Jersey milk equip questions

[Rockfish]

Our Jersey calved yesterday, a few weeks earlier than expected (we didn't have a hard date). Now I'm behind the eight ball in getting milking equipment.

Where and what?

Milking pails (can you get them with covers or half covers?)

What kind of strainer? Do you need a filter with the strainer?

Storing the milk: Mason jars or other?

Do you have to sterilize the storage containers?

Skimming off the cream: What do you use?

Anything else I need?

Thanks.

[francismilker]

Milking pails: Stainless Steel preferable. Can usually get them at Ag supply store but they're pricy.

Strainer: I use a piece of cloth rubber-banded over the milk pail to keep out any foriegn material.

Storage: Glass is best and yes, it's good to sterilize them with hot soapy water. The dishwasher has worked for me for years.

Skimming off the cream: I use one of those one gallon tea jars with the spickot on the bottom to drain off the whey from the bottom of the cream and then transfer the cream to another jar. I store the cream for about a week before making butter.

[Jennifer L.]

[QUOTE=Rockfish;3778320]Our Jersey calved yesterday, a few weeks earlier than expected (we didn't have a hard date). Now I'm behind the eight ball in getting milking equipment.

Where and what?

Milking pails (can you get them with covers or half covers?)

Check Ebay, or ask on Craigslist for used.

What kind of strainer? Do you need a filter with the strainer?

Well, I'm uncivilized and I don't bother to strain milk going to the house. However, it does keep the odd hairs out, and if your cow has mastitis, you can quite often catch it on the strainer early, and then know you have to treat her.

Storing the milk: Mason jars or other?

That's what I use.

Do you have to sterilize the storage containers?

I use them out of the dishwasher. Which is pretty clean. Bacteria will shorten the shelf life of milk, so keep it as clean as you can. But you don't have to do handstands if you use your milk up within a few days. Try for squeaky clean, but don't figure it has to be sterile.

Skimming off the cream: What do you use?

I just use a soup ladle.

Anything else I need?

Strong hands, no arthritis.



Jennifer

[Cliff]

I found stainless pails on Jeffers Pet a few years back at a reasonable price, don't remember what it was but it was cheaper than any place else at the time. And their shipping is wonderful, I got stuff next day in many cases if I ordered early in the day.
Strainer from Hoeggar (think that's the way you spell it, it's a goat supply place) can buy filters from the same place but often we just use handkerchiefs cut into quarters, and sometimes just rubber-band those over the top of the jar.
We use glass one gallon pickle jars mostly but have used mason jars. It's easier to skim obviously from the larger jars.
For skimming a gravy ladle works well.

[Sara K]

I needed to milk on a strict budget....here is what worked for me.

Went to the farm supply and bought a SS "sap bucket" also called a kennel pail. Often found in pet supply and I'm told TSC has them in the dog care isle. The cover I use is from a SS stockpot from the dollar store someone gave me. I've seen the stockpots still there for $10 and would just use the stockpot and cover if I had to do it again.

I strain through a "tea cloth" any 100% cotton cloth such as muslin works well. I later bought s strainer from hoeggers but never use it much. I just drape the cloth over the gallon jars or half gallon mason jars.


For sterilizing I wash in super hot water using a natural biodegradable soap, I've found that normal detergents leave a taste that my family hates in the milk. Since I have a woodstove I keep boiling water on at all times and rinse jars and pail with it. I also boil the straining cloth to keep it clean.

A word of caution......always rinse and wash milk out of all equipment with lukewarm water first. Hot water "sets" the milk and it's like cement (actually I think it's called milkstone) to get off. THEN use the hot water :-) ask me how I know LOL.

For straining I use a gravy lable...smaller than a soup ladle. I skim after 24ish hours into 2 jars, one jar is the super heavy stuff on the top of the cream and that gets collected for a couple days for butter, then I skim the lighter cream into the second jar (these are quart) for coffee cream. The coffee cream is also to pour over deserts and other stuff.

I also bring a small peanut butter pail (any small plastic pail would work) with warm water and washclothes and a drying cloth.

Sara

[sammyd]

SS buckets can be picked up at most farm supply places.
Never used a hooded one but I can see where they might come in handy.
A strainer can be picked up for 20 bucks and up at auctions or farm estate sales.
for 3 or 4 bucks you can get a box of pads for the strainer and be assured that you are getting a clean pad every time.
Use a good detergent and acid rinse designed for milking equipment and you shouldnt have problems with any milk stone deposits.
Single use paper towels are the norm for prepping the animal for milking.
There is a reason that single use towels, strainer pads, and detergents were invented. Use them and avoid the problems that brought them about.

[65284]

Hamby's has stainless buckets and covers on sale, pretty reasonable. I also use their dairy wipes and dairy soap, a little pricey but not horribly expensive. They last a long time and help prevent problems. I have found Hamby to be very nice and reliable folks to deal with.

http://hambydairysupply.com/xcart/home.php

[Cliff]

Wow. A pail for $165 is reasonable? Jeffers Pet has stainless pails, 15 qt, for 15.95. May not be quite as fancy looking, but it's still a stainless pail and the quality is good, mine are still great after 9 years.

[65284]

Wow, you are right, $165 is certainly not at all reasonable. I misread that, I thought it was $32.95.

[samm]

i bought my milk bucket at tractor supply over in the dog department, for 9 dollars and change, it is stainless steel, i dont hang around the barn after i milk, i get on back to the house with the milk, so i dont cover it up. i looked at the "real" milk pails on ebay and the dairy supply houses, and they were just to proud of em for me, as i am kinda on the tight side, my doggy bucket has served me well......lol
samm

[sammyd]

Plastic will work just as well. For years the accepted practice when using bucket milkers was to dump them in plastic pails, put the milker on the next cow and run the plastic pails to the milkhouse and dump them in the bulk tank. Plastic see through buckets were made for the bucket milkers with weights marked on them so you could keep track of your herd production.
Plastic in one form or another is used in almost all milking claws in todays modern milking systems.

[RoyalValley]

I just bought a 9 qt. SS seamless milking pail (no cover) for $35 at a local animal health store. I also use disposable filters and 1/2 gallon masen jars. I also buy the plastic lids you can get for the masen jars.

Last year I simply used a plastic bucket from the hardware store as no one in the area had SS buckets. It worked fine and it was great when my holstein stepped on it, it just popped right back out and worked fine. I use a turkey baster to get the cream off and I like to use some actual teat wipes to clean them off before milking.

Have fun, we have 3 new calves in a matter of 7 days! Good times.
Juli

[Rockfish]

Thanks for all the help. I found a 9 Qt SS at a feed supply store for $16. I think a taller bucket would be better and have a line on a 13 quart one for not much more. Milking is going okay after some hiccups.

Still having trouble getting her to let down in the evening. (we are running the calf with her for 3 weeks or so.)