Goat hand milking machine, anybody?

[dwbonfire]

Hey yall! I got my two Nubian does this week and i have been trying to milk. I say trying because they havent been hand milked in a long time so they aren't thrilled about it. And also I am new to milking so I'm slow. Recipe for disaster right!? Well with all the kicking and what not, and not being sure when the girls are actually done and empty, I decided I need to get an inexpensive milking machine/system. I have found the underlay EZ milker, and also the Dansha hand milker. I have watched some videos and read reviews and thought the Dansha system seemed better. Has anyone used either of these systems or know of others? Thanks!

 

[babsbag]

I haven't used them but have been researching them this week so funny you should post. I have a real machine but it is in my old barn and a pain for only a few goats so I was looking at another option. I am building a dairy so obviously this is only a stop gap right now.

I like the inflations on the EZ milker, and I like no tubing to clean. But some of the complaints about it was that the handle on the pump breaks, as does the piece that holds the bottle to the pump; also the bottles aren't dishwasher safe. These were older reviews so not sure if those are still valid.

I don't want to clean tubing. While you can run water through it I would rather run a brush of something through it to feel like it is really clean. Milk builds up a milk stone after a while and no way to remove it unless you can scrub, but I guess new tubing would be cheap enough.

My biggest hesitation about any of them is the constant suction that it puts on the teats. There used to be many posts online about that being bad for the goat but I am not convinced one way or the other and I have seen no real proof of that.

There are other milkers. There is a Henry Milker and a Maggie Dans milker but they are all similar.

I think I am borrowing an EZ milker this week. My friend isn't sure the teat cups are big enough for a standard goat. I'll let you know.

 

[dwbonfire]

Thanks! Hopefully more people will chime in with experience for both of us.
I like the idea of no tubes to clean as well, but I also read the reviews of things breaking and they don't stand behind it. The Dansha milker I believe they stand behind, and also if it doesn't work for u they have a 30 day money back guarantee. I thought I could shorten the tubes on it too? Maybe. And I figure I will put it right in bleach water as soon as I'm done to clean it. And periodically I believe u could buy new tubing cheap enough and replace it. Not sure but it was a thought. I also read how the EZ milker being one piece is hard to clean. I look forward to hearing your opinion of it once u use it!

 

[OneFineAcre]

We use an Udderly EZ.
It works really well for us.
We are getting ready to get a new one because the old one is worn out. We've had it 6 years I think an have had to replace some parts, but it's getting tired and time or a new one.
But, it works well and is easy to clean.

 

[dwbonfire]

We use an Udderly EZ.
It works really well for us.
We are getting ready to get a new one because the old one is worn out. We've had it 6 years I think an have had to replace some parts, but it's getting tired and time or a new one.
But, it works well and is easy to clean.

Thanks! What kind of goats do u have? My girls have been kicking and being so bad, I wonder if when they kick they will kick it because it's bigger and underneath them..
Also, do u have to strip your girls out at the end or does it do it? The videos I watched of the Dansha milker says u have to strip them out at the end.

 

[babsbag]

Even with my electric 1500.00 milk machine I have to strip the does. Nothing is perfect unfortunately. If I am milking the does and they have kids that they are raising I don't bother stripping, I let the kids do it.

I don't think you would want to go to short on the hoses as you would then run the risk of the doe knocking over the jar.

The other thing about the EZ milker is that it doesn't appear that you can easily clean the teat cup between milking does. I am a stickler for not sharing mastitis so I always sanitize the inflations in a bleach solution between goats. I did pick up the one from my friend today so I will let you know how it goes.

 

[OneFineAcre]

We have Nigerians
Yes you do have to strip them out maybe the last half cup
Babs has a point we don't clean the teat cup between does but it probably wouldn't be that hard
With ours we just lift her leg up on the side we are milking
I have a picture somewhere I posted

 

[Goat Whisperer]

OFA- Do you clean the teat cup after y'all are finished with the milking?

I know a few folks with the EZ and like it.

I personally don't like the dansha, Henry Milker and Maggie Dans. I have used the Maggie dans and was not impressed with it.

I also don't like it when people use syringes for the teat cup, it is very rough on them and the goats don't like it. The EZ is more like a real milk machine in that regard.

If I were to get one, I'd order the ez.

Do you know how much suction the Dansha uses?

 

[OneFineAcre]

We wash it after milking but we don't wash it between each doe
Probably should

 

[OneFineAcre]

I took some pictures of ours and the parts
I'll post tomorrow