# Your best/favorite milker suggestions, please!



## ChickenPotPie (Mar 2, 2011)

I'm a VERY busy mom with 4 boys, 3 of whom have great challenges (Aspergers, Social Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, ODD, etc.  Yes, etc.).  Besides household chores/management and doctors appts, we keep a show rabbitry, show/meat/egg poultry, and a small herd of show/dairy goats to feed our family in order to keep down the costs of living and give my family the healthiest foods we can.  Plus, they are therapy for my family.

With our first three does bred, and kidding now, the dairy herd just grew from 4 to 10 with 1 - 3 more on the way!  I need to milk 3 does this year and need to minimize/make easier the milking process.  I also think that this is the year the herd owner (my 11 year old) will be able to responsibly and physically milk his does.  

We have extra money right now (a rare and welcome occurrence) to buy a milker.  I'm really lost as to which one/kind to get and where to buy it!  We will be milking up to 4 does in future years.  

I need suggestions!  What do you think is the best way to go for easier/faster than hand milking options?  

I'm open to those "squeezie" hand pumps all the way up to a small, easy to use single goat miker (we only have one stanction) as long as it will save me some precious time and save my own hands and make it easier for my son who still has trouble hand milking.  I'd like to pay anywhere from $50 - $1,200.

Heeelp?!  *gets down on knees and begs*


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Mar 2, 2011)

I can't help with milker suggestions, but good luck and let us know how it works out!  Sounds like what you really need is a personal assistant.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 2, 2011)

If you have the money now, I'd really recommend getting an automated goat milker, not the squeezey hand kinds.


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## ChickenPotPie (Mar 2, 2011)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> ...Sounds like what you really need is a personal assistant.


lol    I used to have house keepers/girl Fridays come help me with house keeping a few years ago but since our move to the country, so that my boys could go to an excellent school that helps them with their issues, we can't afford it anymore.  :/  

Plus, I have my own anxiety issues that make it very stressful for me to have anyone to come inside or even near my house, which I consider my safe haven (It was all I could take when I used to have house help).  Bummer for stupid genetics/disorders.  

ETA:  Aggieterpkatie - Thank you for you input.  I wasn't sure how efficient those squeezies are.  Do you have any suggestions for a particular automated milker or what to buy one?


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## ChickenPotPie (Mar 2, 2011)

Sorry, double post.


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## helmstead (Mar 2, 2011)

Believe it or not...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-milker...106?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb39cfad2

His milking machines come highly recommended and he's SUPER helpful!


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## freemotion (Mar 2, 2011)

Thanks for the link....I often think about how I will milk if I ever injure myself in a way that I can't milk by hand.

Until then....this was on the site:  





> This milker will cut your milking time to less than 5 minutes per animal and cleanup takes less than 5 minutes.


It takes me about 5 minutes to milk a goat including washing and dipping which has to be done with a machine, too.  Clean-up?  How long does it take to wash my hands?  

Although I wished for one with my first-freshener last spring....


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 2, 2011)

Yeah, something like the one Helmstead posted.  


And I agree Free, I'd probably only get one if I had bad hand pain or was milking more than 5 or so goats.


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## ChickenPotPie (Mar 2, 2011)

helmstead said:
			
		

> Believe it or not...
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Complete-milker...106?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb39cfad2
> 
> His milking machines come highly recommended and he's SUPER helpful!


 Wow, thank you, Helmstead.  I was actually on the Perry's Milkers website just yesterday (the ebay seller from your link)    I was impressed by their prices but still unsure about buying a refurbished one.  Thank you for letting me know they come highly recommended.  It's reassuring.  

I'm going to call tomorrow and order one.  Yay!  I'm excited about this. 

Thanks, everyone.


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## chandasue (Mar 2, 2011)

Agree~ if you can afford to get a "real" milk machine, do it. If I could justify it, I'd get one too. Maybe when I get to 8 milkers...   I have a hand pump one for one goat that's finicky about having her udder touched, but it takes just as long as milking by hand. Sometimes longer, she's a pain... They work alright on tiny teats from my experience but I'd still rather have a milk machine.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 3, 2011)

I have the DP120 from Perry's Milkers. I love it. The cleanup really doesn't take that long. It takes me a long time to milk by hand because it hurts my hands so bad.


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