Who makes a good goat milking machine?

[mysticokra]

I don't want to be a large dairy, but would be interested in a machine that could milk four goats. Anyone know of a smaller unit?

I could also use a source for good stainless steel buckets.

Thanks.

[TexCountryWoman]

For such a small number of goats, a milking machine would not be cost effective but you can go to:

www.hoeggergoatsupply.com

www.caprinesupply.com

They will send you free "paper" catalogs if you request them.

[mysticokra]

Originally Posted by TexCountryWoman

For such a small number of goats, a milking machine would not be cost effective but you can go to:

www.hoeggergoatsupply.com

www.caprinesupply.com

They will send you free "paper" catalogs if you request them.

Thanks, TexCountryWoman

I actually saw a couple of systems designed for up to six goats.
Now, what will I do with all that milk?

[TexCountryWoman]

"Use all you can and freeze the rest!" When it's at it's peak supply, you will feel rich, like you have this wonderful abundant source that will go on and on. Do all the milk making things you want and freeze away. Fatten your hogs, dogs and chickens, etc. If you stagger the breeding of your goats, the supply may even out some, but generally, there is more milk during the spring and summer and it tapers off towards the fall and winter. I keep on a milking as long as I can. (I just tried to dry off a Lamancha and she sorta refused even after everything i could think of, she just wants to continue on. So I wormed her for breeding with Ivermectin and am throwing away the milk to the animals (because of the worming chemicals in the milk) and she is just putting along even though for two weeks i went through some serious steps to dry her off: She has been a once a day milker since June, then two weeks ago, i thought she needed a rest because she looked a little worn out from all her productiveness (still very healthy). So I milked every other day for 8 days. Then i skipped three days. Then i thought to myself that she was my last doe in milk and i just couldn't imagine no more milk and I broke down and milked her. There is no less milk than before. And she is much happier with her familiar routine. I was afraid I was going to mess up her perfect udder, but no, I didn't. She is an insistent milker. So I am going with it. I am used to Nubians, and even had Alpines in the past but have never seen a goat like this. I'll be quiet now, I am bragging about a goat breed again...but don't we all? Actually, I like them all. But man oh man, this LaMancha is something...by the way, she was already named "Perseverence" when I bought her. How fitting.

[dlindley]

Here's a cheaper alternative, though I can't vouch for its quality:
http://westwoodfarms.netfirms.com/Milkers.htm

[geminigoats]

Hi,

Its so hard to find a reasonably priced system, however, if you can afford it, new is best. I personally liked my Conde portable milker, it was set to milk 2 goats at once. I bought it used from an ad on one of the yahoo goat lists I was on yrs ago. Westwood does do good work and is as reasonable as possible. Try looking around, there is also cometothefarm.com they have auctions and classifieds, then there is also e-bay. If I have time I'll try to find a post, think it was Lost Nation, yep, it was, do a search for Lost nation goats and there is a trading link there, she had a 2 goat milking system for barter. Hope that helps.

Bernice

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

http://westwoodfarms.netfirms.com/Milkers.htm

His machines are great, I have one that I take to shows since it is portable, but defiently a workhorse that can work on the farm. They are nothing more than air compressors that suck instead of blow What's great about Westwood is that he helps you through the breakin process and fixes anything that goes wrong, he never tires of emailing you back no matter how innane the questions get. Guess how I know this???

Mine is a put together kind myself, with a used vacume pump from a refridgeration company, a simply motor, pully. This is all mounted on a nice cart from Tractor Supply. My hoses, inflations, shut offs etc, come from Partsdepartmentonline.com or Paul Hamby on ebay. My Delaval can came off ebay and my lid and pulsator are from Paul. Hose clamps, other hoses, vacume gauge, air tank (which is just PVC) and other odds and ends are from Lowe's.

Milking machines are alot like computers, you have to use one to even see how it works. But once you have one, you can then rob this part to make another one. It is not logical how they work, it just does.

Thankfully gone are the days of the 1500 dollar machine being all that a beginner could hope to have, you can put them together for cheap, certainly under 300$ if you scrounge, or pick them up. With so many folks getting in and out of the dairy goat business quickly, there are always machines up for sale.

Just remember that the 'machines' on ebay do not have their motor or vacume pump! You also have to replace the rubber gaskets, inflations and hoses, so don't even bother buying them if you don't have to. Vicki

[Tricia Smith]

Hoegger's used to sell a really nice stainless steel milking bucket: heavy gauge, satin finish, a substantial carrying bail. It's still pictured in their 2004 catalog.

