NH Homesteader's journal

[baymule]

Wow! You went from blizzard to I SEE GRASS!!!

ok it's hay which is dead grass......but it's still grass

 

[NH Homesteader]

Lol! Yes! Hay, dirt and dead grass. Still snow in the front yard, more shade there. The goat pen is snow-free though!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Snow in the front yard - grass in the back. Sounds like that should be a song or something, lol!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Should be melted this week-going to be in the high 60's tomorrow!

Have some chevre that will be ready this afternoon. Yay!

 

[NH Homesteader]

DH just got a nasty-gram text from me cussing out the milking machine. So he has some choices here. He can either help me milk before he goes to work (he already has to get up at 5), he can build a pen for the kids so we can separate during the day and milk in the evening, or he can buy me a new machine. It's hard enough without the vacuum issues because Mimosa is a kicker with wonky teat placement! But it takes so long to get the pressure up, assuming the machine even builds pressure.... I had DD1 trying to help me today but 5 year olds are only so helpful, lol!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ahhhhhh - that sucks that you're having so much trouble. What wouldn't suck would be if your machine would suck like it's supposed to, lol. I feel your pain - my first little machine was horrible.

I've got chevre working also! Are you going to flavor yours with anything? I love it plain, but DH has been asking for roasted garlic and rosemary.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Mm that sounds good! I might do sea salt and dill, but garlic and rosemary sounds good too!

You have a Simple Pulse right? Does it take time to build suction too?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I do have a simple pulse - and it doesn't take it any time at all to build suction. When I put the teat cups up to the does it'll suck 'em right in. Maybe you need a bigger suction pumpy thingy? (I'm so technical) Generally, if I have any kind of vacuum loss it's a loose connection somewhere - not a pump problem. I'm not even using it right now cuz I'm only milking Cameo twice a day right now. I'm getting Lucy on the stand in the evenings, but she's decided (after a great start) that she doesn't love it so much. Too bad - cuz she's gonna be a milker whether she wants to or not, lol.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I have the same vacuum pump simple pulse uses. But, my milk pail doesn't lock down so I think we're losing air there. Also, sometimes the claw leaks air. So I think I could milk into a 1/2 gallon Mason jar with a plastic screw on lid, DH could make that happen. No one milks more than that per milking (yet!) and he can mess with the claw too. He says he can make it happen...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

my milk pail doesn't lock down so I think we're losing air there.

That's probably it. Since your DH is so handy - can he do something similar to the set up that the simple pulse uses?