I knew that Pip and Caper would be okay when the guinea hens came over to check things out. Guinea hens are sentries and yell when they see something new on their property. Pip and Caper were only surprised, but not panicked, when the guineas honked at them. The boys took a look, and then turned to eat the excellent hay that this place has. The goats say that hay quality determines the rating of a hotel. This one gets five stars.
When I die, I want to come back as either your horse or your goats. The care you give your animals touches my heart with happiness. Ten minutes down the road, then visiting will be so easy. Looks like things are really shaping up well for this new adventure. Have you completely moved to Maine now? What is the story on Phoebe?
Perfect for hauling smaller livestock or with smaller tow vehicles, Exiss Exhibitor low profile trailers can be equipped for hauling swine, goats, sheep and other small livestock. With a broad lineup of standard features, Exiss low profile trailers are the safest way to transport your show livestock.
SOLVED - when evil lurks - i saw a trailer on some social media site, maybe even reddit, and it looked like a great movie but i immediately got distracted by stuff for work and forgot the name of the film.
it's a new horror movie, i think it's an indie release - too recent for me to find anything on google unfortunately. there's a family on a farm, looks like it might be similar in vibe to the vvitch. all i have to go on is that there's a farmer and his family. there's a scene in the trailer where he's pointing a long gun at a goat, and the goat moves its forehead right up to the barrel as if to say it's not afraid, go for it.
Any stress goats experience during transportation can adversely affect their welfare, immune system and carcass quality. Everyone who handles goats, from the time they are gathered for transportation until they are settled at their final destination, has a responsibility for the goats' well-being.
Reducing or eliminating causes of stress related to transportation will result in a healthier animal or higher-quality product being delivered. Plan to handle goats with care, provide safe transport and ensure appropriate conditions during transportation and unloading.
Everyone involved in the decision to handle and transport animals is responsible for their care and well-being for the entire trip. The producer's responsibility does not end when the goats are loaded on the truck.
Lowering stress for goats and for handlers starts before any goats are selected for the trip. Having a well-designed handling system that takes the natural herding behaviour of goats into consideration will make the sorting and loading process easier and reduce the stress on the goats. Check the system for any protrusions that could cause injury before starting to gather or sort the goats. Train staff in low-stress handling techniques and being patient while moving the goats. Doing anything with animals in a hurry usually ends up taking more time than planned and stresses the handlers, as well as with the goats.
Goats that are extensively raised on pasture and have little human contact will be more stressed by gathering, penning, sorting and loading than goats more accustomed to being handled. There can be benefits to moving goats through a handling system and not stopping them for treatment or sorting. If their first time through the system is a "good" experience for them, it will be easier to move them to and through your handling system when you need to load them onto a truck.
A low-stress, non-bruising tool for sorting and handling goats is the rattle paddle. Electric prods do not work well with goats and should not be used. Goats can be restrained by proper use of a crook. Never grab them by the hair or fleece. Be careful catching them by the horns, as breaking horns can damage the skull; instead, place a hand under the jaw and over the head.
Ensure all animals are fit to be transported. Do not ship a goat to slaughter that you wouldn't eat yourself. Legally, you cannot ship a compromised goat - one that cannot handle the stress of transportation. Remember, transportation does not always end at the first destination. Goats delivered to an auction are reloaded and transported one or more times. Do not ship goats that are injured, infirm, fatigued, in poor health, distressed, soon to kid, very young or very old.
Loading ramp slopes should not be greater than 35C. The ramp should come out onto a flat dock so goats can walk straight onto the vehicle, with no gaps between the dock and the vehicle. If there is no dock, steps should not be higher than 38 cm (15 in.). If loading at night, position lights so they do not shine into the goat's eyes, but shine into the vehicle where you want them to go.
