Moving goats...

mammabooh · #1 02/03/11, 03:12 PM

Hopefully I will be moving 2 pregnant does from KimM's house to my house in a couple of weeks (they are due on the 24th and 25th of March (IF Newt is pregnant). It is a 2-hour trip and they will be in the back of a pickup with a cap (and they will be inside a homemade cage). The Hoegger catalog recommends injecting 10 cc of either Goat Serum or Bovi Sera before and after the move. They also have a homeopathic remedy that is called "Travel Anxiety" that should be given every 15 minutes for an hour before the move.

What do you folks normally do when you bring them home or take them to a show? Anything? I want them to be as stress-free as possible (especially since they will be so close to their dues dates), but don't want to give them any unnecessary shots/medication.

Thanks!

Alice In TX/MO · #2 02/03/11, 03:27 PM

I move mine from south Texas to Missouri and back..... Spring is heading north, Fall is heading south.

13 to 14 hour drive. Make sure they have comfortable bedding so they don't fear falling.

For a short trip, that's all they need.

Bfly Farmer · #3 02/03/11, 03:32 PM

To be honest, nothing. I make sure they have been fed well and good mineral preceeding the move. During the move, I just make sure they have lots of nice grass hay. I also try to give them about 15-30 minutes to get situated before I actually start driving. Don't worry about water because most likely they won't drink and you are only going 2 hours.

The first time I moved pregnant goats I was a nervous nelly, but it was fine and I have done it many times since. Good luck!

mammabooh · #4 02/03/11, 03:35 PM

You folks are making me feel much better.

Kim said the same thing, but I wanted to hear it from more people, I guess!

julieq · #5 02/03/11, 03:48 PM

We just give about 2 cc of injectible B vitamins orally. Since we have ND's and miniatures we just put them in large dog kennels in the back of our truck, which has a canopy on it.

fishhead · #6 02/03/11, 04:04 PM

When I moved mine to the farm and back (10 minutes) I just toss some corn in the back. They hop in and I close the back of the truck and topper. They stand but if the trip were longer I'm sure they would lie down and chew their cud.

My pickup has a non-slip rubber liner so they have secure footing.

KimM · #7 02/03/11, 04:26 PM

These girls don't get fed any straight corn and to feed them something they're not used to would invite having very sick goats shortly after coming to their new home. Hay is all they would need to eat for a short 2 hour trip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

When I moved mine to the farm and back (10 minutes) I just toss some corn in the back. They hop in and I close the back of the truck and topper. They stand but if the trip were longer I'm sure they would lie down and chew their cud.

My pickup has a non-slip rubber liner so they have secure footing.

fishhead · #8 02/03/11, 04:33 PM

I don't feed my boys corn in the summer either but I figure a handful between three 200 lb goats won't upset their guts too much. I've seen the biggest crawl under my little Ford Ranger for a half dozen kernels.