DIY Sheep Trailer {Livestock Hauler}

Save money by building your own DIY sheep trailer and livestock hauler! Large enough for multiple small animals and even a calf or two.

This DIY sheep trailer is one of the best projects we have ever done on our farm! Why is that?? Because it has made hauling livestock SO much easier. We used to have to borrow a trailer, but now we never have to do that. {Also, we obviously took these photos earlier this spring, I’m just getting a chance to put together the tutorial now!}

Of course, this livestock hauler can be used for goats, even chickens, and calves. These are sold in smaller versions which are basically a tote that fits in your truck bed {usually called goat totes} for more than $400. This DIY livestock hauler cost us about $75 for the corner bars and cattle panel. Here is how we made it!

First, we purchased these corner bars and inserted them into the corners of our truck bed.

Then, we lined up the cattle panel, wired it in place {temporarily} and trimmed the top to be close to level with the bars, I wanted a full section on top with a top row of the panel.

This gives you an idea of how tall it is, my husband is about 6ft. We wanted it to be high enough for calves.

We left the back panel secured with heavy duty wire so we could open it like a door, that way if the tailgate is down and the panel on the truck is moved you can get the animals in easily with a ramp.

We added the cattle panel on all the sides. On the back, we left it just level with the tailgate so there was a small space when the tailgate was down. This proved handy for arranging things if there was already an animal in there.

We left the front panel long, all the way to the truck bed because I didn’t want anything to be able to wiggle up the gap between the livestock hauler and the window, but that’s probably not necessary.

After we had everything in place, Andy welded the DIY sheep trailer all together. The cattle panel actually welded ok, but the welder was almost out of gas and not working super well so Andy is very embarrassed that I am posting a picture of these “terrible welds” online – ha! But it will give you an idea of how much we welded.

You WILL for sure need to put something on the top of the livestock hauler. Sheep and goats will try to jump, so if it’s a dark breathable cover like we used or more panel, you need to have something that will deter them from attempting an escape.

The wood you can see in the picture below is just a ramp we made to make walking in easier, although we usually just pick up whatever we are trying to move and set it inside.

The other thing that is really nice about this DIY sheep trailer is how easy it is to remove. You just lift it off and set it down wherever you need it.

When we picked up our ewe, Fig, we bedded the truck bed with a stall pad and some hay. She stood the entire 2-hour drive, snacked, stared down big rigs, and didn’t seem too worried about anything, but she is a feisty little mama. Ideally, I would have liked her to lay down but this DIY livestock hauler kept her safe and secure the entire time. We have had it on and off a few times and it’s held up very well.

PIN this post on your HOBBY FARMING board to SAVE it for later! Follow Longbourn Farm on Pinterest for more great tips, ideas, and tutorials!

[et_bloom_inline optin_id=”optin_4″]

Let me know your tips and tricks for hauling livestock on your small farm below!!