traveling with goats

We are moving from MN to WA, I think it is about 1,800 miles. I have 2 nubians, about 6 months old. Haven't weighed them in awhile, but I imagine they are about 60 pounds each? I hope my plan works ok. I'm really hoping the puppy training pads are able to absorb the urine, of course I'll change them out a few times per day. The cage comes Tuesday and then I'll see how they fit in there... Wish us luck! Hopefully they will be going hiking in the mountains with us soon....

johnsmb - How are you going to keep the puppy pads from slipping around and bunching up? I think they will absorb plenty if you can keep them in place.

oceanmist - be sure and measure your vehicle to see how much room the goats will have if you put a bale of hay in there - the bales we get here would take up a lot of room that the goats might need to stretch their legs. Getting them used to alfalfa pellets and using them on the trip may take up less room. I don't think that traveling while pregnant will cause any problems that would not happen anyway. Many show goats travel - even while pregnant. I seem to recall someone on here saying that most of the time at least one doe delivers her kids at shows. - traveling LATE in pregnancy!

There is one brand of puppy pads that have an adhesive strip on the botton to keep them in place! I am so hoping this all works out. My husband is telling everyone what I am going through - so I have a silly reputation now. These darn goats just have to get there now!

I would individually tie the goats to something in the back of the van so they can't fight, but not worry about the hay between you and them. Fighting is a possibility, and in the confined spaces of a van, with pregnant goats, that could be a problem.

Also, a panicked goat could conceivably go through a window.

Have a knife handy in case somebody gets tangled in their tie.

I've traveled hours at a time with pack goats in the open bed of a pickup (in a homemade crate) without an issue. Some goats will lie down, though I've had a few who seem to enjoy watching the scenery. Mine have never seemed excessively stressed -- but mine are also used to it and enjoy the hiking at the end.

You might take them for short rides now, to get them used to it. But I suspect they'd do just fine.

Okay there's been a bit of a tweek in my plans... the U-Haul is going to run me $1,000+ just by itself... not including the gas. So my dad has suggested hauling the van behind the u-haul instead of driving it too and spending $400+ for gas on it.

I would still probably use the van to haul the goats in, making more frequent stops to check on them and making the trip shorter than originally planned, not as much sight seeing... I will probably make it to where there is a tall stack of hay behind the front seats so that they can't climb over it and a shorter one across the back door, so that basically they will be surrounded by bales of hay.

Both of these does have proven to travel quite well in the past. The youngest doe would ride in my dd's lap if allowed and find great joy in riding with us in the u-haul! She's such a goof ball!

Now I just gotta figure out where we are all going to stay while I am finding us a house! Yikes... nothing like taking a huge plunge!

Thanks for all your help, Misty