# milking equipment



## treeclimber233 (May 19, 2010)

I have 3 does that are due to kid soon.One is a LaMancha that I milked last year by hand.  This year I will have her to milk and her daughter (mini LaMancha) and a nigi/pygmy cross.  The LaMancha does nipples are large enough to milk easily but the other two have very small nipples.  I think a milker would be very helpful.  Even with washing her udder and being very careful last year I still ended up with hair and "stuff" from her kicking in the milk.  I am thinking with a milker I will not have that problem.  I don't have much money so an electric milker is out of the question.  A friend of mine bought a hand milker for $40 that worked for a few weeks and then broke (Might just be the O-ring?).  What type of milker do you use and how much did it cost?


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## aggieterpkatie (May 19, 2010)

I use my hands and they're free.


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## freemotion (May 19, 2010)

I milk a kicky milker with one hand and hold a canning jar up with the other, switching off when my hand gets tired.  It keeps the milk safe and clean.

I am also milking a first freshener now for the first time and it is excruciating!  I am using the method of leaving her kid with her all day and separating them at night, then milking in the morning.  That allows me to NOT have to milk her out for now.  I only hope that her teats get more managable by the time her kid is weaned....

I doubt you will find a reliable milker for a reasonable price.  You can also use the once-a-day method detailed on www.fiascofarm.com


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## Roll farms (May 20, 2010)

I discovered this by accident this year...

Levi, a very sweet boer doe, has the tiniest udder in the world...along w/ small teats.  We bottle raise all our kids, so when she freshened, I spent a disgusting amount of time 2-fingering her colostrum out...I typically milk 4-5 does out in 15 minutes...I spent that on her alone.

Once she was done making colostrum, I was done bothering with her 
(I didn't think she'd be a mastitis risk, since she wasn't making much anyway....does like that I usually just dry off and don't milk.)

3 days after I stopped milking her, she got into the milking area and hopped on the stanchion, like "I know this is where the groceries are, do what you will to me but I want in on the fun."

I was done milking the 'regulars' and had just had quads and needed all I could get so I thought 'what the heck' and milked her.  It's still not like milking one of the regular does, but by golly there was enough there to grab a hold of at least.

Now I'm milking her every 2nd day....she gives 1.5 pints, but it's better than nothing....next year she may do better.

My point is, you might try milking her out a few times to get her producing, and then stop for a day or two and let her get really "FULL".
That stretched Levi's udder and teats out enough so that I could work with them.

As for a cheap milker....good luck finding one of those, and if you do... it probably won't last.

Have you tried shaving their udders / bellies?  Less stuff gets in the milk if there's no hair around to hold it.  I also bought a strainer to fit over my milk bucket to keep 'ick' from getting in to begin with but I have to admit I haven't bothered using it.


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## dkluzier (May 20, 2010)

My DH and I team up on the goats. He's left handed and I am right so it works out pretty good with each of us sitting in our "assigned" seat on either side of the doe and going to work. 

Guess that's my idea of a cheap milking machine - my hubby! Hey - you take what you can get sometimes....


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## freemotion (May 20, 2010)

Another thought on stuff getting into the milk....(I just came in from milking....) I use the cloth that I wash teats and udders with and wipe the goat's belly, brushing all the hair forward as I do so.  This removes most loose stuff and loose hair, and brushes the hair out of the way.

I like to leave the hair because my goats browse, and the hair will protect the udder somewhat.  The goat will feel a stick or branch brushing the hair first, and will have more time to take evasive action before that sharp stick contacts the udder.


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## ohiofarmgirl (May 20, 2010)

what Free said. 

you can also brush her on her belly first

i use my hands for 3 goats with no problems. i saw somewhere that you could put a cheese cloth OVER the bucket and milk thru it. you might try that??


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## noobiechickenlady (May 20, 2010)

I hand milk too, but my girl is very well endowed 
I did see a easy to build & cheap spray bottle milker online. I'll try to find the link. They used a larger plastic syringe, a short length of tubing & a new spray bottle top with a stream setting. From what I remember, you pull out the plunger, put the tubing on the syringe tip, then connect the tubing to the bottom of the spray bottle top. When you squeeze the trigger on the spray top, the milk sprays out, just like when you spray a cleaner solution. You do have to wet the teats & the syringe to get a good seal.

I'm going to start brushing Dixie before I milk her, that's a great idea. As well as I wash, some belly hair usually falls in when she twitches her coat.


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## Iceblink (May 20, 2010)

I hand milk my girls, it's free, and I like having the contact with them. One of my girls is a 'thumb and forefinger' milker, but her teats and skin are very soft and dairy, so she's actually easier than the one with larger teats. 

I have read that the syringe barrel milkers don't work very well, plus they function on suction alone, no pulsating pressure, which is bad for the long term health of the teats and udder. 

I do strain my milk as soon as I am done, and I shave my girls' udders, as well as wiping them down before milking, it works pretty well.


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## mamaluv321 (May 21, 2010)

I read on here somewhere about a guy that uses a manual breast pump, for people, and has for a few years. Makes sense I guess. I'm planning on getting nigerians and have been told they're not _terribly_ hard to milk...I guess well see! Good luck and keep us posted!


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## stano40 (May 21, 2010)

Has anyone tried on of those "Udderly EZ Milkers" you see advertised in the trade magazines?

I always wondered how well they work for people with bad hands like me.

bob


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## treeclimber233 (May 21, 2010)

Even if the "spray" method only works on suction, as long as I let the babies continue to nurse also this method should work and not injure the udder (correct me if I am wrong). I am planning on letting the babies nurse (seperating mom and baby so I can get some milk too) so if I want to go away for the weekend I don't have to worry about milking.  I did that last year with just one baby and had no problems. I have a bad back so I don't want to be crouching down and reaching under 2 does and then only be able to 2 finger them.


