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Milking a Miniature Cow

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maryjane	Posted - May 16 2014 : 1:49:46 PM If you're considering purchasing a miniature cow (https://www.heritagejersey.org/measuring.aspx), please consider the size of their teats. As long as you're okay with small teats (smaller than a goat's teats in some cases, although teat orifices on a cow are larger than on a goat), it can be done! These are the teats on a miniature Jersey I purchased from a Colorado farm that specializes in miniature Jerseys (born 2/17/2012 - purchased 6/7/2013 - delivered to me 7/3/2013). I also purchased some semen from them, resulting in a calf (her first), born some three weeks ago. Her calf is nursing at will plus I'm milking her once/day, getting no less than a gallon of milk every day (happy about that!). You can see that her teats are different sizes. Her right rear is the smallest. (Keep in mind that my hands are small.) Front driver's side:) Rear driver's side (this teat is the smallest of the four). Rear passenger side. Front passenger side. I am able to milk her by hand if I milk her two rear teats from behind using an index finger and a thumb (problematic for someone with big hands/I wear a size small glove). In my book, I provide how-to photos for milking a miniature cow using a machine. I had to do some head-scratching to get a machine to work on my other lactating miniature Jersey that was born here (and also featured in my book being milked by machine). When their teats are so small, the machine doesn't stay on their teats reliably because the diameter of the teats can be smaller than the hole in the inflations (rubber suction tubes). I have a NuPulse that works like a charm on my larger cows with bigger teats (all my cows have standard/adequate orifices on their teats which is a good thing). I've talked to all the different milking machine manufacturers and brainstormed and tried a myriad of solutions, including every kind/size of inflation currently being manufactured. I just ordered another machine, an Ultimate EZ Milker, and I'll let you know how it performs on both my big and my small cows. It's much cheaper to purchase than a NuPulse or a DeLaval so that part is a good thing!
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 7:50:22 PM andrea another idea that i like is that we have a small refrig in our summer kitchen right beside the milking parlor. in the summer when it is warm the bottles could go straight in there in about 30 seconds to stay cool and then i could finish up with sally and taking her to the pasture, etc. can't let the raw milk sit around outside longer in the heat. up to this point i haven't worried as when it is freezing temps i don't mind an extra 20 minutes unrefrigerated (ok mary jane, don't freak out , i know this raw milk stuff makes you nervous!). i have even thought of getting a small $50 mini refrig for the parlor itself. couldn't get the stainless milk pail in a small refrig, but those bottles will go in there easily! this may be overkill for many, but we have the pasture on the opposite side of the farm than the milking parlor, and the barn in between. and without a totally secure backbone fencing right now i can't just turn the cow out of the parlor, we have to walk them to and fro... so i have to have an easy way to deal with the milk. i am fine with small bottles of raw milk going straight into a refrig, i don't feel the need to do an ice slush to cool them down faster. i really can't wait to see what you find that works for you. and you'll probably find that you think up a thing or two that makes an impression on us and we take your idea and run with it.
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 7:27:48 PM Hi Cindy, I'm not sure on how her production will be once we're in milk, but with her being a mini I'm guessing it won't be too overly excessive. I agree, doing multiple bottles still sounds like a good plan especially with that IKEA cart! (I have two of those on my list! Thanks again for the tip!) But I can definitely see the advantage in having a stainless bucket available in case of hand milking or if I find I like dumping bottles in instead of capping off. I will check for dented pails on Hamby.Thanks, this helps!
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 6:25:56 PM andrea, with my bottle route i don't need a stainless milk pail BUT it really depends on your cows production. and with a new to you cow do you know what that production would be? i really don't know if i was getting four gallons a day that i would do it this way, would i want to clean 16 of these bottles each day? it takes (4) quart bottles to make one gallon, and right now i only use 5 each day but always have that 6th one handy "just in case". when sally first came i was using (8) per day and that was fine for me to use bottles. perhaps i can speak better to this after sally calves, and in the beginning when the calf isn't taking as much i can tell you what i think with a greater production. i will tell you i went ahead and ordered an extra case of the EZ bottles when i got the milker just because i am neurotically organized and it seemed like a good idea to me ;> i was thinking last month that if i got past 8- 10 bottles i would prob just use the milk pail, but honestly... with this new IKEA milk cart i may just wheel it to the house and back full of bottles. i really don't know! final thought - hamby almost always has DENTED stainless milk pails for sale at half price. i got two of those. if it was me i would have at least ONE handy even if you did go the bottle route... as you never know what will happen... if i had to hand milk the pail would come in handy.
maryjane	Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 1:23:17 PM Seems to me that if you go that route, there's no need for an expensive stainless steel milking pail.
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 19 2016 : 1:09:02 PM Cindy, Referring back to your previous photos of your post-milking setup, you'd mentioned you use 6 total EZ bottles when milking, and cap them off right away. Do you find a need for a stainless steel milking pail at all? I'm going through my list and wondering if I should just purchase the extra EZ bottles and pass up the pail if it won't be used?
