Udderly EZ Milker?

[kesoaps]

I asked about this on the sheep board, too. Has anyone used one?

http://1222430.estore.networksolutio...Categories.bok

[ChickenMom]

I have used one. I got it for my goat, I have shoulder and wrist problems and sometimes have trouble milking.
I have used mine several times. It isn't used every day, I usually hand milk. I have used it up to a week at a time. I have been happy with it, it only holds a quart at a time. Mine came with 2 attachments for the teats, a large and a small, we use the small for the goats. We also have sheep so if I ever need it for them I'll have it.
Is there anything specific you wanted to know about it?

[Gailann Schrader]

Looks like a breast pump to me...

Oh. Wait. It is...

[moosemaniac]

There's an article in the current issue of Dairy Goat Journal about it. It's been recently improved for use on dairy goats. It was originally created for use on horses.

Ruth

[kesoaps]

Funny, Gailann.


Mostly wonder how they hold up over time. I've got hand/wrist issues as well, and milking the suffolk was a real chore so I always quit a couple weeks into it. (She wasn't really built for milking, which made it harder on my hands.)

There's an article in Sheep! magazine this month as well. I may have to invest in one...I'd like to be milking more than a few weeks, lol!

[Jan in CO]

Ok, I bought one of the EZ milkers when the first article came out, let my friend try it, as I didn't have any freshened does at that time. She wasn't really impressed, said she could milk faster by hand. I'm still waiting for my quart sized bottle that they promised me when I got the thing. I also just got a breast pump from a lady on our local freecycle group, to see if I could use it on the sheep...haven't ever used one myself, so not sure if it needs to be kept upright, as the ez milker does, or not. Any ideas there? I like the tips that were printed in the latest articles, so will try them when my does start to freshen next month.

My friend's father, a plumber, looked at the contraption, and suggested some type of air tight valve could be hooked up to the top, pump part, then put down into a larger jar to eliminate the problem of having to stop and empty the thing every few seconds. I was hoping he would devise something while she had it, but no such luck! It would have to be a sealed vacuum, I think, in order for it to work properly, but I'm not a plumber. I did notice they have increased the price on the 'goat/sheep model'

Jan in Co

[MommaSasquatch]

Originally Posted by Jan in CO

I also just got a breast pump from a lady on our local freecycle group, to see if I could use it on the sheep...haven't ever used one myself, so not sure if it needs to be kept upright, as the ez milker does, or not. Any ideas there?

Depends on the pump and how full it is. Most will need to be at least semi-upright or else all the milk will build up in the base of the flange instead of going into the bottle. Many have one-way valves that close off when suction is applied and release when the suction is released to allow the milk to flow down into the bottle. If there is a motor then backflow into the tubing can foul the motor.