Animal Transport (sheep)

[ejb]

Hi Guys,

For the first time, I need to transport some animals (8 sheep) to my house from a farm 250 miles away. All the animals I bought before have either been delivered, or they were small enough to go in the back of the pickup and close enough that it was not a big deal....8 grown sheep are a different story.

Problem is, I do not own a trailer, and I'd like to get out of this as inexpensively as possible.

Is it completely crazy to transport sheep in the back of a Ryder/uhaul type truck? If not, are there generally places that rent livestock trailers for a day or two?

Any other special issues I should be aware of when trucking animals this distance?

 

[Boondox]

Good question, and one my wife and I have been pondering since getting into this sheep thing. Thus far we've been able to stuff pairs into a dog crate in the back of the Subaru, but like you, the day will come when we need to move more animals at one time. We never thought of renting anything, since the New England mindset is to make do with what you have.

Here's what we were thinking. Using the bed pockets, construct a temporary cage over the truck bed. Sheep don't like fast moving scenery, so a few sheets of plywood would block those sources of anxiety and keep them inside. Vent holes on the side, etc. And eight animals in a pickup should be packed tightly enough to prevent slipping.

Advice from an amateur. Free, and worth every penny!

Pete

 

[Craig_D]

Try renting a 2 horse trailer, with doors or whats called step up. Might be cheaper than renting a truck
and the first in are going to try to get out with a roll up door. It might be harder to hold them back while
loading un less you use a shoot.

 

[40Kchicks]

A horse trailer is going to be cheaper than renting a U-haul. In fact when I last moved we rented a large horse trailer for this reason. Ya, I'm cheap but it worked just as good.
Eric

 

[reb]

You might want to check the local laws. I have been told it is now illegal here in Arizona to transport livestock in a vehicle not designed for that purpose. Renting or borrowing a horse trailer might be the best bet. You can be sure the owners of a U-Haul truck would not be happy with what the sheep leave behind.

reb