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 09 2016 : 07:09:23 AM Couldn't agree more!! :)
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 4:30:51 PM double yes!
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 3:49:33 PM Yes!
maryjane	Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 3:32:19 PM And I must add a thank you for helping me realize a dream--that of an online cow community where real learning takes place and there is a daily sharing of knowledge, all of it experiential. It takes a village.
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 10:13:03 AM We most definitely learn from each other! And I keep going back to MaryJane's book as something that I didn't pickup on the first or second time, perhaps it will jump out at me the third time! Or I am just at a different stage of cow rearing or experiences so different parts speak more loudly than others.
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 08 2016 : 08:33:55 AM I agree, good planning is key to a successful outcome. I'm so thankful to have the MCK book and everyone on here to assist in the process! You are all such a blessing.
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 06 2016 : 09:22:47 AM And, Cindy, we all appreciate all of your extensive planning as we benefit as well! Don't stop!
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 06 2016 : 07:22:44 AM i think what makes the difference of a successful setup is that you are analyzing it now andrea. i tend to plan, plan, plan. so everyone here on HJO had shared so much of what they did, and then my trip to milkmaid university with mary jane gave me that first hand look, so that combined with planning how it might work in my life really helped me make it efficient from day one. i have probably only tweaked 10% of what i started with, as all that planning let me get 90% of it right for me from day one. i think the "right for me" is the direction in which to think, as everyone will have different ideas on what works for their life and cows and farm. and it makes me happy to plan, especially seeing everyone else's descriptions and photos.
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 8:41:57 PM Thanks Charlene and Cindy for the feedback! So good to talk to someone who's been using them for a while and can attest to their durability. Sorry I mis-read that part of your EZ review Cindy about the glass bottles...you were thinking about trying them but hadn't actually tried them out. I've been reading too many posts on here today, getting things all jumbled up ;) I appreciated seeing the pictures you posted! It really helps me to visualize how a good set up works for this on a daily basis. It's these sort of details that are hard to make sense of until you're doing the daily process yourself. Thanks so much!
txbikergirl	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 5:48:08 PM andrea, i'll echo charlene on the quality of the plastic bottles for the EZ - they are top notch. i follow mary jane's routine, rinse quickly to get milk drops out, put a drop of liquipfan soap in and run in warm water, clean with bottle brush, rinse a couple of times to get all suds out, then spray with diluted bleach spray. i let mine sit overnight like that, and the next morning before milking i rinse them out quickly. every once in awhile i run mine through the dishwasher - normal cycle, but NO dry. no problems. just for grins and giggles, it can't hurt. its the heat dry and sanitize that kills the bottles. i actually don't have the EZ glass milking bottles, but have thought about it. the glass bottles i refer to are the milk storage bottles that i transfer the strained milk into after milking. to keep in refrig and look oh so cute. i use six EZ bottles every day when milking. i decided early on to change out the bottles with the milker instead of dumping them into a milk pail. as i only get 1-2 gallons a day it only takes 6-8 bottles, and i liked taking them off the teat attachments and capping them asap. they then sit in that large stainless bowl you were asking about earlier. like this except this is a post kitchen mock up photo, in the parlor i always line the bowl with towels this is what it looks like in the morning when i rinsed all the bottles from the previous days washing/bleaching and then hooked up the hoses to take to the parlor. and i cover it to make sure nothing can get to it:
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 5:39:30 PM We love our EZ milking machine and use it on the cows and goats! Love the versatility!!
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 11:42:11 AM Thanks Charlene. That was my hunch as well, regarding the weight of the bottles on a smaller sized animal. It didn't even occur to me about breaking on cement. Yikes! Good point. The cleaning routine seems easy, just will need to remember not to load them in the dishwasher! Glad to hear the plastic is a thicker durable grade. I haven't seen or handled the Ultimate EZ before so wasn't sure on the quality of the plastic. Thanks! :)
CloversMum	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 10:21:17 AM My plastic ones are holding up well. They are NOT dishwasher safe! One time we were running behind and someone in the family popped them into the dishwasher ... now a couple are slightly warped. :) Still useable, but warped. I wash the plastic bottles with a bottle brush, dairy cleaner and then once a week I rinse them with a dairy acid rinse which keeps them cleaner without any milk deposit build-ups. I wasn't hugely excited about doing plastic at first; however, the bottles are a high-grade plastic ... not flimsy and no chance of breakage out in the milking shed. Our milking shed has a concrete flour and I can imagine a glass bottle possible breaking in various situations. And, I do believe the glass bottles would be way too heavy for a smaller cow ... they would be for my goats. And, then add the weight of the milk as the bottle fills. It gets heavy and hard to maintain suction. Not to mention the stress on the cow's teats ... ouch! Just my two cents ...
