Anyone ever tried the Udderly EZ Milker for goats

[freemotion]

Really? Crap! And I bought the stuff to make one, too. Scrap those plans!

How does it damage the udder? I understand what you wrote, but what does it do that damages it? How?

 

[username taken]

Ok - you know how when you milk, you close the top of the teat off, and push the milk out with the rest of the fingers? Well, a machine milker and the ez milker will do something similar to that, along with the suction.

The maddigans milker only uses suction - its really hard on the teats. The orifices are kept open all the time which isnt ideal for mastitis, and the suction is relentless during milking - the poor teat never gets a break.

Most people I know who have used them, have said that the teats get purple, swollen and sore. Its just too much suction, and too rough on them.

My two cents - hand milk them, machine milk them or let the kids suck.

 

[landis1659]

Thanks guys, I guess the EZ milker might be ok for occasional milking, for when I'm gone and my husband has to take over. Do the regular milking machines cause problems on the does with regular use also then too?? What usually causes Mastitis? I know about using the teat dip.

Pepper

 

[freemotion]

Thanks, UT, no homemade milker will be built here. I respect my animals too much. I'll have to always be sure to have someone trained to milk properly.....so far, so good.

 

[Wild Wind Farm]

I have used the EZ milker for one milking season, I have had no problems with the milker or teat damage. You control the amount of suction by how many times you pump the milker, you need to be mindful of that when you milk and not pump to many times. I found it to be very quick and easy.

 

[username taken]

freemotion ... if its a matter of making it easier for someone to milk while you are away, I would try the udderly ez milker. For most people it seems to go ok, and as I said I would have no problems using it occasionally.

landis, machine milkers dont usually damage teats. you have to remember that there is thousands of dollars worth of research, and year of experience, gone into making machine milkers. not so much with the homemade, home designed, hand milkers like the ez and the maddigans (particularly the maddigans). so the machine milker has been made precisely with udder health in mind.

that being said, if you dont have your machine milker adjusted right, it too can cause damage.

mastitis is an infection in the teat/udder, and injuries/damage to the teat or udder predisposes the teat/udder to the infection

 

[freemotion]

Got it. I think I will put one together for emergencies only. I planned on using a pump from a spray bottle, not one of those pressurized pump things....one squeeze on the trigger equals one squirt in the jar. Not a handsaver, but something familiar that a non-milker could use in a pinch and at least relieve udder pressure somewhat.

 

[kstaven]

freemotion ... if its a matter of making it easier for someone to milk while you are away, I would try the udderly ez milker. For most people it seems to go ok, and as I said I would have no problems using it occasionally.

landis, machine milkers dont usually damage teats. you have to remember that there is thousands of dollars worth of research, and year of experience, gone into making machine milkers. not so much with the homemade, home designed, hand milkers like the ez and the maddigans (particularly the maddigans). so the machine milker has been made precisely with udder health in mind.

that being said, if you dont have your machine milker adjusted right, it too can cause damage.

mastitis is an infection in the teat/udder, and injuries/damage to the teat or udder predisposes the teat/udder to the infection

You are absolutely correct in saying they don't usually hurt animals. The biggest issues I have seen are people getting the vacuum way to high and the pulse rate far to fast.

Not getting the teat clean enough before using a milker will abrade the skin. Letting the skin on the teats get dried out is also another quick way of setting up infections.