Basic milking supplies?

[Willowynd]

OK, after my truck needing a new wheel hub (those can't wait), the bladder tank on my well needing replaced (after it flooded my crawl space) and my dryer going out all in a 2 day time span I am going to be playing catch up here for a while and I need to start milking soon. My son is building me a milk stand out of pallettes and scrap wood- guess the cement floor I had planned on laying in the milk room will have to wait....but I need to know what the basic supplies is that I have to have and the cheapest way to go about it. For instance- I know I need a milk bucket- would any stainless steel bucket do? How large does it have to be (capacity)? I am thinking I can get stainless dog water buckets cheaper, but is there something special about the seams in a milking pail?
Strainers? Filters? Oh and should I already have a collar on the gal? I see many people talk about collars- but never seen a goat collar at the feed store. Would a dog collar work? If so what size for a nubian? Not sure where they are supposed to be placed on the neck either- high- low- middle?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Collars aren't necessary, depending on the goat and your relationship with her. Also, collars get caught on things and can lead to choking death. I lost a good buck that way.

If you can get by without them, that's best.
If you need collars, get the plastic link breakaway collars.

No seams in a good SS milk bucket. Sometimes Tractor Supply has seamless SS buckets.

Strainer:
http://www.caprinesupply.com/shop/?p...c24daa432e91a4

Filters:
I can't get the link to come up, but they are at Caprine Supply, too.

Cleaners for bucket and milk storage jars:
http://www.hoeggerfarmyard.com/xcart/Cleaning-Kit.html

Breakaway collars:
http://www.caprinesupply.com/shop/?p...c24daa432e91a4

[DamnearaFarm]

I milk into a glass jar and strain using doubled/quadrupled (depending on the weave) cheesecloth. I just use the ring from the jar I am straining into to hold the cheesecloth on top of the jar. Then I soak the cheesecloth in bleach water and handwash.
I wash all my stuff in the dishwasher on the hottest, longest cycle possible. I used dish liquid/ACV/water as a wash and a dip for the goat.

Hope this helps, from one bare bones milker to another

[LoneStrChic23]

At one point TSC had stainless steel pails that were seamless.....Me personally, I prefer to milk intoglass jars. I usually take a quart & a 1/2 gallon jar out. My milk area is soooo far from the house, very dusty back there & I've found carrying a pail, plus my milking caddy out, then trying to juggle them through the goats & gates, without getting the milk dirty is almost impossible. So I use the jars that fit into my caddy (just a cleaning supply caddy that holds all my milking equipment).

Before I bought my ss strainer & disposable filters I cut up 2 white t-shirts into squares that fit over my wide mouth jars. Bleached them, & for good measure, boiled them too & filtered milk through them. Worked good, just not as easy as the ss strainer.

Make sure you have an udder wash. I tried the iodine one from Hoeggers & the homemade bleach one from Fiasco Farms. Didn't like either of them. I make my own. 3 tablespoons of Nolvasan (chlorihexidine), 1 tablespoon of glycerin mixed in 2 quarts of water. I have mine in a spray bottle... I spray udder from all sides until dripping, wipe with clean cloth, repeat & wipe well with other side of cloth. I prefer Fight Bac as my after milking teat dip, but ran out & haven't been able to order anymore, so I use my udder wash as a teat dip & spray teats well after milking.

[suzyhomemaker09]

All good answers....
Bare minimum you'll need something to milk into, something to strain it with and something for storing.
Seamless is a must...dog buckets from your local farm/feed store work just fine. Coffee filters are not optimal...any cotton type cloth is good for straining...boil to sterilize it. Glass jars are the best for storage...you can find plastic lids to go on them as the metal ones tend to start getting rusty after a bit of use.
Something to wash udders with as well as a brush to get any debris or loose hair cleaned off prior to milking. I do the Fiasco farm wash, water bleach and a drop or 2 of dish soap...mix it up in a spray bottle and liberally spray then wipe down with a dry paper towel.

[bee]

Since I am getting my "stuff" together too, I have a question.

Reccomendations for the first test milk pulled to check for mastitis..will any small fine steel strainer do?

