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Monday, August 17, 2015

A Simple Non-Electric Milking Machine

The time has arrived that I need to employ a milking machine instead of continuing to hand milk our goats. This time has arrived much sooner than I had hoped, but the arthritis in my hands have made that decision for me. I have a finger that will no longer straighten unless I work on it for a while. It is affecting my grip and I'm dropping a lot of things. Rats. One of the biggest draw backs for me is that I really enjoy milking my goats. I'm sure I still will, it will just be different. I can enjoy the still of the morning, watching the animals and listening to the birds, it will just be different. As the goats and I get used to this new routine, I'm sure there will be challenges and adjustments along the way, so later on, I'll do an update on my new milking routine and tell you what I've learned. For now, here is my very first experience with this machine.


I can't say our milking machine is new because I bought it several years ago. It's been in a storage building awaiting the time that I needed it. This is an example of storing things that will become useful in the times to come. If you have a future project that will make life easier and more productive after the SHTF, and you can afford it now, acquire what you think you will need now and store it away. It will wait for you, just like this milker.

Back when I researched and looked for a simple milking machine the Henry Milker out of Alaska was the only one I found, so I got one. Now there are several companies that have similar products like the one Patrice Lewis at Rural Revolution uses, the Udderly EZ Milker. Patrice did an article on how she uses one to milk her cow here.  If there is anyone out there that uses or has experience with a non-electric milking machine, please share with us. I would really appreciate anything you can share. I wrote this part of the article before we went to the barn and tried out the machine. You'll realize why I said this later on.


The components of our milking kit included the vacuum pump, four tubes, two tube cleaning brushes, two wide mouth quart jars, two lids, a micro fiber cloth and a carrying case. The directions are simple and easy to follow.


Copper with her kids back in March
Copper, our three year old doe, was the victim for the first trial of milking with this machine. This is the second year we have milked Copper and she is very easy going and a good milker. She looked at me a few times as I fumbled around trying to get the bucket, which we brought to protect and support the jar, and the syringe that goes over the teat in place to begin this process.


At first I couldn't get a good suction going so the pressure would build up a vacuum and begin withdrawing the milk. With Frank's help, we finally got things going and the milk flowing.


Yes, we always have our radios, even when we're together.



The pressure gauge has to be pumped much more often than I expected, and even though I had to squeeze it less often than if I had milked by hand, it really wasn't that different than milking by hand except I didn't have to squeeze as hard.



I had to restart the suction/vacuum process twice on each teat because the milk stopped flowing. The directions included this possibility, and directed to release the syringe from the teat and start over, which we did.



Even with restarting twice on each teat, we only withdrew about half of Copper's milk. The rest I ended up milking out by hand into the bucket. I'm glad Frank recommended we bring it.


I'm sure with practice this machine would withdraw more of the milk, and I would be get much more adept. Even with all of the commotion of trying to figure out this machine, Copper was very cooperative through it all, and I was grateful. Frank did end up feeding her quite a bit more than usual just to keep her occupied while I tried the milker and he took the pictures. Even the flash on the camera didn't bother her. She did a very good job.

The Henry Milker worked just as advertised. The instructions and videos found on their website were helpful since I did run into a few things that were mentioned. Because I had access to the information ahead of time, I knew what to do when these situations occurred.
No filtering necessary
Pros? The milk goes directly into the jar which prevents any hair or dust from getting into it like it does when you hand milk into a bucket. The milk doesn't have to be filtered. Just change out the lid for a regular plastic one and put the jar in a bucket of water to chill, then into the refrigerator it goes. Even inexperienced people could milk an animal using this machine.

Cons? I have read in other places and heard from an acquaintance that you still need to finish the milking by hand if you want to
Copper's udder
make sure you get all of the milk and keep production to a maximum. The thing I noticed as we were increasing the pressure to create the vacuum and get the milk to flow, was that Copper's teat was pulled down and lengthened in the syringe. My first thought was that I didn't like that. What will that do to the tissue of her teat if this process is repeated over and over twice a day? Will it cause the teats to lengthen and stay that way? Will it cause them to loosen and lose their natural elasticity and break down the structure of the orifice? Will it cause them to leak over time because the tissues have been stretched so often?


One Stripe's udder
I don't even know if these are questions that address a valid concern, but my first thought was I don't want that to happen to my does' udders. I have grown very particular about the udders my does have and we have bred them to have certain characteristics. Another thing that has caused this concern is a video about another company that makes non-electric goat milking machines that shows the process compared to an electric milking machine. Some of the does in this video have very large teats and the suctioning motion of the electric milking machine rhythmically pulls on the teats. I think this process over time has caused part of the shaping of the teats. I don't see how it can keep from it. There are also some people that prefer a large bulbous type of teat, even for hand milking, because you get more milk per squeeze, therefore you don't have to squeeze as many times to get the same amount of milk as a doe with smaller teats. Maybe I am just backward in my choice of goat teats, but I don't think so. I think the straight, smaller structure of this type of teat is much closer to what is found in nature as opposed to what is found with structured breeding practices.

