# Calling all hand milkers!



## WindyIndy (Oct 23, 2016)

I'm starting to look into hand milking equipment and was just wondering if any of you seasoned hand milkers had any certain products that you liked more then others, or something that you found you wished you had at the beginning.

The heifer I'm thinking about getting was born this may, so it'll be while before I'm milking her, but I figured now was a good time to do my research. I read that you should use stainless steel. 

Here is one of the many places that I have read and found helpful
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/...y-handling-raw-milk.html#sthash.rRKwLFlX.dpbs


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## farmerjan (Oct 23, 2016)

Stainless steel is about the only type metal bucket that you can be sure will get clean and sanitary; that said I had a jersey with short legs and very low to the ground udder that I used a 16 qt canning kettle that was the blue speckled enamaled metal wear as it was the only thing that fit under her. Totally seamless inside.  Whatever you use, it has to be SEAMLESS so that the interior is totally without any crevices inside.  I know people that milk into a sturdy plastic bucket, and I have several 2 gal food grade plastic buckets that I milk into.  They are from dunkin' donuts that the flavored frostings and fillings come in and are very sturdy and have lids that snap on tight.  They will withstand a dishwasher so will get sanitized pretty good.  Easier to carry with the snap on lid.  Try looking at HAMBY dairy supply also. The biggest thing is seamless inside and able to clean and keep sanitary.  Are you anywhere near a dairy supply store that you can go in and just browse?  Like a feed store/co-op that has a dairy section?  Or an actual dairy supple that caters to commercial dairy farmers?  You don't have to spend a fortune, and looking now will give you a chance to really check out  different options.
Have you ever gone on REALMILK.COM ?  Also, look at magazines like countryside and others that cater to the homesteader type people.  You can spend alot of money on stuff that you may not like or need and I admire that you are looking at this way ahead of time. 
One thing, I store any/all milk in the refridge in GLASS jars not plastic.  I get gal and 1/2 gal jars from a deli that has certain things like pickles and relish in them.  Also, regular 1/2 gal canning jars work well.  I use a large strainer with very fine woven cloth napkins for a "filter" but have also used coffee filters to strain the milk through prior to storage in the fridge.  The cloth can be washed and reused but some people think it's not acceptable.  The coffee filters, get the large ones that the commercial coffee pots use and they work good.


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## Goatgirl47 (Oct 23, 2016)

This is where we get our half gallon milk jars:

http://www.redhillgeneralstore.com/housewares/kitchen/kitacc/Glass-Milk-Bottles.htm


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## farmerjan (Oct 23, 2016)

If you get regular  1/2 gallon canning jars, ball brand, you can find them at most any store.  Walmart's has them for about $11.00 for 6 so that is less than $2.00 each.  They use normal canning jar lids, they are easy to clean and new lids are easy to buy.  They also are made to withstand heat and are fairly sturdy.  Not fancy, but very multi-purpose.  Milk jars like the ones you posted the link to are nice, but they can be expensive and my concern would be getting them real clean inside.  I can put my hand down inside a 1/2 gallon canning jar with a scrubbie and make sure there isn't anything stuck before it gets washed and sanitized. Any milk that I do on cow shares are in the canning jars.


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## Goatgirl47 (Oct 23, 2016)

We use something like this to clean the jars (click on it to see it fully). 

You can also find it at Walmart or Target. ;-)


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## ragdollcatlady (Oct 23, 2016)

I use glass milk bottles and I think they are great. The worst thing is that the usual bottle brushes with sturdier handles (I scrub hard) won't reach to the bottom of the 1/2 gallon sized bottles. The handles are too fat. I occasionally find a longer but less sturdy, bottle brush and use it on the bottom half of the larger bottles or, like this week when I broke my last longer bottle brush, I drop a green scrubby pad into the bottle and use the handle of a wooden spoon to scrub it along the corners and bottom of those the bottles. Then I scrub the rest with my sturdier brush.


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## WindyIndy (Oct 23, 2016)

Thank you all for the great advice! I love the glass gallon jars, but getting some 1/2 gallon would probably be a good idea too. I like how easy they are to clean. I didn't even know you could get 1/2 gallon canning jars, that sounds like it might be a good idea too!

