Mobile Milking Set Up For Family Cow?

[curdy]

Hi everyone I was hoping to get some feedback (and pictures!) of some ideas for a mobile milking set up for a family cow. We are renovating all of our pastures and are limited to grazing the hilly areas and spots close to the woods for now. Good forage, just not real accessible to the barn while we're fixing so many things up. Our cow is not halter trained so tethering isn't really an option. Plus, I'd like to make something where my wife could be sheltered from the rain while milking. So I figured I'd make up some sort of mobile milking stanchion.

I have a couple of ideas in mind, but would like to see if anyone out there can share some thoughts and pictures from what they have done. I made a milking stand for our goats a few years back and figured I'd use a similar design for the head lock piece (obviously bigger). Our cow is calm and doesn't put an kind of stress on the head lock, so I'm comfortable making it out of wood.

I would much rather make it moveable with my loader than put it on skids.

How much clearance does the cow need from the roof to be comfortable entering? I'm thinking the lower I can keep the roof, the better for protecting my wife from rain.

I attached the best picture I was able to find online. Any other input would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[francismilker]

Have seen what you're talking about in some pics from New Zealand. They do a lot of moveable milking there as they're grass based for the most part and move around a lot. (No since making the cows walk to the barn when you can take the barn to the cows.)

Just my opinion, but you could buy you another cow that's haltar broke easier and cheaper than you could build a one cow moving stanchion with a roof over it to keep your wife dry.

As for your question about clearance over their backs, if they're trained to come to a feed bucket they'll go through an opening that just slightly higher than their backs if there's supper waiting on em'.

[arnie]

I like the look of that portable milking stall you have pictured and with a roof high enough for thewife to stand and letting the cow be stancioned more to one side even adding a roll up tarp to the sides for rainy weather should work fine .but I find it easyer to let the cow come in to the barn once she gets used to the routine of comeing into her stall for her grain and milking you can set you watch by her (usally) what would be the difference in carrying a bucket and cleaning equipment + grain out to the pasture than opening a gate and letting her in and out from the barn.

[curdy]

We did have her for the most part halter trained and then let it go because she does come in so easy. The real issue here we're having is that because the majority of the fields are being rehabbed, its like a stinking maze of fencing to get to the grazing areas and back to the barn. Right now I have her fenced in close to the barn and feeding hay. She comes in by herself or my wife just calls for her and she comes in.

There is so much demolition, construction, and grading that is going to need to be done around the barn this coming year, I don't see us being able to make sense of using it for a while for milking. Looking back at my original post I see I didn't mention the extent of work that is going to make using the barn for a while a logistical nightmare. The previous owners of the farm really both neglected certain buildings, or neglected to use much common sense when attempting to build additions onto the barn. Lots has to come off and much needs to be fixed.

So I guess to sum up our situation its like this. I need another option for her to milk in while the barn area is being worked on and the fields aren't suited for grazing. So in essence, I'm building a second barn for milking. My thought was to make it portable in the event she likes it and would continue to use it for warmer months.

Arnie, its funny you mention the tarp, I had the same thought as well! I also remembered her mentioning flies were a nuisance the last time she milked outside (when we were halter training), so I thought of maybe making roll up screens too...but that may be over doing it a bit :-)

[Callieslamb]

I really like your ideas. I assume she's hand milking? Will that small of a roof really keep the rain off of her? Rain rarely comes straight down here - it's usually accompanied with wind and blowing. The tarps might help a lot with that. How far are the pastures from where the barn will be? With a large herd cows need to be brought to the barn but with just one or two, they will easily and happily walk to the barn for you each day.