So, what about my arthritis? I don't know. But for now I will continue milking by hand and doing the best I can. I may need to limit how many goats I have in milk at once, I don't know. It is very interesting to finally get to a place where I thought I would have to give in and quit milking by hand even though I didn't want to. Now that I have tried it, I really don't want to use a machine, not unless I really, really, really have to, and for now I don't have to, so I'm not. I thought about just deleting this article and not finishing it, but then again I thought maybe it would be of use to someone, so here it is. Food for thought.

Until next time - Fern

24 comments:

  1. Thank you, Fern, for *not* deleting this post! We do not have goats at this time, but we do plan to invest in them when we are able. I developed rheumatoid arthritis about two and a half years ago; so far it is a very mild case, but I'm only in my early 40s. With no clear idea of whether my case will stay mild or potentially get much worse in the coming decades, I'm always on the hunt for insights and ideas of how to adapt for my current abilities AND to prepare for how the future might hit me. So far we know that my pain and fatigue increase in cold weather and as a precursor to thunderstorms (but in this drought, I'll take some pain if it means I know we'll get rain!) - we also know that it lessens in the summer warmth, so I make the most of the hot days as long as I can. Reading your review of this milker helps me to understand that when my milking days come, I may well be 'fine' some days and need the help of a milking machine and my husband or one of my kids during the colder weather. Forewarned is forearmed, right? :D

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    1. Melonie, we can only hope for a positive future. Fern has known this day was coming for a long time. We tried the manual milking machine one time and it is now dried and back in the box. We try to do the bulk of our milking during the summer months, and make as much cheese and other dairy products as we can during that period. Then we take turns, depending on the animal, giving them a break and letting them dry up. The cold time is hard around here, too. We don't know what the future is going to hold either. But instead of milking four goats, we'll cut it down to two and then one. There have been a couple of winters that we drank store bought milk. Enjoy summer while we have it, Jack Frost will be here soon. Thank you for sharing.

      Frank

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    2. Thank you, Frank - and I agree, we can definitely hope for that positive future. Knowing what may come and being able to learn from folks ahead of me on this is making me more hopeful. We will definitely be looking at the calendar to make the most of the summer months the way y'all do as well. It makes great sense!

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  2. Fern - i agree with Melonie above. i am glad that you published this article and have learned much from it. whether we ever have goats or not, i liked all of the details about the teets and udders. i would think that using the machines would extend their teets and that is something that i hope others with extra information and read here would comment on.

    Fern - do you take chondroitin and glucosamine? if you are so inclined, try to find a good source in liquid form as it is easier to take than pills (that's what i find). i used to feel arthritic in my hands and hips during the winter and if i missed only one day of taking my c&g, i would feel it. i felt that taking it really helped with the pain. i would recommend that you try some. it could help you. and i hope it does.

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Hi, Kymber, thank you for the recommendation. Yes, I have taken various types of glucosamine for the last 20 years, and I have taken chondroitin for lengthy periods of time. I've also tried shark cartilage. In my particular case, none of them really seem to make any big difference, but that's just my case. Frank just reminded me that we've taken Cod Liver Oil for years in the gel cap form. I've also tried colloidal silver. I've tried vinegar, internal and external. And all of the above I've tried for long periods of time. Thank you for your recommendation.

      Fern

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    2. rats Fern - i was hoping that you had not tried c&g as i hoped it could really help you. now i am at a loss of what to recommend. i'm sorry.

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  3. I also suggest mms which has really helped my arthritis pain. I buy the granular form and add it to my morning coffee.

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    1. Hi, Sandy, thank you for the recommendation. I'll certainly do some research and look into it. Thank you again.

      Fern

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  4. Thanks for posting! We have considered the EZ milker, but right now feel it is not worth the extra fuss. Good to read others experiences with the different milkers.

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    1. I'm glad this information was useful, Sandra. I still haven't figured out what I'll do in the long run.

      Fern

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  5. Dear Fern, for your arthritis eat black tinned cherries every day. Please try this it works. The former Prime minister of Australia Bob Hawke got bad arthritis in his hands. I heard him say this. He had access to the best doctors in the world! He was told to eat tinned cherries (dark cherries) daily. It worked and completely fixed his arthritis. He eats black cherries daily to this day. I heard him say it in an interview this year. With love Annabel.

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    1. Annabel, I love cherries. I'm not familiar with black tinned cherries, but I will give them a look. Thank you for the recommendation.

      Fern

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  6. We started with the EZ milker on our cow, but used it only twice because we didn't like the constant suction and it would only get about 1/4 of what it should have and we would end up milking by hand anyway.

