Milking supplies!

[chasingdreams]

Our Jersey is due sometime in January - so we need to get stocked up on milking supplies. Can y'all help me think of everything I need - no matter how simple it seems - to make sure I have thought of everything... and where is the best place to acquire said things?

Thanks!!!

[Freeholder]

I have goats, not cows, but here is what I use:

stainless steel milking pail
Milk strainer
milk filters to fit the strainer
jars to put the milk in (I use wide-mouth quart canning jars; for a cow you probably will want gallon jars)
dairy cleaner (use once a week on all the equipment)

This is actually all I use, not counting my cheese-making equipment. I used to wash udders (cows are messier than goats, so you may have to), but gave it up when I was getting chapped udders and hands -- and had absolutely no difference in milk quality. Nor have I had a case of mastitis in the last twelve years or more. I don't teat dip, either, although you can if you want to. (It might be more necessary with cows, which do have messier manure than goats do, and are more likely to be laying in unsanitary conditions.)

Other things to think about: where are you going to milk the cow? How will you fasten her in place while you milk? Are you going to give her her grain while she's being milked (the goats won't stand still without their grain, but some cows will)? If so, what will the grain be in? What are you going to sit on while milking? How are you going to deal with it if she swats you in the face with a manury tail? (Mom used to tie the cow's tail up to a nail in the wall, or you could use a big eye bolt -- less likely anyone would get hurt on it.)

Have fun! Jersey cows are beautiful!

ETA: I forgot to answer the other half of your question! Your local farm supply store ought to carry the milk filters. I don't know if they'll have the buckets -- so few people keep dairy animals any more. Check on-line -- google 'farm supplies' or 'ss milk pail', ss milk strainer (goat supply catalogs carry those, such as Hoegger's Goat supply, and Caprine Supply -- I'm not sure those strainers are big enough for using with a gallon jar, though). The dairy cleaner is expensive, but you only use a small amount at a time so even a quart lasts a long time. If you know someone with a big dairy, they buy it in 55 gallon drums, and might let you buy a small quantity from them. Use caution with it, as it's VERY strong.
Kathleen

[Hardpan]

That was an excellent answer Freeholder. There are a couple more places that we get supplies from, Hamby Dairy Supply and Nasco and lots of stuff off of ebay.

You will want to go think through everything involved in the routine of milking because to say milk cows don't like their routine changed is a vast understatement. It's funny and exasperating when they just stand there and look at you because you decided to change something. It would be good to get or make a stanchion and begin feeding her there a little while before she has her calf, somewhere you can milk her in all weather conditions and stay as clean as possible.

If your going to pail feed the calf the only pail I like have the check valve in them, I know others may like other types but I've pail fed calves on and off for over 40 years and in my mind they are the best by far. I get the pail and the milk filters from Nasco. You can tell the pails with check valves by shaking them and hearing the marble that is the valve rattle.

Stainless steel and glass are good, plastic definitely is not. Don't use too hot of water to clean up your milking equipment especially when you first rinse it out as it will set milk stone and will increase the need to acid wash your equipment. For bringing cream and milk to the house we use stainless steel totes from Hamby I think, and we ordered 1/2 gallon jars through an Ace Hardware. You'll begin to think that the equipment is going to cost more than the cow.

A lot of people new to milking seem to enjoy this site http://familycow.proboards32.com/index.cgi . You will probably find a lot do's and don't's on that site.

[QFMom]

Goat milker here....

We wash udders - cheapie wash cloths from Walmart, warm water, and peroxide

milk into stainless steel - I bought ss compost pails from LeeValley with lids... cheaper than milk pails

I use a chlorihexidrine teat dip but as a spray... using a good upwards sprayer

ss strainer... definitely get the big one if you can afford it... I bought ours from Hoeggers

we filter our milk into qt glass jars... half gallon & gallon are hard for me to hold and too $$$ to lose to breakage

A system for RAPIDLY chilling the milk... at least that is a biggie with goats. We have an ice chest for milk chilling.

[alpha]

Another thought might be a weigh scale to track production as to spot problems quickly. With a cows output... will you be making cheese? Pasteurizing? Cream Separating? We raise only three dairy goats but even that keeps us in milk, butter and cheese with enough left over to sell and that helps pay the bills!

[Salal Sue]

QFMom, thanks for the suggestion on using a compost pail. I went to the website and they looked so good that I placed an order. I'm going to measure the top of my regular pail and see if I can find a lid at a thrift store, then I'm really set with two covered pails!

