New video....cleaning my milking machine

[freemotion]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdD8LblQkgU

I'm making a series now that I am good at using the machine. I worry that something will happen....someone will end up in the hospital or something and my goats will all explode with no one to milk them. Thus a series of videos so a trusted friend or neighbor or two can muddle through the process with no prior experience.

My plan is:

1. Setting up for milking

2. Catching the does and getting them through the gate with a bit on what to do with the occasional escapee

3. Milking

4. Filtering the milk

5. Cleaning the machine, which is the above video

I'm leaving my goofs in so everyone can see that ANYONE can do this, even a klutz like me! Watch me spill the water!

 

[abifae]

Nice! Definitely looks easy, too.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Wow, FREE...you're a movie star! You're the first one on SS-F to be actually seen and heard in PERSON! How cool is that?
Nice job cleaning the milking machine. Now tell my where to get one...Please!

// -... - //
Trim sends

 

[GOOGLE NIKOLA TESLA]

GOOD WORK!! lovin it! thank you!

 

[TanksHill]

Cool!!! Now I can clean your milking machine!!

Can I ask a silly question? You do that after every milking???

g

 

[Our7Wonders]

Looks like the same milk machine we used at the dairy where I bought my does from but they had a couple extra suction-y thingies (four total). Clean up was similar but we did it in the dairy kitchen in a sink instead of buckets - and they used hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach.

Although clean up wasn't difficult - I always though it was a pain in the rear. I can see the benefits for someone with a lot of goats or with arthritis (the lady that owned the dairy had a hard time milking 15 goats by hand due to arthritis) but for me it was easier to milk by hand.

Good for you to plan ahead and have good instructions in place to get the milking done in case an emergency keeps you away!

 

[freemotion]

Thanks, everyone! I feel a little silly watching it, especially when I dump the water bucket....DOH!

Trim, I got it from Mike Perry of www.perrysmilkers.com and the service is GREAT! He will patiently help you over the phone and can even tell you stuff just by hearing the machine over the phone....he had us adjust the timing of the pulsator. Impressive.

Yes, I clean it after every milking. I had the idea to just put the bucket in the fridge and do two milkings, but that was a bad idea. What would I do with the inflations? How would I get them clean? Gave up that idea pretty quickly. Cleaning it is quick and easy and I got used to it. I don't have as many jars drying in my kitchen every day, a plus.

I enjoyed hand milking but with four does, one with difficult teats and two first fresheners, I was having trouble with my hands. Especially after a long day of giving deep tissue massage, some days to a bunch of horses. Then I had a couple of health crises this past winter and spring and had time to consider what would happen to my does if we had a bigger emergency where neither of us could milk. The next time I had a big chunk of change (horse show season....about a dozen horses at one show in one day) instead of bills, I got the machine. No regrets. It has truly saved my hands.