    We just happened to c be offered a bucket milker for an excellent price when buying our last 2 cows. With the pulsation and vacuum gauges, etc., it works much better and I'm more confident in not doing damage with it. It's main downfall is it does require power.

    Here's a little research on various types of milkers.
    This article is a quick synopsis of the history of milking (I wonder how much direct experience they have, though, as they call the cow's udder an "utter"!)

    www.bccdvt.org/benningtonashistory/Lapenta-McDonald/technology.htm

    This article mentions the damage that continuous suction milkers can cause:

    www.americanartifacts.com/smma/milker/milker.htm

    If you REALLY want to educate yourself about all things udder and teat related, read this article (one of THOUSANDS!) that describes teat health and the bad things that can happen with high vacuum , over- milking , and use of liners with stiff mouthpieces or liners that are mounted at high tension.

    www.uwex.edu/uwmril/pdf/MilkMachine/TeatConditionEval/AABP_NMC_paper1_with_refs_July01.pdf

    This came from a website sponsored by the Milking Research and Instruction Lab at the University of Wisconsin. I would consider them a valid resource.

    fyi.uwex.edu/uwmril/milking-machines/

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    1. CB, thank you for the detailed information and thank you for taking the time to put it together. I'll take a look at all of these links, it may take me a few days, but I will look at them. I genuinely thank you for taking the time to put this together.

      Fern

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  7. Not sure who posted the last comment but it is correct. I have multiple milkers, hand, vacuum only and pulsator. The vacuum only type will never completely drain the udders, and will always need to be completed by hand.(but will alleviate arthritic pain) Also be careful that vacuum never exceeds 11psi for any extended period or you will damage the teats. You can run a small electrical vacuum pulsator unit off a battery and 12V vacuum pump. (or an Inverter) This is the best option in the long run if you can do it.

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    1. Thank you for the information. Something is going to have to give here in the near future. You're the second person to recommend the vacuum pulsator unit. Thank you for taking the time from your busy day to comment.

      Frank

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  8. Hi, Fern,
    thanks for the article. I milk by hand, and am older than you :), and when I was recently milking three times daily (dairy goat, + cow had mastitis so had to milk her out often) my hands were having a fit. Pain. Lots of it. I remembered that taking bromelain helps, so that's what I did. Looks like others have good suggestions as well, I have heard of taking cherry juice for arthritis. Good luck with the milking, I share your concern about damaging the teats. Hope you can find a good solution. Thanks as always for your excellent and helpful articles!

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    1. Taylor, thank you, and thank you for your kind words. Right now I'm going to continue milking by hand, but instead of milking four goats, I'm going to cut it down to two and then one. I will research your recommendation, I'm always looking for a way to be pain free. Thank you again for your recommendation. Happy milking!

      Fern

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    2. Fern, I totally sympathize with you. I have arthritis in my hands also and milk 3 goats (nigerians) daily. I use the Henry system and only milk once per day. My original pump to the Henry broke and I replaced it with a Harbor Freight brake check pump (which is what the Henry pump is- a brake check pump) I had to change to a smaller pump cup (its actually a syringe) to fit my goats teats. I have not have any real issues with the teats being stretched. Remember to not pump above 10. The milk really flows at about 7. I always have to finish milking by hand. I find that i can massage the udder and get more milk to come down before i finish out milking by hand.

      As for supplements, consider tumeric. It is a strong natural anti-inflammatory herb and I think it does help me.

      Hope this helps

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    3. Thank you for the pointers on the milker.

      We tried tumeric last year, but had really bad heartburn with it. We tolerate the ginger okay, though. Thank you for the recommendation.

      Fern

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  9. Have you tried MSM for your arthritis? I take one or two 1000mg pills every day, and if I happen to run out or forget to take it my joints sure know it. My thumbs especially hurt. My mother used to eat dark canned cherries, too. Also 10 almonds a day. I read once that arthritis was caused by suppressed anger and to take a pillow and kick the heck out of it to release it. I can think of other things to kick the heck out of, but I don't think it would be legal.

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    1. I've learned so much from these comments, and will be trying dark cherries myself to see how it helps my own pain, but the last two lines of this comment made me smile so big!!! *chuckling still*

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    2. I don't know about kicking things around, Tewshooz. (-:

      We've tried MSM as well, but didn't notice any difference. I'm going to have to see if I can get a couple of cases of canned cherries and see how that goes. Thank you for sharing.

      Fern

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  10. Really enjoyed your article. This may sound silly but shouldn't these milking machines be as gentle as the ones we use on people. I had a co-worker that I sometimes traveled with and we would pull off the side off the road so she could use her breast pump that she plugged into the cigarette lighter plug. If these breast pumps caused tissue damage they would be off the market. I love my goats and feel they should get the same kind of consideration, it should be reasonable cost, do the job, and not hurt or damage the teats...or be taken off the market.

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