There is a tractor supply fairly close to us, and we used to have a really good dairy/farm store but they have since changed it up and gone more tourist friendly  =/  I definitely want to go cheaply as possible while still getting the right stuff. I do lots of shopping online, especially on Amazon.    Can I get the big coffee filters on there?  Would putting a coffee filter over the bucket while milking be a good idea? Would that help keep most of the hay and dirt out if she kicks up her feet?

I'll check out that website too, thanks! My daddy also has some old Hobby Farm books that I'm going to look though too. 

The only reason I asked about putting her on a stand to milk was I wasn't sure how low she would be and I didn't want the pail to be too close to the dirt and get bacteria in the milk. I'm so new to this


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## Mini Horses (Oct 23, 2016)

Even low to ground you can always consider a piece of plywood for her to stand on while milking.  It can be swept off, hosed, etc.    I'd practice handling her feet and up her legs, all across her belly, etc.,  from a very early age -- easier to clean her and reach up to her udder when the time comes.

Jeffers offers milking sections....goats, cows.


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## WindyIndy (Oct 23, 2016)

That's a great idea about the plywood, thanks! 

I'll check there too


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## Goatgirl47 (Oct 23, 2016)

Good point @Mini Horses, I almost forgot about that! 
Every single heifer we have/have had gets used to being touched EVERYWHERE from a very early age. We tie them up for a short time each day, touch their udder, belly, head, ears, etc. It makes any future vet visits much easier, as well as milking when calving comes around.


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## farmerjan (Oct 23, 2016)

Agree that you should get the heifer used to being touched, handled.  Most cows find a soft brush is comfortable too, and relaxing, so that is an option to getting her used to being touched.  Just figured that you would be doing that if she is to be your "pet" family milk cow.  
Doesn't matter how low the pail  is to the dirt unless you have bacteria that can jump into the milk from the dirt floor ?!?. Seriously, it will only get contaminated from the top.  Either from stuff falling in it off her teats, udder, or swishing a tail, etc. The 16 qt canning kettle I used to use for my old jersey only had about 8 inch sides and the only time we had a problem was when she would decide to put her foot in it.  I guess that you could try to put a filter over your bucket, but honestly, I would still re-filter it as you pour it into clean jars in the house.  Don't know if they would fit across a milking bucket. Not that I want to drink "dirty" milk, but a few cow hairs or specks of straw won't hurt it in the 15 min or so til you get it into the house to strain.  A trick I have long since used, especially for an animal that gets restless before you are done milking, is to have 2 pails, and when you get 1/2 to 2/3 done, switch to an empty pail so that you don't get almost to the end and she suddenly moves or kicks and it all gets dumped out, or just getting restless and it gets contaminated.     Always happens when I needed that full bucket for something. 
I spread clean shavings under her before I milk to keep the floor dirt from getting kicked up, and it helps to absorb the plops of manure that they will inevitably do when you least want them to. (Like really cow, you have been standing outside for how long and could've done that before you came in here!!!!)
Our Tractor supply usually has the 1/2 gallon Ball canning jars but Walmart's were a little cheaper. Sometimes TS puts them on sale at the "end of the canning season" . 1/2 gallons will cool quicker than gallon jars and the canning ones are pretty square and will take up less room than the round jars.   I keep a couple of qts in the fridge for easy pouring into a glass, cereal, etc.


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## WindyIndy (Oct 24, 2016)

Goatgirl47 said:


> Good point @Mini Horses, I almost forgot about that!
> Every single heifer we have/have had gets used to being touched EVERYWHERE from a very early age. We tie them up for a short time each day, touch their udder, belly, head, ears, etc. It makes any future vet visits much easier, as well as milking when calving comes around.



