pics of home made suction milker (smilker)

[mpete]

squirt bottle top $2.50 35 ml syringe $1.50 2 feet of tubing for .30 cents

Begging suction (udder prep has already been done)

Good suction achieved. Teat elongates into cup

Let down begins. The first couple squirts goes to chickens


I spray the milk directly into jars that are set in and ice water bucket. That way it goes straight from udder to chilled.
To break suction, I just slip my finger between the cup and the teat, but usually when she's done, the udder shrinks and releases the cup automatically.

[bumpus]

.
Just be careful and not put to much suction on the tit at one time.
It could hurt her if pumped to fast.

bumpus
.

[mpete]

Yeah, we let her have a few moments to relax, thanks for the tip. She's been doing real good. It's funny, though, one side of her udder lets down faster than the other, and I also get more milk from the side that lets down quicker... she's just a grade alpine but I get about a gallon a day.

[Kittikity]

That is awesome! I was intimidated with the thought of milking when I get goats.. This will make it SO much easier.. Thank you so much..

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

I think things like this are fine for FF with tiny teats, or the emergency milkers for mares they started out as. But for long term milking and udder health, this whole continuous suck emptying udders is not good. Milking machines have pulsators that break the vacume, so instead of one long suck, you have suck suck suck suck a pulsations suck every 3 seconds or so.

I doubt the pressure of your set up is high enough to cause damage to the teat or attachments, but anything with this type of mechanics can damage the orifice...damage an orifice and you have a doe when even semi full, leaks. Vicki

[Jan in CO]

I think Vicki is correct. I did buy one of the EZ milkers, and used it on a first freshener in the dead of winter, but one with fairly large teats. Didn't realize that I had the hole in the teat cup against the skin of the teat, and it damaged/bruised that teat badly. In a few days, it blackened, the skin and most of the teat eventually shed off, and the udder leaked every time she was even a bit full. Had to eventually cull her.

However, my friend used it, and loved it, on her ff's. I've just never used it again. Takes her as long to milk with it, as without, too.

Jan in Co

[mpete]

I had to do this because of the bites that she had gotten from her kid that had been weaned several weeks earlier. She couldn't stand any touching on her teats. That is an interesting thought about the continuous suction. I didn't know that the others pulsate... Hmm... back to the drawing board.... but at least I have this in an emergency... she does have small teats, so I was hoping this would help out in that department... maybe after I get my nubby's she'll just be a brood goat... I like milking by hand but was trying to make it comfy for her....

[Alice In TX/MO]

I've been using one for about a year on my Alpine. No apparent damage.

You don't go PUMP PUMP PUMP non-stop. It's PUMP REST PUMP REST.

[darbyfamily]

do you boil the sprayer? or how do you get it thoroughly clean? That'd be my big concern.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I pump cold water through it, then hot soapy water, then cold.

About once a week, pump bleach water through it.

[mpete]

I've been pumping hot bleach water through it, then fresh water.

[naturewoman]

Since you are only sucking when squeezing the handle, I don't see where a continual sucking situation is involved. Just the fact that the teat is stuck in there, doesn't mean there is a lot of suction between pumps. This looks like a good solution for goats who kick and fight a lot and foul the milk. It also helps keep hair and other debris out of the milk, if you use it raw.

I personally like the feeling of milking, so probably wouldn't use it, unless I had a problem goat I just couldn't calm down enough to milk. Like my little Nigerian dwarf...she never stopped fighting through the entire milking...she would be OK for a little while, but hated the stripping out part. So maybe this could even be used just for the stripping out on difficult goats. It seems like your hand would get pretty tired of squeezing that trigger anyway.

[Alice In TX/MO]

It's not much different from milking by hand.