[sammyd]

we milked for a year into an ice cream pail.
We strained through a coffee filter in a big hand held strainer but later went to the filter pads for strainers, don't even try to put one in a funnel and expect it to work. We picked up a SS stainer for 40 bucks the second year.
We store in Qt jars.
We haven't used an udder wash or a dip for 4 years or so and everybody is healthy as can be. Maybe our goats are exceptional but the most they ever require is a quick wipe to knock off any loose bedding. We have never had a milking goat get mastitis.
The first year we used cheapie udder wash with single use paper towels and a .5% iodine dip from fleet farm.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I stopped using the steel mesh strainer for the first squirts because I hated cleaning it.

I squirt onto a paper towel. You can see any clumps or blood spots, and you can *feel* them come out of the teat anyway.

[motdaugrnds]

Willowynd, welcome to the world of goats. Hope you enjoy your Nubian milk as much as we do.

I can tell you what we did to start milking and what I use. Maybe this will help give you some different ideas to mix/match with what others have told you.

First and foremost the milker's hands need to be washed thoroughly; and the goat's udder needs to be free of any long hairs that might get pulled during the milking process.

The tools I have found most useful are:
1. Stainless steel milking pail that holds 6 quarts and has a half-moon lid to help protect the milk while milking.

2. Iodine Udder Wash Concentrate (add plenty of water) used to wash my hands between does as well as used to wash off the entire udder (including inside thighs) "before milking".

3. A roll of paper towels. Used to wash the udders with the udder wash, for drying off doe just after using the udderwash & for drying my own hands.

4. "Fight Bac" (a spray in a can that is easy to use) It contains 0.4% chlorhexidine, whic is a proven disinfectant, plus glycerine to promote healthy tissue and prevent chapping. Just spray it directly on the ends of each nipple after milking each doe and leave it to dry by itself.

5. CMT (California Mastitis Test). This is an easy to use way of testing the milk from each side of the udder to see if there is any mastitis infection. (I also have used "Dr Naylor Mastitis Indicators" which are small cards you simply squirt some milk onto. Directions are easy.)

The milking stand needs to be as comfortable for you as it is for the doe and it needs to be constructed in such a way that permits you to milk a doe who does not want to be milked...like some first fresheners. It needs to have some method to keep the doe on the stand and some way of permitting the doe to eat grain without being able to step in it or turn it over. (I never keep collars on my goats; but dog collars work fine or a simple chain around the upper part of the neck just under the ears will suffice to retain a goat whenever needed.)

After I milk the does, I use an all white paper towel placed in a stainless steel strainer to pour the fresh milk into and let it fall into whatever container I want it to. Cool down the milk as quickly as possible.

[houndlover]

You can milk into any container. I prefer a smallish one I can whip out of the way in case something spooks one of the girls. Jeffers sells small stainless steel (1/2 gallon) buckets (as water buckets for dog crates, but they look just like little milk buckets) for $5. I use one to milk into and then dump each girl's milk into a larger 2 gallon I won at a goat show. As a matter of fact, I have 4 big stainless buckets - all prizes at goat shows, ha ha. I don't use any fancy udder wash, a warm wet wash cloth. I strain with a basic aluminum strainer from hoeggers and filter disks. They come in a box of 250 for 4.99 on ebay, and the strainer wasn't expensive, less than $30 when I bought it. I always find it kind of humorous that people will go all out of their mind washing and cleaning an udder and worrying about diseases, and then "strain" milk through something like a dish towel.

[chewie]

i use baby wipes to clean the teats, belly and my hands, then a paper towel to dry. milk into a sspail I got at tsc for about ten bucks. found a lid from an old pot i had, so as soon as i squirt that last one, i put the lid on pronto. i lucked out and got a barrel of dip from an out of business cattle dairy, but used the fiasco dip for a few years before that and had no issues.

after a recent thread, I also have added some floor mats to the stand, its so nice to have an easy to clean floor to set my pails on, hate getting to the kitchen with a gooey bottomed pail! ew. and the dark of the mats is nice to see those first squirts, easy to tell if the milk is 'right'.

if I am milking more than one or two, i do use the filter disks, and found the 'tuffy' ones in the green box do better for me than the orange box, with the large strainer from caprine supply. otherwise, for just one or two, i use a window sheer (curtain) , cut up, with the lid of a half gallon mason jar. those seem to clean easier than a cottony type, and filter well. those I just milk directly into, put in fridge. if its hot, i set the jar into a small pail with some water and some ice bottles. usually by the time I am only using a jar, there is either cold temps or even snow, so that's not a problem.

i do leave the jars uncapped for a bit, in the fridge, so the hot gets out. then cap and smile!

