6 Best Reinforced Crates For Stubborn Goats That Keep Your Herd Safe
Keep your escape-artist goats secure. Our guide reviews the 6 best heavy-duty crates, comparing durability and design for ultimate herd protection.
We’ve all seen it: the splintered plastic, the bent wire, the smug-looking goat standing exactly where it shouldn’t be. Standard dog crates are simply not designed for the unique combination of intelligence, strength, and sheer stubbornness a goat possesses. Investing in a reinforced crate isn’t about luxury; it’s a fundamental tool for safe transport, temporary containment, and responsible herd management.
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Why Standard Crates Fail Stubborn Goats
A determined goat is a force of nature. They don’t just paw at the door; they ram it, using their heads and horns as battering rams against weak points. Standard wire crates buckle and bend under this pressure, creating gaps large enough for an escape.
The plastic travel carriers you find at big-box stores are even worse. A few solid headbutts can crack the shell, especially around the door frame or ventilation slots. Goats are also notorious chewers, and a plastic door latch or weak hinge is an easy target for a persistent mouth.
Most importantly, standard crates are designed for canine behavior, not caprine ingenuity. Goats will test every latch, push every seam, and exploit any structural weakness. Their horns can get caught in wide wire mesh, causing panic and injury, while their clever lips and tongues can manipulate simple slide-bolt locks.
Ruff Land Kennels: Top Roto-Molded Security
Ruff Land Kennels are a game-changer for containing powerful animals. Their signature feature is a one-piece, roto-molded construction. This means the entire kennel body is a single, seamless piece of heavy-duty plastic, eliminating the weak corners and joints that goats love to target.
The strength of this design can’t be overstated. It flexes under impact rather than cracking, absorbing the force of a goat ramming the sides. The doors are also designed for security, fitting snugly into the frame and making it difficult for a goat to get any purchase with its horns or mouth.
While not the cheapest option, they offer a fantastic balance of security, durability, and weight. They are easy to hose out and tough enough to be left in the back of a truck. Just be sure to measure your goat carefully; you want them to be able to stand and turn around, but not have so much room they can get a running start at the door.
Impact Collapsible Crate: Heavy-Duty Aluminum
For those who need maximum security without sacrificing storage space, the Impact Collapsible Crate is in a class of its own. Made from heavy-gauge, corrosion-resistant aluminum, this crate is built like a small fortress. The corners are welded, the bars are solid, and the butterfly latches require opposable thumbs to operate, thwarting even the most clever goat.
The real selling point is its collapsibility. In just a few minutes, the crate folds down to a height of about eight inches, making it easy to store in a barn, shed, or vehicle. This is a massive advantage for hobby farmers where every square foot of storage space is precious.
This level of engineering comes at a premium price. It’s a significant investment, but if you have a known escape artist or frequently travel and need a crate that can be easily stored between trips, the cost is justified by the peace of mind and practicality it provides.
Tarter’s Goat Tote: For Hauling on the Farm
Sometimes you don’t need a fully enclosed kennel; you just need to move a few goats from the barn to a new pasture across the property. This is where a specialized tool like Tarter’s Goat Tote shines. It’s less of a crate and more of a heavy-duty transport cage designed to attach to a tractor’s three-point hitch or the bed of a UTV.
Constructed from heavy steel with a powder-coat finish, the Goat Tote is built for farm life. It’s an open-air design, providing excellent ventilation while keeping goats securely contained for short-distance hauling. The drop-pin gate is simple, secure, and easy to operate even with gloves on.
This is not a crate for vet visits in your SUV. It’s a purpose-built piece of farm equipment. For hobby farmers managing rotational grazing or needing to separate animals quickly, it’s an incredibly efficient tool that saves the hassle of setting up temporary fencing or trying to lead a stubborn buck on a halter.
Zinger Winger Deluxe: The Ultimate Escape-Proof
If you have a goat that views every other crate as a personal challenge, the Zinger Winger Deluxe is your answer. These crates are engineered specifically for escape artists, with a focus on eliminating every possible point of failure. The doors are reinforced with solid aluminum bars and feature a slam latch that is both incredibly strong and easy to close in a hurry.
What sets the Zinger apart is the attention to detail in its security features. The lockable latch, welded construction, and reinforced frame leave no room for error. There are no plastic components to chew and no weak spots to exploit. This is the crate you buy once and never worry about again.
The tradeoff for this level of security is weight and cost. Zinger crates are heavy and represent the top end of the market in price. But for a valuable animal or a goat with a history of dangerous escapes, the investment is a small price to pay for absolute containment.
Priefert Kennel: A Sturdy, Permanent Option
Not all containment needs are about transport. For situations like kidding, quarantine, or separating a bully, a permanent or semi-permanent kennel is often a better solution. Priefert’s modular kennel systems, built from heavy-duty, powder-coated steel panels, are an excellent choice for this role.
These aren’t portable crates but rather robust, free-standing enclosures. You can assemble them in a barn or a protected outdoor area to create a safe, secure space. The panel design allows you to customize the size and shape to fit your needs, and the horse-safe latch is more than a match for any goat.
Think of this as part of your farm’s infrastructure. It’s the perfect solution for isolating a sick animal to prevent herd-wide illness or for giving a new mother and her kids a private, protected space. It provides security without the confinement of a small travel crate.
Gunner G1 Kennel: Unmatched Impact Protection
When your primary concern is safety during vehicle travel, the Gunner G1 Kennel is the industry leader. This is the only crate on the market with a 5-star crash test rating, a testament to its double-wall, roto-molded construction. It’s designed to withstand incredible forces, protecting the animal inside during a potential accident.
Every feature is over-engineered for safety, from the paddle latch with a keyed lock to the stainless-steel hardware. The robust build that makes it so safe also makes it incredibly goat-proof. A goat simply isn’t going to break out of a Gunner.
This level of protection comes with two major considerations: weight and price. Gunner kennels are significantly heavier than other roto-molded options and are among the most expensive crates available. For farmers who frequently transport valuable breeding stock on public roads, the Gunner provides a level of impact protection that no other crate can match.
Key Features for a Goat-Proof Crate Design
When you’re evaluating any crate, forget the marketing and focus on the build. A truly goat-proof crate shares several non-negotiable features that stand up to the unique pressures these animals exert.
Look past the brand name and inspect these critical elements:
- Solid Construction: Choose one-piece roto-molded plastic or welded, heavy-gauge aluminum. Avoid thin plastic shells with seams and wire crates that can be bent or broken.
- Secure Latches: The latch is the most common point of failure. Look for slam latches, butterfly (or "crush-proof") latches, or any system that requires squeezing or turning rather than a simple slide bolt.
- Reinforced Doors: The door takes the most abuse. It should sit flush with the frame, have minimal give, and be constructed from the same tough material as the crate body.
- Smart Ventilation: Airflow is crucial, but ventilation holes must be small enough that a horn or hoof cannot get stuck. Slits or round holes are generally safer than wider grates.
- Seamless Interior: A smooth, seamless interior is easier to clean and, more importantly, offers no edges for a goat to chew or leverage against.
Choosing the right crate is an investment in your farm’s safety and your own sanity. The best choice depends entirely on your specific needs—whether it’s daily farm chores, occasional vet trips, or maximum-security containment. By matching the crate’s design to your goat’s personality and your primary use, you can ensure your herd stays safe, secure, and exactly where you want them to be.