Andrea0509	Posted - Feb 05 2016 : 10:14:24 AM Percy is due in 6 months! I'm leaning towards the Ultimate EZ for my milker. Thank you all again for the reviews on this! I just re-read Cindy's post as well. I have a specific question regarding the choice of bottles. How have the plastic bottles held up for those of you that have been using them for some time now? Cindy I saw you mentioned you have the glass ones as well, and that they add some extra weight. Percy is a miniature (on the larger side, almost a mid size), but I'm unsure of how her teat size will be once she's in milk. What I'm wondering is, would the glass ones be inappropriate for a cow her size, adding too much unnecessary weight? I'd prefer glass for the cleanliness they provide vs. the plastic, but am not opposed to plastic either. Thoughts?
CloversMum	Posted - Aug 23 2014 : 4:06:48 PM Good to know! Although I'd much rather pop them into my dishwasher on the sanitize cycle; but, I guess the water/bleach solution after washing in soapy (soap for dairy) water is enough. Thanks for the tip as I will be ordering the EZ milker in the next few months. Then, I'll have lots of time to try it out on my goats before switching over to Clover next year. I still wish the bottles were not plastic.
NellieBelle	Posted - Aug 23 2014 : 10:55:28 AM Yes, and also don't poor boiling water on them to sanitize. I checked the insert that came with my Ultimate EZ milker and it states: DO NOT BOIL OR PUT THESE BOTTLES IN A DISH WASHER. IT WILL RENDER THEM USELESS. So thankfully I caught that before I did that. I usually wash my bottles with warm soapy water and then soak them for a few minutes with water/bleach, then rinse well and air dry.
maryjane	Posted - Aug 23 2014 : 06:25:28 AM I've been using my EZ Milker on Etta Jane, my miniature Jersey that calved recently. Until I start milking my bigger cows again, I'm finding that it's a lot EZer to use the EZ Milker. Just a word of caution though; I accidentally put one of the plastic bottles the milk squirts into in my dishwasher and it came out distorted. Hand wash only!
CloversMum	Posted - Jun 09 2014 : 10:29:04 PM Thank you for all of your great information and review. I am interested as my hands get tired after just milking my goats, so I am looking into some sort of automatic milker when Clover is at that stage. I cannot imagine milking 4-5 goats and a cow by hand...I have had issues with carpal tunnel syndrome, even had surgeries on both hands, so I don't want to risk more issues down the road. And, it appears that the Ultimate EZ Milker would be faster than I can be!
maryjane	Posted - Jun 09 2014 : 08:07:32 AM I took the Ultimate EZ Milker with me to milk Miss Daisy (along with calf Beaumont) while she's away from home at the WSU Vet Teaching Hospital. I was glad to have it and it worked very well in that situation. It's much lighter to carry around than my NuPulse. Not only that but it comes with a cool little carrying tote. The silicone tubing would be difficult to clean but only air goes through them UNLESS you let a bottle overflow as mentioned in the video. If that should happen, then you'd have milk in those tubes that you'd have to clean somehow and dry. The smaller brush I purchased from them can't get all the way into the center of them. My solution? Pay attention to what I'm doing and never let it overflow! The rest of the parts that come into contact with milk are easily cleaned with dairy soap and the large bottle brush I purchased from them. In order to dry all of the bottles and attachments quickly after I washed them thoroughly, I put them lined up on my counter with a small room fan to circulate the air. They dried quickly. I haven't had the milk I harvested with the EZ tested. I could try to engineer that at some point. I get my milk inspection today but he'll be testing Maizy's milk milked with my NuPulse because Miss Daisy isn't here. I wouldn't want to try to use the EZ for commercial production, but it's a nice little machine for household use. And the lack of pulsation doesn't seem to bother my cows. It's very gentle. I did put it on a couple of teats that Beaumont had just nursed on (those quarters of her udder were clearly deflated) because I wanted to make sure he'd gotten everything. Nothing came so I took them off. I do think it would completely empty a quarter. I've never had to milk my girls out by hand after milking with the NuPulse although if I work some shea butter into their teats (occasionally their teats seem dry), I get some milk out after milking. Like I said, I've never had a case of mastitis yet so I must be doing something right!
CloversMum	Posted - Jun 08 2014 : 10:17:07 PM This sounds very promising! So, you felt like you could get the plastic clean enough with the proper cleaning instruments and soap solutions? Could you run any tests on the milk that was milked through the Ultimate EZ Milker? Are the counts and results similar to the milk milked through your regular milker? Do you think that the plastic would allow more of a milk build up over glass or metal? So good to know about the gloves and adjusting the suction...I really wondered about that when watching the video. Did it milk out your cow completely? Or did you end up needing to hand milk at the end to get all the milk? Do you see any issues in regards to the machine not pulsating? Does that cause any issues over time for your cow? I love that it is affordable for backyard cow owners!