[Navajo]

Wow, We have been thinking about a milking goat.

I remember doing it growing up.

We had a steel bucket. Brought it inside poured it into glasses and drank the milk.

I guess things have changed.....

[momof23goats]

I have goats, not cows, but here is what I use:

stainless steel milking pail
Milk strainer
milk filters to fit the strainer
jars to put the milk in (I use wide-mouth quart canning jars; for a cow you probably will want gallon jars)
dairy cleaner (use once a week on all the equipment)

This is actually all I use, not counting my cheese-making equipment. I used to wash udders (cows are messier than goats, so you may have to), but gave it up when I was getting chapped udders and hands -- and had absolutely no difference in milk quality. Nor have I had a case of mastitis in the last twelve years or more. I don't teat dip, either, although you can if you want to. (It might be more necessary with cows, which do have messier manure than goats do, and are more likely to be laying in unsanitary conditions.)

Other things to think about: where are you going to milk the cow? How will you fasten her in place while you milk? Are you going to give her her grain while she's being milked (the goats won't stand still without their grain, but some cows will)? If so, what will the grain be in? What are you going to sit on while milking? How are you going to deal with it if she swats you in the face with a manury tail? (Mom used to tie the cow's tail up to a nail in the wall, or you could use a big eye bolt -- less likely anyone would get hurt on it.)

Have fun! Jersey cows are beautiful!

ETA: I forgot to answer the other half of your question! Your local farm supply store ought to carry the milk filters. I don't know if they'll have the buckets -- so few people keep dairy animals any more. Check on-line -- google 'farm supplies' or 'ss milk pail', ss milk strainer (goat supply catalogs carry those, such as Hoegger's Goat supply, and Caprine Supply -- I'm not sure those strainers are big enough for using with a gallon jar, though). The dairy cleaner is expensive, but you only use a small amount at a time so even a quart lasts a long time. If you know someone with a big dairy, they buy it in 55 gallon drums, and might let you buy a small quantity from them. Use caution with it, as it's VERY strong.
Kathleen
I agree here with Kathleen. we were washing teats, and dipping ,but in the winter, they would get frost bite, so stopped that in a hurry. now right after they have just dropped their kids, I do wash every thing down for a couple of days, and try to get them as dry as i can.
this is hard work.
I chill my milk, fast, really fast, I milk, strain, and chill, in the freezer,
then i drink. it is great. everything i use is stainless steel. I put the strained milk, in mason jars.

[Homesteader1]

Not knowing the age of your Jersey, might I add that you pick up several tubes of CMPK gel, it's to ward off milkfever, which Jersey's are prone to, especially as they age. You can give this gel/ paste when she begins labor and again after the birth and then again in 10-12 hours. We purchased ours at TSC. Molasses water( 1qt molasses to 4-5 gallons of warm water) before birthing and definately after birthing is a good source of calcium and minerals. Beware this may loosen her stools, which is okay for cleansing her bowels.

We wash even in winter and simply dry as good as possible with a cotton towel, then before sending them back outside I coat each teat with a healthy coating of Bag Balm, we've never had a problem with chapping, frostbite, splitting/ cracking or with summer sunburn.

I have a strainer but find that keeping the strain pads in place is a pain so.... we use floursack tea towels for straining milk. It easily wraps around the lid of a gallon glass jar held by a rubberband, forming a cup to strain into. If there is a lot of cream it may take longer to strain, but it gets 99.9 % of the particles out. We then wash the towel in warm soapy water and rinse, then put into a pan of boiling water to sterilze and hang to dry.

We use a stainless steel stockpot( soup pot with handles and lid, holds 2 gallons) I don't think an exspensive stainless milk pail is needed, at least it isn't for us.

A stainless steel ladle for skimming cream( any kitchen supply store)
Stainless steel funnel that fits canning jars to pour cream that is being skimmed into qt or 1/2 gallon canning jars.

a dairy themometer for cheese and yogurt making

Encyclopedia of Country Living for good selection of dairy recipes, cheese, yogurt and alike.

A hand crank butter churn or a 1/2 gallon canning jar filled 3/4 full of cream and let stand at room temp. Then simply shake until butterfat separates. A butter spoon/paddle( wooden) works out the buttermilk. I have a wooden butter mold( makes 1 lb blocks) that my Dh made. I then wrap the butter in wax paper and refrigerate or freeze for late use.


