Ok, so I searched through the archives. I didn't exactly find what I wanted so here goes... I keep seeing a De Laval surge milking pail thingy on Ebay for sale. They actually have them regularly. I have arthritis in the base of both of my thumbs and have trouble when I milk the goat. How does the surge milking pail work? Will it work for the goats? I have less than no monetary resources so would like to get out as inexpensively as possible. I am in the "figure it out" stages right now of this problem. $500 for a milking machine is WAY out of the question. The Boy can milk off and on for me so this isn't urgent. Has Countryside Magazine ever discussed this? Anyway, thanks everyone!!

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), February 17, 2002

Answers

Five hundred dollars is about what a used milking machine is going to cost you, Gailann.(New ones start at $1000.) The pail you're looking at on eBay is only part of the system; you'll also need a vacuum pump, a balance tank, hoses, teat cups and liners.

The old Surge and Delaval cow buckets work fine for goats, with a few adjustments, and are still the most economical way to go for many. If you're really interested in putting together a milking machine from used parts, pick up a copy of _The Goatowner's Guide to Milking Machines_ by Diane Gray. It's a great book, and tells you everything you need to know.

Before you start, however, you should understand that washing up a milking machine is much, much more work than milking by hand. It takes lots of time, and special dairy cleaners & brushes to get the milker clean. The major parts don't fit in a dish washer, or even most kitchen sinks, and getting them all clean---twice a day, everyday---is of the utmost importance to the health of the animals being milked.

So while a milking machine will solve your original problem, it'll bring other problems of its own with it... You'll have to weight them carefully to see what will work for you.

-- Julia (charmer24@juno.com), February 17, 2002.

Once you get milking by hand down, or milking by machine, it takes longer to wait for the does to finish their grain than to do the actualy cleaning of the udder, milking, teat dipping and clean up, so I think the cleaning the milking machine vs hand milking is mute, and I would milk one goat by machine! Well maybe 3 :) The vacume pump and motor are not major investments if you purchase them used. The inflations, claws, new tubes etc. of course will be an investment. If you could just look at one, you would see just how easy it is to put together. The De Laval buckets are the most popular and the most expensive. The squat huge T kettle looking ones are the least expensive. Make sure they come with the lid and pulsator, many on ebay even come with alluminum shells, I prefer the lucite but it would help with your cost of getting it to work.

Now on something else, how about taking MSM and Glucosmine/Chondroiton for your hands, they work miricles for me! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 17, 2002.