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      Transportation

 

So you found a San Clemente Island goat, but she's 800 miles away. What now?

 


Getting Ready

First of all, if you're going to ship in an adult doe, you might as well get a pregnant one. After all, her mate is going to be hundreds of miles away, so you've already made the first step to diversify the gene pool, because whatever buck you're hoping to get won't be related to the mother or her daughters (hopefully). Don't expect any guarantee of pregnancy or delivery—goat pregnancy testing can be a little "iffy" to begin with.


But if you let a breeder know that you're hoping for a pregnant doe, most of them will oblige as best as they can.

You may prefer to ship kids. . . they're small and easy, and will probably sleep for the entire journey.

As we add states to the Breeder Map page, we also add import regulations. If you'd like us to put your state's goat import regulations on there, please contact us.

You don't want to bring cooties home, so you may wish to ask the breeder to deworm before the goat ships out. If they deworm 3 days before shipment, it will reduce the physical stress on the goat. Avoid vaccinating immediately proceding or following shipping, as this could add to the stress.

Make sure your goat's home is completely ready for arrival. A bucket of warm water with molasses mixed in can be a nice treat to help settle her in. Keep it peaceful, and reduce her stress however possible. Don't be worried if there's an asymptomatic flare-up of coccidia upon arrival—it should settle down as your goat settles in, but keep a tight eye on all aspects of her health.


Transport Options

Driving

If you're going to make a road trip, you might want to check to see whether there are any other prospective breeders in your area. You could bring them a goat, too, and they could pitch in for gas money. If you'd like to explore this option, but don't know who to ask, contact us—we have a rather long list of people who'd like to breed San Clemente Island goats.

As San Clemente Island goats are so small, they fit pretty easily in any compartment that would hold a very large dog, unless you're shipping a buck who has large horns. They usually travel quietly. Kids are extremely easy to transport, and will usually sleep the whole time (goat kids, we mean!).

If you use a pick-up truck, be aware of wind chill, and whether or not your tarp is going to act as a wind tunnel.


Hired Trailer

Paws 'n Claws will transport any animal that fits into a dog crate. They transport animals in half of the United States for a $400 flat fee. We just found them, so we haven't gotten any reviews in yet, but they are sensitive to biosecurity issues and willing to work with small goats. www.pawsnclaws.org/

 

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Zeigler Horse and Livestock Transport is a professional licensed horse and livestock transport company that is up for going the extra step in biosecurity with the ability to carry goats in seperate compartments from other livestock. You can ask them to wash down stalls prior to transport with 10% bleach solution to minimize risks of CL and they'll oblige.


Al Zeigler & Rebecca Redman
Phone 641–843–4351
www.zeiglerlivestocktransport.com    

UShip is an interesting online spot where people can bid to transport your goat. The transporter may or may not be good with goats, and prices can vary greatly. However, you might luck out and find a great person who will transport your animal for the extra gas money. http://www.uship.com/pets/


Train

Amtrak accepts service animals only. Nice idea, though.


Airplane

Airlines will ship goats. This is a very good option if you want to buy a kid. Each goat must be accompanied by health papers and be in an approved dog crate etc. Make sure you tape a ziplock bag of goat chow to the top of the crate in case of some kind of delay. You can fly a 14-week old San Clemente Island goat far or near for about $200–$400. It's calculated by crate size, and you need the crate to be an extra 2 inches above the top of the goat's head. Crate size terms such as "intermediate" or "large" vary by manufacturer, so you're best to get the price quote by giving the dimensions of the crate you'll be using.

Breeder Tips (thank you, Carole!):
Make sure that you check the airline's health certificate requirements. Although most states require a health cert. to be completed withing 30 days of shipment, some airlines will have their own rules about having the health cert. made within 10 days of shipment.


If you ship on a Saturday, you'll have less chance of having a dog on board with your goat.
If you'd like to ship C.O.D., you may be able to set up an account with the airline to make this happen.
If the airline temperature rules are too limiting for your goats, you might want to get an acclimation certificate from your vet.

Delta makes it pretty easy to check the status of your travelling goat.

Their pet cargo number is 1–888–736–3738. Delta's pet web page is at 

www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/pet_travel_information

https://www.united.com/.../travel/animals/petsafe.aspx,

 

United's PetSafe offers airport-to-airport travel for animals. Our program includes a dedicated 24-hour PetSafe desk, the ability to track your pets from origin to destination and much more. You can also earn 500 MileagePlus award miles for each PetSafe shipment within the U.S. and 1,000 miles for all other shipments.

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To learn more about entry requirements for your pet’s destination as well as more details about pet travel to and from the U.S. and most countries, please visit APHIS Pet Travel by the USDA.

Please read the information in the "Before you book" section below before you request a PetSafe booking for shipping your pet.


Westjet's (Canada) cargo number is EXP-Air 1-866-952-2746. They only ship goats within Canada.

The price differences between the airlines can vary greatly. We suggest you call around, no matter what your previous experiences have been, and you might save $200.

America West, Independance Air, Jet Blue, and US Airways do not ship goats.

Import Regulations
 

Updated Goat Export Regulations 2021

https://www.interstatelivestock.com/

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The Myths of Transport

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Let us talk a minute about transportation within states. There is much confusion and miss-information out there. Let's talk about the miss-information for a minute.

  • "Oh, its ok not to have physical identification on my goat, because I just sold it out of state."

  • "Since the Scrapie Program is voluntary I can choose to ignore or not place Identification on my animal."

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Correction about the Myths

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  • Anytime you change ownership (sale, trade, give away.. any type), it is USDA law that the goat or sheep have one of the USDA forms of identification. Two of those forms require an Official Registry (Registration or Identity Certificate, Stamped Registration or Transfer Application)

  • Don't take our word for it

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When you're sending out a goat, please ensure that you follow the import regulations of the state you're shipping to.
The regulations vary strongly from state to state. To find out the import regulations of your destination state, please visit the USDA-APHIS site at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_states.shtml

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