DIY Henry Milker-getting teat cup to attach?

equinecpa

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
20
Reaction score
25
Points
49
I have a Katahdin ewe I am milking. Arthritis in my hands was hurting when hand milking so I made a DIY Henry Milker. When I get the teat cup attached properly it works great but I have so much trouble getting it attached...and then the ewe moves and the suction is broken. Does anyone have any tips? Right now it is taking me longer to get her milked with it than without because I only seem to get good attachment one out of 10 tries. I tried a smaller syringe and had no luck with that. On the Henry Milker site is says size shouldn't really be an issue as the teat cup attached to the udder. Is there a trick to getting good attachment?
 

Harbisgirl

Loving the herd life
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
212
Reaction score
37
Points
173
Location
El Dorado County, Ca
Maybe moisten the area to prevent suction loss? Some vasaline or olive oil or udder balm?

I just got a Maggidans milker. Haven't tried it yet but it sucks onto my arm securely LOL
 

Alaskan

Herd Master
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
5,366
Reaction score
12,588
Points
553
Location
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
When we used a Henry Milker we used something edible to grease up the top for a better seal.

What was it??? blanking.

I found the Henry milker to be too much for my arthritic hands...and cleaning was a bear.

We went back to hand milking after about a month, I just make my boys milk.

Sorry I am no help.
 

Mini Horses

Herd Master
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
9,297
Reaction score
29,356
Points
728
Location
S coastal VA
Are you getting the teat into the syringe area and then up against the udder? Sheep tend to have smaller udders & teats. I have had success with using a woman's hand held milker on mini horses, another source of small on all parts.

My Henry Milker works great! I have single and double teat set ups. Yes, dry skin can be an issue. Try a baby wipe just before you apply the syringe. Avoid wrinkles.
 

Latest posts

Top