As, Mom of 23 goats said we strain milk as quickly as milking is finished, then quick chill milk in freezer for 1-2 hours, then move to the frig. We've never had a gallon of milk go bad, if it's 2-3 days old it gets made into cottage cheese, kefir or yogurt.

[momof23goats]

Not knowing the age of your Jersey, might I add that you pick up several tubes of CMPK gel, it's to ward off milkfever, which Jersey's are prone to, especially as they age. You can give this gel/ paste when she begins labor and again after the birth and then again in 10-12 hours. We purchased ours at TSC. Molasses water( 1qt molasses to 4-5 gallons of warm water) before birthing and definately after birthing is a good source of calcium and minerals. Beware this may loosen her stools, which is okay for cleansing her bowels.

We wash even in winter and simply dry as good as possible with a cotton towel, then before sending them back outside I coat each teat with a healthy coating of Bag Balm, we've never had a problem with chapping, frostbite, splitting/ cracking or with summer sunburn.

I have a strainer but find that keeping the strain pads in place is a pain so.... we use floursack tea towels for straining milk. It easily wraps around the lid of a gallon glass jar held by a rubberband, forming a cup to strain into. If there is a lot of cream it may take longer to strain, but it gets 99.9 % of the particles out. We then wash the towel in warm soapy water and rinse, then put into a pan of boiling water to sterilze and hang to dry.

We use a stainless steel stockpot( soup pot with handles and lid, holds 2 gallons) I don't think an exspensive stainless milk pail is needed, at least it isn't for us.

A stainless steel ladle for skimming cream( any kitchen supply store)
Stainless steel funnel that fits canning jars to pour cream that is being skimmed into qt or 1/2 gallon canning jars.

a dairy themometer for cheese and yogurt making

Encyclopedia of Country Living for good selection of dairy recipes, cheese, yogurt and alike.

A hand crank butter churn or a 1/2 gallon canning jar filled 3/4 full of cream and let stand at room temp. Then simply shake until butterfat separates. A butter spoon/paddle( wooden) works out the buttermilk. I have a wooden butter mold( makes 1 lb blocks) that my Dh made. I then wrap the butter in wax paper and refrigerate or freeze for late use.


As, Mom of 23 goats said we strain milk as quickly as milking is finished, then quick chill milk in freezer for 1-2 hours, then move to the frig. We've never had a gallon of milk go bad, if it's 2-3 days old it gets made into cottage cheese, kefir or yogurt.



I don't have any go bad either. but it is made into butter, yogurt, cheese, same as you do homesteader1. I also usually have a couple of babies around of some kind, that take the extra milk, for sure. I have raised, hogs, steers, all sorts of things, on my extra milk.

[QFMom]

thanks for the suggestion on using a compost pail. I went to the website and they looked so good that I placed an order.

You are welcome! I have 5 from there... 1 I actually use for compost. :-D I started with 2 and added more as I added more goats. They are very durable...

CMPK gel, it's to ward off milkfever,

I don't know if it is different for cows than goats... but I have heard horror stories with goats with the gel. It is supposed to be very caustic to their throats. I do however get several bottles of Duravet brand CMPK liquid and use that with my older doe who seems prone to this (had a rougher life before we got her).

The chlorihexidrine I use actually helps prevent chapping of the udder... it includes glycerine.

Our milk can last 10 days for drinking... at that point we make yogurt.

I only sell it up to 4 days old fresh (and dated!)... we also quick freeze milk... taking it straight from ice bath to chest freezer....

The freezer chills for enough for us if needed... but the ice bath is so much better if you can do it.

When I make cheese.... I make it from fresh milk so no need to chill then warm.

Dairy Connection is a good source for rennet and cultures and a good price.

During peak we also use a SS stock pot... but it is heavy and more awkward to carry to the house. On unever ground and in bad weather and sometimes the dark... our covered pails are a BLESSING.

Oh for cheese and yogurt Hoeggers sells a big long handled slotted thing... like a spoon, but flat... it is cheap and I love it! I bought 2 more this year!

[momof23goats]

well, I use a milking machine, most of the time ,the kind that used to be used for cows that strapped on the cows belly, I think. i just set it on the stand and hook the girls up to the teats on it. it makes it go allot faster, when you have my amount of goats, and to think about spring .wow, it is going to take forever milking. but I will have good butter ,cream, cheese, and yogurt. I will be a freezin allot of it.

[QFMom]

I hear you... we are kidding out 23 this yr... 17 so far is our max by hand... 2x a day...