Shadows, bright spots and distractions on the ground or sides of the handling chutes may cause each goat to stop. Goat eyes require the goat to dip their heads in order to see depth. Goats need time to tell how deep a shadow is. Bright dazzling light will also cause them to balk in the handling chute. When loading goats from a barn on a bright sunny day, cover the loading area, keeping the area in uniform shade. Before moving goats through the handling facility, walk through it, looking for contrasting shadows, bright spots, paper on the ground, bags or coats hanging from the sides, and anything else that would cause the flow of animals to stop or slow down and cause back-ups in the system.
To ship goats, producers/shippers can either choose a transporter or use their own vehicle. The vehicle must be safe for goats and compliant with highway traffic regulations for the jurisdictions it will travel through.
Small utility trailers without adequate sides and open tops that goats can jump, fall or be pushed out of are not suitable livestock transport vehicles. Feet, legs or horns can become trapped or broken in holes or gaps in the sides of vehicles. A roof on the vehicle keeps the goats safely in the vehicle and protects them from the sun and precipitation.
Inspect the vehicle's interior, checking for projections that could injure goats during loading or travel. Put padding over hinges, latches and other supports to prevent bruising if a goat falls or is pushed against them.
The noise level in livestock trailers is often high and varies little with speed or type of road travelled. Noise has a greater effect on releasing stress-related hormones in goats than motion does. Tighten loose metal fittings and flooring in the trailer to reduce rattling noise. Wrap rubber (e.g., rubber hose) around portable loading chutes and partitions to reduce banging noises.
Supply adequate bedding over a non-skid floor in the vehicle or spread sand over the floor before putting in the bedding, to give the goats sure footing. Goats without sure footing are more likely to get injured. Partition large vehicles into smaller areas no longer than 3.1 m (10 ft). Partitioning improves stability for the goats.
The movement of air over goats in a livestock truck removes excess heat, moisture, dust and gases. With high temperature and high humidity within a truck, lack of air flow will cause severe heat stress. Adequate air flow is critical for maintaining goat health during transport and afterwards. The outside of vehicles must have adjustable or removable weather boards. The driver must plan ahead and adjust the weather boards according to the temperature and precipitation conditions anticipated during the trip. As conditions change during the trip, the driver can stop and remove or add weather boards easily and safely.
Multi-decked vehicles may have the ventilation openings covered at road level to prevent road spray from entering the lower levels. Strong crosswinds in winter can be adjusted for by covering most of the openings on the windward side of the vehicle. Loading goats in a vehicle raises the temperature and humidity inside the stationary vehicle. With the exception of cold windy days, leave all openings in large trailers open during loading to prevent heat stress to the goats loaded first. The driver can then adjust the weather boards quickly, if necessary, just before pulling out of the yard.
Research has found that air does not flow through a moving livestock truck or trailer from front to back but instead from the back to the front. Installing vents in the truck or trailer headboard does not help improve air flow. The driving force of the air as the vehicle travels down the road is not enough to reverse the back-to-front air flow pattern. A lot of air power is lost coming through punch holes or vents. Rearward air movement through the headboard is stalled near the front of the vehicle and may even reduce overall ventilation efficiency. Air entering the headboard openings tends to be drawn out through the front side ventilation openings. Additionally, wind resistance deflectors on truck cabs encourage air to move over the vehicle, passing over or past the headboard vents.
When a livestock vehicle is moving, air flow over the goats is created by the difference in air pressure along the length of the open sides of the trailer (or box on a straight truck). As the vehicle moves down the road, air passing over the front of the vehicle separates and creates an area of low pressure that sucks the air out of the front side vents. Further down the trailer, the air flow attaches again. By the time the air flow reaches the end of the trailer, the suction is much less than that created at the front vents. Air enters the rear ventilation openings and moves forward in the trailer over the goats and flows out through the front ventilation openings. This principle is not affected by the size or length of the vehicle.
Do not use solid partitions between compartments. Do not transport goats in the solid-sided front of a gooseneck trailer. Check that the exhaust from the power unit or pick-up truck is not drawn into the trailer. Turn off engines while loading the vehicle.
dd2b598166