have a glasspack and a Rebel flag. Man, you want a SPORTS CAR, get a BMW. :) Old topper's your cheapest way out. You can pick them up for $50, sometimes cheaper. New cattle panels are $16-$21 each. |
When we started out we took one cattle panel and bent it into a rectangle, and used "hog rings" to close it. It fit right in the bed of the truck. It wasn't great, you had to kinda poke the goats in while someone lifted up one end. Then we ratchet-strapped it down. Never used any kind of wind block, they always did ok. It was fine for 3 or 4 young goats.
Then I bought a little trailer, so we turned it into a creep feeder by snipping out one of the cross wires. Works great for that! |
Holleege, TSC sells these also, alot less than Sidell or this company. This is exactly what I use, but I do have a waterproof canvas top for mine, you can pull the sides down and bungie them when it's raining. Be careful of inclosing goats into camper shells etc.. if it's hot and humid, lots of ventilation is what keeps pnemonia at bay! I only pull the horse trailer when I am taking a large group somewhere. vicki
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I needed a way to close my truck bed in for a long ride - bringing home 4 Alpines from California - and looked on Craig's List for a canopy (topper). Found several for a reasonable price, but ended up buying a whole 'nuther pickup with the canopy that I needed, lol. Spent $600. and got a nice '86 Ford F-250, straight body, good motor, nice interior, just needed an O-ring for the oil filter, a thermostat, a wing window, headlight and eventually, a main seal. All things that my ds, the Ford truck hobby mechanic jumped on the chance to fix. Oh, and did I mention, the canopy fit my truck perfectly, even matched in color? Worked great to bring home the goats and to haul our luggage, too. :) Now I have a back up pickup that I can keep or sell, AND a way to move goats other than hitching up the big (and heavy) trailer.
Oh, and what Vickie said - watch the ventilation if you go this route. Even in cool weather, goats in the canopy can make a lot of humidity in the air. |
Like was said, any way you decide to haul goats, watch the weather and change plans accordingly. Don't haul in anything open in frigid or wet weather and don't haul in anything all-enclosed in warm weather. I try to schedule in goat hauling trips for non-extreme weather...but sometimes it can't be helped.
I always leave the windows partly open on the campershell no matter the time of year, just think its healthier. |
2 big lambs and mama fit in the back seat area of a Nissan Sentra-the backward looks were great! With fuel prices the car beats the truck. But last year when picking up 4 Jacob sheep we built a permanent pen for the truck with 2x4's and used drywall anchors to hold the uprights at the corners just below the top of the bed. Have 3 2x4's screwed in along the sides, made a back gate with 2x4 welded wire nailed to the boards and this doubles as a gate on a small paddock. Lastly put on a ply roof so they couldn't jump out-did the roof in 2 pieces from stuff we had salvaged, and it is screwed on so I can remove when not needed. Brought this flock from NJ, so had to go thru DC-lots of fun! Our Truck is blue and I hope to paint the wood yellow sometime. I spent half a day making this pen and my husband helped with the roof after work and I'm thinking it took 9 2x4's @ 2.50, so did this for about $25-30, start to finish.
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2 52"x 16' wire cattle panels cost = 14.95 each 1 bag of tpost clips cost = 1.95 cut 3 pieces 6' long (fit to bed) cut 2 pieces 4' long (width of bed) on the side panels, i cut out enough to fit over wheel wells wired the front piece in on each side with 3 clips each side wired up back panel with 3 wires each on each side wired on top panel with 3 wires on each of the 4 sides went to back and put up a piece of panel that i had left for a door, centered it and wired it so that it swung open. cut out doorway in the back panel so that the door fit all the way around the hole. Close tailgate to hold door closed or wire up a hook and latch to hold door closed. if you need a wind break, just cover with tarp in front and half way back. Total cost was 32.00 and 2 hours work |
Ok, I have to add this in, only goat people find it funny! Before the trailer was bought I usually hauled does in one of my husband's "derby cars" that was just an old beater. Well I got my first buck, so we bought a set of stock racks and put a roof on it to haul him home. Of course my husband had to stop at McDonalds on the way home, there was a poor innocent teenage girl at the drive-up window asking what could that animal be doing spraying all over and making noises. Poor girl!
Anyway I built a box of 2X4's and plywood and a panel gate, with straps from side to side to haul my lil market wethers in so I didn't have to pull the trailer. Now it doubles as a nice nigerian condo. |
I also used cattle panels. Two long sides (bottom cut for wheel wells), one back piece by the cab, two for the gate (to make it easier to open and close) and two panels as roof, one that opens to make walking around easier. All tied together with either pieces of wire or wire ties. Easy to put in or take off for storage. I found the tarp gets hot and flapping gets them upset. They will drop their heads to avoid the wind.
I have rhino liner in the back of my truck. They don't slide, don't scratch it but those little berries get smashed into it so I have to use a power washer to clean it out. |
My Dad made this for us out of hog panels and angle iron. I made a canvas cover to go over the top and sides. G&S
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...asgoats012.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...asgoats013.jpg |
We built a wooden box to fit in the back of the truck. It has great ventilation and a "window" in the front so we can look thru the back window of the truck to check on whoever was riding. The goats stand on a "deck" so they're not in wet bedding and it also folds down flat when not in use.
Too bad we don't have our goats anymore. |
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