That's what I do with my horse, though I don't need to tied him up anymore  I will definitely be doing this with her as soon as she gets here. I also want to halter train her.



farmerjan said:


> Agree that you should get the heifer used to being touched, handled.  Most cows find a soft brush is comfortable too, and relaxing, so that is an option to getting her used to being touched.  Just figured that you would be doing that if she is to be your "pet" family milk cow.
> Doesn't matter how low the pail  is to the dirt unless you have bacteria that can jump into the milk from the dirt floor ?!?. Seriously, it will only get contaminated from the top.  Either from stuff falling in it off her teats, udder, or swishing a tail, etc. The 16 qt canning kettle I used to use for my old jersey only had about 8 inch sides and the only time we had a problem was when she would decide to put her foot in it.  I guess that you could try to put a filter over your bucket, but honestly, I would still re-filter it as you pour it into clean jars in the house.  Don't know if they would fit across a milking bucket. Not that I want to drink "dirty" milk, but a few cow hairs or specks of straw won't hurt it in the 15 min or so til you get it into the house to strain.  A trick I have long since used, especially for an animal that gets restless before you are done milking, is to have 2 pails, and when you get 1/2 to 2/3 done, switch to an empty pail so that you don't get almost to the end and she suddenly moves or kicks and it all gets dumped out, or just getting restless and it gets contaminated.     Always happens when I needed that full bucket for something.
> I spread clean shavings under her before I milk to keep the floor dirt from getting kicked up, and it helps to absorb the plops of manure that they will inevitably do when you least want them to. (Like really cow, you have been standing outside for how long and could've done that before you came in here!!!!)
> Our Tractor supply usually has the 1/2 gallon Ball canning jars but Walmart's were a little cheaper. Sometimes TS puts them on sale at the "end of the canning season" . 1/2 gallons will cool quicker than gallon jars and the canning ones are pretty square and will take up less room than the round jars.   I keep a couple of qts in the fridge for easy pouring into a glass, cereal, etc.



Oh yes, she'll be my baby!  Lots of brushing for her. 

That's great to know, thanks! What kinds of natural cleaning solutions could I use to clean her udders with? I want something gentle but effective.  
Lol! I know right?! My pony will actually come into their run in shelter while I clean it and poop/pee, I'm like REALLY?! You had to do that?! 

Perfect! I'll check there.


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## farmerjan (Oct 24, 2016)

She only has one "udder" and four teats...




Best thing to use for "anti-germ" for the udder is a solution of hydrgen peroxide.  Mix one part with 5 parts water.  First use warm water, with or without any type of soap ( I don't use soap) and then quick dip with H2O2 to kill germs.  Effective, not expensive and there are several dairies that I test that are using it to help to lower the SCC  of their milk.


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## WindyIndy (Oct 24, 2016)

LOL! oops!! I meant teats, NOT udders! 

Perfect, I'll use that, thank you so much!! And after the washing, squirt the first few drops of milk out on the ground too to make sure the milk is "clean".


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## Bossroo (Oct 25, 2016)

WindyIndy said:


> LOL! oops!! I meant teats, NOT udders!
> 
> Perfect, I'll use that, thank you so much!! And after the washing, squirt the first few drops of milk out on the ground too to make sure the milk is "clean".


Sterilize the " ground " area where the milk drops as well as it would be a great breeding ground for bacterial groth.


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## farmerjan (Oct 25, 2016)

Actually you should use a strip cup to check the first few squirts from the teats.  Stops the contamination of the ground, and it has a screen on the top so you can easily see if there are any chunks of mastitis or anything odd about the milk.  They aren't expensive and are a good reminder to get into the habit of pre-stripping before you actually milk.Most commercial farms just strip on the concrete floor then wash it into the grates or drains, but I have 2 that use the cups and it just seems like a better idea.


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## WindyIndy (Oct 25, 2016)

I will look for those, thanks!


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## Goat Whisperer (Oct 25, 2016)

Something you really need to look at is having a backup milking system. 

Will you be doing all the milking? 
What will you do if/when you are very sick? 
Something I always tell newbies that want to milk is that it's a big commitment, that they need to milk at least once a day-even if the had something like Ebola  

Seriously though, if you fall and break you wrist it could turn into a very bad situation for the cow. 

I love hand milking. I can milked 10 goats 2x a day this year. Unless you have someone reliable that has the stamina to milk you need to look at keeping a machine on hand for emergencies.


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## babsbag (Oct 25, 2016)

For emergencies and those mornings that you wake up with the flu.   My son got married this summer and my goats had to cross their legs for two days while I went to the wedding.  A back up milker would have been nice. 