[rabbitpatch]

I prefer to milk into a quart jar. It's small enough to hold in 1 hand while you milk with the other and you can hold it right up to the teat so there is less chance of squirting milk anywhere besides where you're aiming, and if the doe kicks you can move the jar out of the way quickly so as to not spill it. Plus, if you do happen to spill it, you only loose the small amount in the jar - not the whole bucket. When my quart jar gets full I filter it into a larger jar (a half gallon or gallon glass jar) and continue milking.

I have a stainless steel milk strainer with the metal ring to hold the filter. A lovely friend bought mine for me so I don't know for sure where she bought it, but I use multiple layers of cheesecloth (at least 4 layers) rather than the filter papers. I hand wash and bleach the cheese cloth and will occasionally run it through the hottest setting on my dryer.

For udder wash and teat dip, I use approx. 1 tablespoon of dish liquid and a "splash" (probably 1/4 cup) of ACV to a gallon of water. This does not dry out my doe's udder at all. I use a clean cotton cloth to wash her udder before I milk and then I use a 1/2 pint (jelly size) jar to dip her teats after milking.

To sterilize my jars, filter etc. I wash by hand in hot soapy water (totally separate from any other dishes) and then soak in a bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water) for a minimum of 3 minutes. Don't leave in the bleach solution for more than an hour however because it creates a film on the glass. When I remove everything from the bleach water, I rinse in hot water and let it air dry (towel drying can spread germs). I do occasionally run everything through the hottest cycle on my dishwasher but I don't run the dishwasher every day so most days they just get the hand wash/sterilize treatment.

Another very lovely friend of mine gave me a milk stand (thank you again RRR!). I currently use a hobble on my doe's hind feet to prevent her from kicking, but I have seen pictures of a milk stand with 2 eye bolts, 1 on each side, mounted into the floor of the stand about where you want the doe's hind feet to be placed. Then you can tie her feet to them if necessary. I am thinking of putting these on my stand and then using a leather strap or cotton rope to tie her feet. Not all does require tying or hobbling their hind feet however. My doe is getting better about standing (she is a FF so just learning) but she still kicks sometimes.

Before my most excellent milk stand gift, I just tied my doe to a wall in my barn, in such a way that she couldn't go anywhere but was still comfortable and able to lower her head and eat. I knelt on the ground beside her to milk. It worked fine but my knees sure do like my milk stand better!

[Willowynd]

Wow thank for all the info! OK- let me make sure I have this right...
1. I can get away with using a paper towel for checking milk instead of a strip cup
2. baby wipes are fine to wash off udders
3. I can use stainless dog pails- I already have 2 qt size- is that large enough? I see the milking pails are 5 qts, so thinking no. But I can get a 6 qt for about $11 and shipping.
4. I can use cheesecloth or sheer curtain scraps or even paper towel in the top of a jar for straining
5. I can store milk in my qt mason jars- but need plastic lids for them. I will need to find half gallon mason jars- never seen those.
6. I may need hobbles (actually thinking I prob will for this gal).
7. CMT test cards
8. Collars not suggested, but I can just put a dog collar on her to get her to the stand then remove when finished.

[Suzyq2u]

You've gotten some good ideas. To me it's a lot like having a baby, as complicated or as simple as you want it to be
I just use mason jars for the milk, and a metal coffee filter with a paper one inserted in so I don't have to dig out the hair, that sits on a funnel over a clean jar when I'm back in the house to strain. I label the jars with tape (masking or painter's) w/ the date. I use a small dot of dish soap in water for cleaning her udder - often use 'seen better days' socks for washing rags. And a paper towel to dry her off after.

