The day has come! You've been preparing for this and now its time to bring your goats home. 
We don't have a livestock trailer or access to one, so after chatting to the farm and getting their thoughts we filled the back of the work van with some straw and used that.
We purchased two harnesses and thick weave dog leads to safely secure them. Our harnesses were from Homestead Farm Supplies. If the goats you are bringing home are only 4-6 months old I would recommend you go for the smallest size. We didn't! We got the medium which didn't quite fit them snugly enough, although we managed to make them snug enough for the short journey home with a spot of quick thinking. One the plus side, they should grow into them!
Before you can move the goats, you will need the CPH number I referred to in 'Goat Keeping: Paperwork'. This is used for the Movement Document which will need to be completed to record the movement of the animals from the farm to you and a copy of which will need to be sent to your local animal health department. One very important point which must also be mentioned is that they must be tagged. Have a look at the Defra website for information about goat identification and movement.
Once you get them home, keep them confined for a day to get them used to their surroundings. Because we had to get our boys used to the electric fence we did this slightly differently. We kept them within a closed off area (we used old wooden pallets from work, on their side and screwed together) whilst we were at work and when I came home from work I would let them out. It took them a few days to work out that if they got too close or tried to chew the fence it hurt but they are very weary of it now!
Once home, its also a good idea to get your vet to pop out for a consultation. They can check they're healthy and you can ask any questions you might have (ours did this at a cheap rate as no work was actually carried out).
I can promise you that all the talk of goats chewing everything and nothing being sacred around them is completely true. They think nothing of chasing the geese, much to their disgust. We have to keep the chicken and geese feeders up and out of their way during the day (we put them down first thing in the morning and last thing at night and also give them food during the day, so they don't go without). The chicken huts aren't out of bounds either, particularly if I'm trying to clean them. They will come in and see if you need help (and they won't get the hint if you don't).
All in all though, particularly the first few weeks, don't expect to get much done at home. They adore company and as you get to know each other you'll find you want spend as much time with them as you can, learning all their quirks and just enjoying them.
Make sure you have something for them to do in the garden as well. This sounds daft but they are inquisitive animals and get bored. We have some old tree logs cut up under the trees which they like to climb on and we also made them a small see-saw as they had one in the farm before they came to us - just a plank of wood nailed to a log. We also discovered that ours love a wheelbarrow, particularly if it contains straw. We now have two placed side by side (and weighed down underneath, to stop them falling over when they jump in and out), filled with straw. They love sitting in them, chewing their straw and watching the world go by.
I hope you've found these posts helpful. There's one final post to come for those of you based in West Norfolk which will contain some contact details and links.
We don't have a livestock trailer or access to one, so after chatting to the farm and getting their thoughts we filled the back of the work van with some straw and used that.We purchased two harnesses and thick weave dog leads to safely secure them. Our harnesses were from Homestead Farm Supplies. If the goats you are bringing home are only 4-6 months old I would recommend you go for the smallest size. We didn't! We got the medium which didn't quite fit them snugly enough, although we managed to make them snug enough for the short journey home with a spot of quick thinking. One the plus side, they should grow into them!
Before you can move the goats, you will need the CPH number I referred to in 'Goat Keeping: Paperwork'. This is used for the Movement Document which will need to be completed to record the movement of the animals from the farm to you and a copy of which will need to be sent to your local animal health department. One very important point which must also be mentioned is that they must be tagged. Have a look at the Defra website for information about goat identification and movement.Once you get them home, keep them confined for a day to get them used to their surroundings. Because we had to get our boys used to the electric fence we did this slightly differently. We kept them within a closed off area (we used old wooden pallets from work, on their side and screwed together) whilst we were at work and when I came home from work I would let them out. It took them a few days to work out that if they got too close or tried to chew the fence it hurt but they are very weary of it now!
Once home, its also a good idea to get your vet to pop out for a consultation. They can check they're healthy and you can ask any questions you might have (ours did this at a cheap rate as no work was actually carried out).
I can promise you that all the talk of goats chewing everything and nothing being sacred around them is completely true. They think nothing of chasing the geese, much to their disgust. We have to keep the chicken and geese feeders up and out of their way during the day (we put them down first thing in the morning and last thing at night and also give them food during the day, so they don't go without). The chicken huts aren't out of bounds either, particularly if I'm trying to clean them. They will come in and see if you need help (and they won't get the hint if you don't).
All in all though, particularly the first few weeks, don't expect to get much done at home. They adore company and as you get to know each other you'll find you want spend as much time with them as you can, learning all their quirks and just enjoying them.
Make sure you have something for them to do in the garden as well. This sounds daft but they are inquisitive animals and get bored. We have some old tree logs cut up under the trees which they like to climb on and we also made them a small see-saw as they had one in the farm before they came to us - just a plank of wood nailed to a log. We also discovered that ours love a wheelbarrow, particularly if it contains straw. We now have two placed side by side (and weighed down underneath, to stop them falling over when they jump in and out), filled with straw. They love sitting in them, chewing their straw and watching the world go by.
I hope you've found these posts helpful. There's one final post to come for those of you based in West Norfolk which will contain some contact details and links.
I remember collecting and delivering two kids from the auction to my friend's place. I don't think the paperwork was needed then. We didn't use harnesses, just two strong lads holding the kids on their knees in the back of the car!
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