Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Milking goat for the house

Options
  • 12-06-2014 7:39am
    #1
    Kevin the sheep
    Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭


    Hi was wondering is there a small milking machine you can get to milk one goat for the house I know of the ones on done deal but spending €1200 for a few litres of milk a day is a bit dear for me anyone know of a smaller cheeper version that might do the job


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    marizpan
    Registered Users Posts: 443 ✭✭marizpan


    Sometimes they come up for sale on donedeal at about €500+ second hand. If you buy, they will hold there value and would be easy to sell on again.

    You could also make your own using an old bucket maker, spare motor and vacuum pump from a farmer that is upgrading and then adapt it for a goat.

    We milk using a machine but I still hand the last few litres each evening for the house. It is easier as cleaning the machine is a lot of hassle.
    And that is with a cow, you'd have a goat milked in quick time. It hardly seems worthwhile to machine milk a single goat.
    Factor in 15-20mins to clean the machine well.


  • Options
    #3
    Kevin the sheep
    Registered Users Posts: 201 ✭✭Kevin the sheep


    marizpan wrote: »
    Sometimes they come up for sale on donedeal at about €500+ second hand. If you buy, they will hold there value and would be easy to sell on again.

    You could also make your own using an old bucket maker, spare motor and vacuum pump from a farmer that is upgrading and then adapt it for a goat.

    We milk using a machine but I still hand the last few litres each evening for the house. It is easier as cleaning the machine is a lot of hassle.
    And that is with a cow, you'd have a goat milked in quick time. It hardly seems worthwhile to machine milk a single goat.
    Factor in 15-20mins to clean the machine well.

    Thanks Marizpan ya when ya add in time to wash up it ant worth while I sappose have a couple to milk if I wanted but not going to milk to feed it to the dogs only need two or three litres for the house and one gives way more than that at the min


  • Options
    #4
    marizpan
    Registered Users Posts: 443 ✭✭marizpan


    I fully agree. We machine milk as it is much easier than hand milking 15 litres at one go.
    But I stop the machine 3/4 way through and milk the last creamy 3-4 litres for the house into a sterile bucket or jug.

    I then flush the milk lines with cold water and weekly with milk stone acid and bleach. This machine milk goes to hens, pigs & dogs so it doesn't need to be that clean.

    If I wanted to machine milk for the house ie. to make a batch of cheese, I would bring the bucket milker into the house, usually into the bath tub. I strip down all its parts and wash in hot soapy water and then stand in bleach water for 30 mins. To do this daily or worse, twice a day is an awful job!
    We only milk once a day.


Advertisement