Transporting Goats 2,000 miles!

[Missy]

So I can't hardly believe it but we are going to be moving to Montana next spring!!! 
We are looking at our options for getting the goats up there and we are trying to decide if we should get them transported or move them ourselves, I am leaning towards doing it ourselves because they are my babies, but what would you do?
We would like to take about 30 adult goats and maybe 20 kids but we don't know for sure because the kids are not due till January. We are thinking we will move them in two compartments to keep the kids safe. We should be moving in May so they will be weaned by then. We have a 36ft cargo trailer we would use, do you think they would fit? They are not huge goats, they only average about 130# a piece and the kids should be about 30# each.
Is it better do the trip as fast as possible or take breaks. If it is better to take breaks should we keep them in the trailer or try to rig up a fence system to let them out? We thought we would put square bales in with them so that they will always have access to food but I don't think we would be able to provide water all of the time just at every stop. Also is it ok to feed Alfalfa pellets on the trip? I am sure I will have more questions but I cant think of them right now!
Since we have never done anything like this before we could sure use any advice and know-how y'all can offer!!!

[Nanno]

That is a lot of goats to transport! I don't know anything about hauling that many goats that far. I don't think you'll be able to cram them all into one 36' trailer but I could be wrong. You said it's a cargo trailer, but those don't usually have good ventilation. You could maybe get away with it with fewer animals, but with that many the body heat buildup could be pretty insane, as well as the ammonia fumes. You'd do better with a livestock trailer. Those have excellent ventilation and you're going to need that with so many goats. Livestock trailers do let some rain in the sides if you get into a storm, but if the goats get wet it won't be such a big deal because there's enough of them to provide body heat. Overheating is a much bigger concern with that many critters.

You might do better to hire a commercial livestock hauler for that many goats just because they already have the right kind of trailer and the ride is usually nicer for the animals on a semi trailer with its beefy suspension than in something smaller. Commercial haulers are also used to driving straight through with their load so your goats wouldn't be on the road as long. It would still be a very long trip, but it would be over sooner.

If you haul them yourself I'm not sure what the logistics are for letting them out for breaks (which I think would be necessary in a small trailer. Good luck with that move! I hope you can find some good advice from others who have experience with this!

[Missy]

That is a lot of goats to transport! I don't know anything about hauling that many goats that far. I don't think you'll be able to cram them all into one 36' trailer but I could be wrong. You said it's a cargo trailer, but those don't usually have good ventilation. You could maybe get away with it with fewer animals, but with that many the body heat buildup could be pretty insane, as well as the ammonia fumes. You'd do better with a livestock trailer. Those have excellent ventilation and you're going to need that with so many goats. Livestock trailers do let some rain in the sides if you get into a storm, but if the goats get wet it won't be such a big deal because there's enough of them to provide body heat. Overheating is a much bigger concern with that many critters.

You might do better to hire a commercial livestock hauler for that many goats just because they already have the right kind of trailer and the ride is usually nicer for the animals on a semi trailer with its beefy suspension than in something smaller. Commercial haulers are also used to driving straight through with their load so your goats wouldn't be on the road as long. It would still be a very long trip, but it would be over sooner.

If you haul them yourself I'm not sure what the logistics are for letting them out for breaks (which I think would be necessary in a small trailer. Good luck with that move! I hope you can find some good advice from others who have experience with this!

Thankyou for all of that very helpful advice! I have never done anything like this before so I did not think about the heat build up. I guess that is why I am trying to think about it so far in advance so I can come up with a good plan!