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## RockyToggRanch (May 21, 2010)

I doubt if those cheap spray bottle type milkers are any easier on the hands.... You'd be squeezing just the same.

I have a doe with huge teats that takes me forever to milk. I really can't fit her entire teat in my hand. But she gives a lot of milk:/ I wonder what silly machine stretched her out like that. My girl with smaller teats gives the same anount in half the time.


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## freemotion (May 21, 2010)

treeclimber233 said:
			
		

> Even if the "spray" method only works on suction, as long as I let the babies continue to nurse also this method should work and not injure the udder (correct me if I am wrong). I am planning on letting the babies nurse (seperating mom and baby so I can get some milk too) so if I want to go away for the weekend I don't have to worry about milking.  I did that last year with just one baby and had no problems. I have a bad back so I don't want to be crouching down and reaching under 2 does and then only be able to 2 finger them.


You could build your milking stand like some of the professional dairies....a high stand with a ramp, and you can stand up behind the doe and milk from behind.  They use a machine, but you could milk with your hands from behind.


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## nmred (May 22, 2010)

I am very new at this and have only had our goats for a few months and have been milking them for only three weeks, so take this info FWIW...I have arthritis in my right hand and so was worried about being able to hand milk very well.  From articles in Dairy Goat Journal and threads on this forum I heard about several hand milkers:  the Udderly EZ Milker (the most expensive) and has gotten bad reviews on this forum as not being very well made; the Henry Milker (next expensive) and the MaggieDan (least expensive).  We bought both the Henry and the MaggieDan just to try them out.  They both come with a 30 day guarantee so if you don't like them you can get your money back.  I like them both.  

The Henry is a little slower but easier on your hands as it doesn't need to be pumped all the time.  Once you get it up to pressure (7 lbs seems to work best on my girls) you can rest for a minute until the pressure drops.  Then it only takes a few pumps to get it back to pressure.  I consistently get a bit more milk with the Henry.  

The MaggieDan is a bit easier to use than the Henry (by this I mean the design is more streamlined) except that you have to pump constantly.  My hands get very tired and I have to switch off, but so far I've been able to do it even with my arthritis.  You don't have to squeeze as tightly, so it isn't as hard on my hand as hand milking.  The milk starts coming more quickly with the MaggieDan and when they are really letting down it is hard to keep up.  It doesn't just run into the jar like the Henry does, you have to pump it out.  By the way, the MaggieDan was originally made to use on pygmies and nigerians and you have to order it with a larger syringe for the larger breeds.

Both companies claim that they and others have used the milkers for years with no problems and claim that you will not have any more udder problems than you would anyway.  The milk is very clean and doesn't even need to be strained as both of these are a closed system.  The lids on my jars always have bits of hay, hair, dust, etc. on them when I bring them in the house.  I just wipe them off before I open the jars to weigh and measure the milk, and it is always good and clean.

I am very happy with both these milkers and would recommend them to you.  The hand pump one you can make yourself is from an article in Goat World (I think) or maybe it was Dairy Goat Journal.  I saw it when I was researching hand milkers and thought about making it myself.  It would probably work like the MaggieDan, but not be as durable.

If you're thinking of getting a hand milker, go ahead.  I think you'll like them.  You can always milk by hand when you want to and use the milker the rest of the time.


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## lorihadams (May 23, 2010)

Anybody use an electric breast pump? I still have mine.......getting nigis......just thinking......


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## RockyToggRanch (May 23, 2010)

nmred....

How long does it take to milk one goat? and how easy is it to clean?

I just looked at them (Henry) online and it looks interesting.


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## Mini-M Ranch (May 24, 2010)

We bought a Henry Milker a few weeks ago because my husband wanted to help with the milking.  One of our does is a two finger milker and it was taking me 35 minutes to get 1/2 a pint from her.  My husband could do nothing with her.  Her teat is shorter than the width of his thumb, so whenever he squeezed, part of his thumb would cover up the teat orifice. 

We bought the Henry Milker and are please with the results so far.  We are now getting about a pint a day from her in about 5 minutes.  It is easy to operate.  This is how it works best for us.  I get the pressure up to about 5.5 or 6, then I massage the udder a bit, and she milks out pretty fast.  She is happier, and I am happier, and my husband gets to help a bit.

I would recommend the Henry.  We only use it once a day, and I don't use it on any of the other girls, as their teats are large enough to hand milk.


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## chandasue (May 24, 2010)

I use the Udderly EZ milker and I really like it just fine on my Nigerian. Perhaps it's not so good on the larger teats of a full size goat though. I also have wrist problems and it's really saved my hands. I haven't had any problems with it or with it hurting my girl's udder. I sometimes think people don't read instructions which would lead to problems if they just aren't using it correctly.


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## RockyToggRanch (May 25, 2010)

How much time to clean the Henry milker? I just ordered one because my new doe has tiny teats and I can't milk her without covering everything with milk.


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## Mini-M Ranch (May 25, 2010)

Really, it takes almost no time at all.  First, you run cold water through it until that runs nice and clear.  Then run a little hot water through.  I run vinegar or bleach water through it every couple of days.  It comes with a long brush that you can use, too, but I've never really needed to use it.


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## henrymilker (Oct 19, 2010)

Nice comments on milkers, needless to say, I am a little partial to the Henry Milker for milking goats, especially the kickers or dancers, goats with small teats or just bad behavior during milking time. I have seven goats and use the vacuum goat milking machine on all of my does because my hands ache too much to milk by hand.


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