I highly recommend a radio!! It makes milking go by a little easier!

[rabbitpatch]

Walmart sells a 2 gallon stainless steel bowl. You can use that instead of a pail if you don't mind that the bowl doesn't have a handle. I used to milk my friend's dexter cow into a bowl like that. I think it was $10 or $12 plus tax. Keep in mind, if you milk all into one container you risk getting a foot in it or the bucket/bowl/whatever getting kicked/knocked over. Some people do it and it works just fine, but if you milk into a smaller container a little at a time and pour into a larger container as you go (keep the large container *away* from the goat), then if the container you are milking into does get kicked or dropped or the goat sticks its foot in there, then all you have lost is the milk in the smaller container.

For my hobble I use a long, thin, leather dog collar. I flip it around backwards, around one leg and slip the end through the metal ring you would normally clip a leash onto, then I cross over and wrap the end around the other leg twice (so the doe can't pull her foot out) and then buckle it like you would normally buckle a collar. It's easier to show than it is to explain....if I can figure out how to video tape it, I'll do that tonight to show you what I mean.

Check a farm supply store for the half-gallon mason jars. TSC sometimes carries them here.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I spent the money on the CMT and wish I hadn't. It's not designed for goats, and you have to use it on a regular basis to watch for changes. For me, it's not useful, and it is wasted money sitting on my shelf.

If I suspect mastitis, I send a sample for testing so that I can find out for sure.

Half gallon jars:
http://www.thehousewaresstore.com/bl-68100.html

[LoneStrChic23]

I too wouldn't use CMT, if I had suspicions on milk, I personally would just send a sample in to LSU.

I had to use hobbles briefly.....use a curb chain out of my old horse tack box. Worked great & was only temporary.

Amazon sells a pack of 6 1/2 gallon Ball jars for around $20, plastic lids were $3 for a pack of 8.

Size pail needed depends on what goats & how many your milking. I milk one Alpine & one mini alpine....so I take out 1 1/2 gallon jar & 1 quart jar & it usually holds my milk.

Another option I've used & liked for udder washing & pre-milking hand cleaning is the Wal-Mart brand of "Wet Ones" antibacterial hand wipes. I keep them in my caddy for cleaning my hands.

Only reason I'm not using them now for udder washing is because my Alpine doe digs in the water trough, makes a mud puddle & lays in it So for her, I need my udder wash in a spray bottle to drench her & get the mud off.

[Pony]

Bare Bones Pony! Milking Supplies:

Ice cream bucket for washing udder (warm water with a couple of drops of Dawn dish liquid)

Rags to wash/dry udder

Stainless steel bucket (bought from Amish store up the road for $10)

Canning funnel and strainer lined with cut up percale napkins (bleach wash, iron napkins to sterilize)

Canning jars (quart is fine, you just may have to use more than one)

Regular canning lids

I keep everything very clean. Wash with baking soda to remove milk stone from bucket.

It's been working for a couple of years now, but I may upgrade if/when we get more cash flow.

Or not.

[mygoat]

I wouldn't skimp on milk filters, that's just me. I think those should be disposed of after every milking.

I've done very well with my cheap stainless steel 8 qt stock pots that I get from the local dollar store for 8.00 apeice. I zip tied a split ring onto each handle, and then I use a 2-dog coupler (just what I had on hand, could be a peice of rope with clips on each end) as a removeable handle (so that it doesn't get gross or in the way).

Other than that, I use the dawn dish soap/bleach udder/teat dip as per fiasco farm's recipe, and use ice cream buckets to carry it down there. Paper towels and dixie cups for udder wash/dipping. You'll also want some mason jars - I prefer half gallon but for a few milkers or light milkers you could use qt jars.

[mary,tx]

I like milking into a gallon glass jar (like a big pickle jar). For udder wash I use 1/4 cup bleach to a gallon of water, in a spray bottle. I wash the teats with the spray and dry them with a cloth, then milk.

For filters, I use the mini filters from Caprine Supply, and have a little funnel with ring from them they fit into.

I also get plastic link/break away collars from them. IMO you need a collar, but one that won't choke your goat if she gets it caught on something.