I use water with a bit of Dawn dish soap and a few drops of bleach when washing udders on my goats. I use Fight Bac spray when I am done.


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## farmerjan (Oct 26, 2016)

A thought about a backup milker...I think I also discussed this in another thread about hand milking but anyway....If you continue to allow the calf to suck the cow and only milk once a day, should you have to go away, get hurt or anything, the calf will be the "backup" milker.  This is one of the reasons that I have used my cows as nurse cows and gotten them into a routine of coming in to a specific place for milking etc.  and allowed them to keep the calf on them 12 hours and away 12 hours so that I can milk, then turn them back in with the calf/calves.  
There have been times when my work schedule has been difficult and the calves will stay with the cow for 2 days, then I will separate them and milk that next morning when I am off and the calves raise a fit but the cow will get milked, go back with the calves and they will drive her nuts for a little bit because she doesn't have any milk, but they will all get over it and by that evening if I want to separate them again to milk the next morning, they have all "survived".  Actually, I usually wait about an hour or two after milking before I turn her back with the calves so that she does have a little milk in the udder then they get a few mouthfuls and don't butt her too hard.  
I don't know if you can do it that way with goats, although I don't see why not, but it isn't all that hard to do with cows.  I don't have any first-hand knowledge about the production of dexters, but with my jerseys and guernseys and especially the ones that are holstein crosses  I usually have one calf per teat so they have 3 or 4 calves on them after they first come fresh.  The more demand you make on the udder right after first freshening, the more milk the mammary system will produce and that will establish the pattern for the entire lactation.  Granted it also has to do with the genetics, but there have been several trial studies done on dairies, from the normal 2x day milking  up to 6x day in early lactation and the ones that were challenged 6x day in the first 45 days, consistently produced more milk throughout the entire lactation.  Something to also keep in mind when you get to where you want to milk. 
I love hand milking but it is a big restrictive on your time.  You will find that if you milk alot, or milk alot of goats like goat whisperer, you will develop strong muscles in your wrists and arms and what becomes routine for you to say milk a 2-3-4 gallon pail of milk will become torture for someone who doesn't do it regularly.  For awhile I milked 2 cows 2xday.  Then went to a sale and bought 2 registered guernseys from a commercial dairy dispersal sale.  They were well along in lactation, but talk about wanting to die....my arms were killing me for the first 2 weeks because of going from 2 to 4 milking cows.  I named the "4th" cow to be milked  "Patience"  because she was so patient with me struggling through getting her milked out with my tired out arms and hands....bless her heart.


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## babsbag (Oct 26, 2016)

I was milking 4 or 5 goats each day and a friend called me in an emergency and asked me to go and milk her 7 Saanens as she was stuck out of town. No problem...HA HA on me.  The goats were 2 gallon a day producers, over engorged, didn't know me, had HUGE teats and it took me 7 hours to milk those goats. My carpal tunnel came back with a vengeance and had surgery not long after that.  The next year I started using a machine.


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 26, 2016)

babsbag said:


> took me 7 hours to milk those goats


Holy Cow!  My hands hurt just thinking about that...


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## NH homesteader (Oct 26, 2016)

I really hope that friend has been very nice to you ever since!


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## WindyIndy (Oct 31, 2016)

Thank you all once again for great advice! 4 milk cows, and 7 hours of goat milking, WOW, that's a LOT! No wonder you guys were tired! Huge thumbs up to you guys 

I know it varies from cow to co, but Dexters give around 1-2 1/2 gallons of milk a day, and I'm sure that's without the calf. My Daddy  has some type of single vacuum pumped milker I think that he got a long time ago, maybe I can clean that up and use once in awhile when I'm more rushed or have sore arms/hands He's surprised I didn't plan on using that as my primary milker  I'm also going to do my milking at night, that way I'm not rushed in the morning before work.

I want to try and find some recipes for essential oil cleaners too. I'm very natural and I read that on another blog, don't know why I didn't think of that sooner,lol Farm and fleet has the special rags dairy farmers use and also the paper like ones. Would those been any better then just a regular towel?  And I saw teat dips, but assume those have more chemicals. Oh! And I was talking with one of my dairy farm friends, and they do a "after" dip, is that necessary for hand milking too?


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