Chat
01-19-2016, 01:06 PM
For short trips I don't use a crate. I just load the boys up in the bed of my open pickup and expect them to stay there (they do). I tie them or use my hillbilly cage if I have to go on the highway or if I have goats that aren't getting along. My hillbilly cage is just some pieces of rebar mesh hooked together at the corners that I plunk down into the bed of my truck. I cut out openings for the wheel wells. It comes in 4' x 8' sheets. I sprayed primer on mine to cut down the rust factor. Works great and was extremely cheap!
The only time I need an actual shelter for short trips is if I'm hauling in winter or bad weather. They shouldn't have to stand in the rain in an open truck bed. I've toyed with the idea of tying a tarp over the front half of the hillbilly cage in dodgy weather but I haven't had to do it yet. One time I hauled Cuzco up to Loveland (about 4 hours one way) and wasn't sure what the weather would be, so I quick hammered together a three-sided plywood box to give him some shelter from wind, rain, and heat. Worked great for that one trip, but I didn't build it sturdy enough to last the long haul, and it was way too heavy to want to lift in and out of the truck. Here's a photo of that trip. You can see my rebar mesh goat cage and how it clips together at the corners. The little doghouse was for the doeling I was bringing back from Loveland.
The only time I need an actual shelter for short trips is if I'm hauling in winter or bad weather. They shouldn't have to stand in the rain in an open truck bed. I've toyed with the idea of tying a tarp over the front half of the hillbilly cage in dodgy weather but I haven't had to do it yet. One time I hauled Cuzco up to Loveland (about 4 hours one way) and wasn't sure what the weather would be, so I quick hammered together a three-sided plywood box to give him some shelter from wind, rain, and heat. Worked great for that one trip, but I didn't build it sturdy enough to last the long haul, and it was way too heavy to want to lift in and out of the truck. Here's a photo of that trip. You can see my rebar mesh goat cage and how it clips together at the corners. The little doghouse was for the doeling I was bringing back from Loveland.