However, they have substituted a light gauge, mirror finish bucket with an awkward bail (hmm, can you tell I sent back the bucket I wanted as my extra?), far, far lower quality at the same price. Seemed like a toy bucket in comparison to their original product. I was really disappointed and wrote them a letter, but never heard back even though I buy a lot of supplies through them.

Vollrath makes a nice pail, but it's tall so it may not work with all your milkers.

I haven't seen Caprine Supply's buckets.

We have a small dairy goat opperation and would like to find a good used bucket and teat cups.....for my daughter that is a 4-Her milking by herself. Or any other good used dairy goat equipment. We live in southern minnesota

email address: goldens4@hotmail.com

[bethlaf]

dennis (westwood) over on the netfirms site makes his milkers from all new machines, he does a good job and is a really nice guy , like Vicki said, hes there for you to ask questions of , if you need him

i think its nice to support another homesteader whenever possible

as for stainless hand milking buckets, i go to the restraunt supply store and i bought a "stainless steel champagne chiller bucket" for 15.00, its about a 5 quart bucket it should work just fine

[Lt. Wombat]

Our total setup for 6 goats at once cost us the following:

Surge SP-11 vacuum pump and tank on E-Bay: $109 including shipping (heavy)

Surge buckets on E-Bay: $29 for 2 and $15 for 1. All had working pulsators but I can't remember the shipping on them.

Teat cup with inflations: $12 each

Vacuum tubing (FDA approved): $0.89 per foot from the dairy co-op

PVC vacuum piping (pump is outside, stop cocks inside): $15

Misc "stuff": $10

Well worth the investment. We are in and out of the milk parlor super fast

[Wyatt]

I tried the links for westwood but they did not work, are they still in business? I tried a web search but there are so many Westwood Farms in this country I couldn't figure out which it was even though I also searched for "milker"

Seems like a lot of milkers on e-bay but they seem to be risky investments, hard to tell what shape they are in.

Right now I'm milking 9 Lamancha Does by hand, hard on the hands for sure. I also have a few that refuse to ever dry up, some I get a gallon and a half a day, every day, almost too friendly, hard to beat the breed. Only thing bad I can say about them is they insist on chewing on your clothes

[mygoat]

@Wyatt, this thread is from '04.

I recently bought a complete ready to use 2 goat bucket milker from the Parts Department, with silicone milk hoses. It doesn't include the vacuum pump, but has just about everything else for milking and it was 500.00. Your only consideration would be that this is a 35lb bucket - it holds a little over 4 gallons of milk. If your 9 does are producing over 4lbs of milk per milking you may want to get some food grade plastic buckets to use as milk totes because you'll need to pour off the milk part way through.

http://www.partsdeptonline.com/COMPL...-2/SIL%20HOSE/

Sadly, I have yet to set it up. :P I got it to save my dad the chores but we haven't really had a driving need to use it yet. Other people I talked to really like it, and it seems to be a great price from what I could find. We did end up buying a vacuum pump from the local Harbor Freight tools.

[mygoat]

Originally Posted by Wyatt

Only thing bad I can say about them is they insist on chewing on your clothes

Good luck finding a breed of goat DOESN'T do that. :P I'm glad you're enjoying your LM's.

[billinwv]

EZ Milking Supply in PA has an excellent set-up. They don't sell direct anymore but, will direct you to a distributor.

[Alice In TX/MO]

http://www.perrysmilkers.com/

[coso]

Make sure you overbuy not under buy the vacuum you need. It is really frustrating when you can't get vacuum or you don't have enough vacuum to make things run properly. Hamby Dairy supply is another one to look at when you are researching, I use Parts Dept. most of the time.

[billinwv]

Originally Posted by mysticokra

I don't want to be a large dairy, but would be interested in a machine that could milk four goats. Anyone know of a smaller unit?

I could also use a source for good stainless steel buckets.

Thanks.

If you only have four goats you don't want a machine that will milk them all at once(think I am reading you right). You only need a single claw. I would buy one with a vacuum pump that could handle two. I milked 18 with a single claw. Two milk stands with me in the middle. Milk one, prep other, switch milker, bring in next doe. You get the idea. I sold milk then(bootlegged) to white tail deer raisers for 6$ a gal. Wish I could still do that.

[Jay27]

Make your own! Hubby turned a old air compressor into a vacuum pump... Then we got an old surge (single cow) bucket... Milks 2 goats at a time... Cost us $50

[Doug Hodges]

Spent a grand. Bought a Perrys set up for two goats. It works great. We are finding we prefer hand milking.


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