I'm getting a milking machine!!!! Woohoo!!!! more video links p4

[vegaburm]

Great vids, good help, though I don't know why the other links to the side on You Tube are porn for some of them. Apparently goat milking and porn go together????

Anyway, I just got my Perry's milker yesterday. Couple questions if anybody can....

Do you bump or massage the udder like I see in one of the vids? I didn't this morning and got a bit less milk than I get while hand milking. they were a bit skittish of the machine though so they could have been withholding.

Also, in the cleaning video...it said in my directions to take the hoses off of the lid when cleaning, which I did. Necessary?

And I milk inthe barn in a separate stall. I would like to keep the machine there. Right now I set the pail upside down on a clean towel on the milkstand after cleaning, and wrapped the towel over the top as well. The hoses are hanging. But I can see that bugs will probably explore the hoses. Any solution there? Put the ends into a plastic bag perhaps? with a paper towel in there to absorb moisture?

And I was glad to see on the first vid that someone else has a teeny teeted girl like I do!
Beth

 

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aaawwwwwwwww i'm jelouse! (misspelled that didn't I?)

 

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As you saw in my videos that I am by no means an expert, in fact, in one of them, it is really the very first time I used the machine and the goat's first time. I even spilled my water bucket while cleaning!

My instructions don't say to remove hoses. You may have a slightly different machine, as he offers several options.

My only advice (again, not an expert by any means!) on keeping the bucket clean is to hang it like I do so ALL water comes out (bugs don't go into it in this position for some reason....probably because there is nothing to attract them) if you have the same type of Surge bucket that I have. Otherwise, if you have the other one, the plastic one, I'd put it upside down on something clean where it can drain and dry. Maybe a clean towel on an upside-down milk crate? Something that will allow it to dry thoroughly.

I now use only very hot tap water in both my cleaning buckets. If you use cold water, the fat in the milk builds up inside the bucket. I also add a glug of white vinegar to the first rinse to keep down milk scale. I will soon be switching over to using food grade hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach....just gotta get busy and get that ordered. The cost will be about the same as bleach if I can find bleach for $1 a gallon, and much less as the price of bleach (and gas to transport it) continues to rise. H2O2 is very concentrated in the form I'll be buying it in.

Oh, and yes, they will give a bit less the first few days because of the change of routine and the strangeness of it all. I do always rub and bump the udder. I like to have the habit of always feeling the udder twice a day and this routine not only stimulates milk flow, but keeps me in touch with the health of the udder. And bonded with the does.

I see no problem with having the machine in the barn. Mine is only in the garage because the mosquitoes are so bad in the barn. I may move it for the winter so I don't have to walk the goats across the yard in winter weather.

Congrats on your new machine! You'll love it, and Mike Perry is very helpful.

 

[vegaburm]

On looking at the vid, Free, mine looks exactly the same as yours, except that I have a 3 gallon bucket. It is the same shape and design as yours though. He just happened to have a slightly smaller one, which I took as I have two NDs I am milking right now. My biggest reason for getting the machine is that my dh can't milk them by hand, and I need him to be able to do it on days I cannot. Also I have one girl with tiny teats and I have yet to milk her dry. I am hoping the machine can do a better job of it. Right ow I'll use the machine in the morning when I milk them both so they can get used to it. I will hand milk my larger teated girl in the evening as I don't see bothering with the machine for just her. My other girl still has kids on her during the day. All in all though it was not too hard, and not too much too clean. even being slow I was done in about the same time it usually takes me to hand milk. Admittedly I am slow at hand milking as i am a one teat at a time milker. I don't trust the does not to knock over the pail or put their foot in it, so I keep one hand on the container.

If I don't have to remove the tubes I won't. One less step for someone else to bother with. But I need to make a better hook to hang them from. Right now it is a bent clothes hanger. lol.

Will try bumping massaging a bit more tomorrow. Today I was just trying to figure things out and keep the inflations on the doe that wanted badly to knock them off! She was very difficult when I started milking her, so that wasn't too surprising to me.

 

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You might consider training all the does to accept the machine. Then alternate hand-milking each one to keep your hands strong and to stay in touch with the does, etc. My thoughts are....in an emergency where you and possibly your dh are called away, like to the hospital, you can refer a trusted friend or neighbor to the videos (still need to make that set-up video!) and they can milk using the machine. Personally, I'd send two friends, thinking about the crowd and shoving that happens at the gate at milking time. Or if someone has to run in to the computer to check some bit of information, etc.

Mine came with two sets of inflations but since I won't ever be milking two goats at the same time (never say never!) I took one set off for convenience and stored it in a big ziploc. Honestly, I'd love to set up another stanchion and milk two at once, but don't have the space for that at this point.

For a hook, I got a big S hook at the garden section of the hardware store. It is for hanging a plant on a tree branch or to lower the plant if hung from a ceiling hook. It was about a dollar or so, and well worth it. I have another that I use to hang cheese to drain from my cupboard door handle in my kitchen, with a pan underneath to collect the whey. They come in different lengths.

For the milking machine hook, I put a screw eye in the joist in the ceiling above my stanchion and tied a bit of rope to it, then tied the hook to the rope. I hung it just a few inches above the height of my head so it is in easy reach but I don't put my eye out!

 

[vegaburm]

Hoping to work on a better hanger today.

Got even less milk this morning, despite bumping and massaging udders. Got lots last night hand milking my one girl. Clearly I wasn't getting it all with the machine. I usually get about a pound from each, a little less from my tine teated girl as I get impatient. Yesterday I had about 1 1/2 lbs total, this morning only 1 pound for both. Last night I hand milked 1 1/2 lbs just from the one girl. I hope they stop that soon! They were a bit better behaved with it today at least.

And I was much better at removing the inflation from the teats!

 

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Milk them steadily for several days in a row with the machine and resist the temptation to hand milk....they will get full and finally let it all go and relax around the machine. Eventually, the noise and sensation of the machine will be associated with food and relief! Be patient. It made me nervous at first, too, worried that the drop in production would be permanent. But it wasn't. If you finish with hand milking each time, they will with-hold milk from the machine and save it for you just like they with-hold milk from you and save it for their kids if you are using the once-a-day milking then return the doe to the kids for the day method.

It will work! It will be second nature before long. I am SO uncoordinated with machines and electronics so if I can do it, anyone can. Really.

 

[vegaburm]

Miss Tiny teats is on the once a day schedule with kids right now. milking her just with the machine for now.

Doe #2 Gets the machine in the morning and by hand at night. I just don't want to deal with the machine for just her. But I'm not finishing her by hand in the morning. What the machine doesn't get waits until evening. Keeping my fingers crossed for it to get better. With Nigerians it's not like I have tons of extra milk to get though!