Introducing Animals to New Locations

Animal performance often suffers when animals are moved to new locations. They are more likely to die of malnutrition, over ingestion of poisonous plants, predation and thirst than animals familiar with an area.

Principle: Animals are the less likely to eat a new food in a new location than in a familiar location.

Tips for moving animals to new locations

  1. Provide familiar foods. Get animals familiar with food they will encounter at the new location or provide familiar foods for several days or weeks in new locations.
  2. Finding water. Make sure animals know the location of water and are familiar with water troughs or automatic waterers.
  3. Provide familiar feeders. Before moving animals, make sure they are familiar with supplements and feeders that contain supplements.
  4. Unloading animals. Don't unload animals in sensitive areas,( e.g., steams, wet meadows or areas that have been severely graze), areas that contain poisonous plants or in areas with insufficient protection from the elements, such as the top of a hill in winter or south facing slopes with no shade in summer. Animals often remain in the same location where they were unloaded for several days and sometimes much longer.

Fact sheets