The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: smudger on June 14, 2012, 10:35:21 am
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Are all equal? I was going to order one from ascott unless there is a better model out there (and not more expensive).
As a first timer, any tips on best /favourite equipment to buy whilst I am ordering the stand?
thx
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http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/04/building-a-goat-milking-stand.html (http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/04/building-a-goat-milking-stand.html)
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkstand.html (http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkstand.html)
http://www.braidedbowerfarm.com/2009/03/16/goat-milking-stand-plan/ (http://www.braidedbowerfarm.com/2009/03/16/goat-milking-stand-plan/)
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Excellent links. My husband made our milking table out of old pallets and it works a treat.
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/shallywells/millkingtable1-1.jpg)
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We made ours from the Fiasco farm pattern. It was very easy to do and is excellent to use, plus is very sturdy :thumbsup:
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/5b9c8da3.jpg)
Not really the right angle to show the stand but you get an idea.
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(http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af154/itsbaaathtime/scarlettmilkingstand.jpg)
(http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af154/itsbaaathtime/scarlettmilkingstand2.jpg)
This is ours - comes with several other uses (wet sponge throwing optional)
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They could do sw
with some of those outside some supermarkets etc :innocent:
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How very posh you all are....my 'milking stand' is a piece of board 1m x .5m on 4 breeze blocks! ;)
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:D your girls Plums ;D
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The Fiasco farm one is mine - very similar to Jaykay's in fact!!! My darling of a husband even built me one for taking to shows with me, it comes apart and exactly fits the boot of the car!
I have put lino onto it - easily wiped clean.
If you are fairly handy with wood - build your own. I was going to buy the Ascott one for travelling, but on enquiring found out that is quite heavy as it is all one piece, just foldable...
milking stands also good for - giving injections, cutting feet, brushing long coated goats... and just sitting down in the goatshed when escape from the human house is required....
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Thanks all, fantastic one and all. Unfortunately husband is a ninetofiver, so chances of me getting him to spend a valuable day of rest are slim. They do look nice and chunky so definite advantage with jumpity new girls. And the weather forecast isn't good for the weekend, so may a nice dry, inside job may have its appeal...
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Mine is just a piece of wood with one end wider than the other for me to sit on. I've never needed anything to hold them in place, not even a tether. Occasionally I get leaned on but I just lean back.
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I got 2 wood pallets, cut them in half, so out of each pallet I had a narrow pallet with the 6 blocks of wood (spacers?) underneath. tacked a flat piece of wood on top of one, that goes on the top, the other underneath for extra height. A ring fastened to the wall holds them OK. Cheap plastic 'step/stool' to sit on.
I lean the top one against the wall outside to wash it down.
To stop the occasional (?) foot in bucket, I plaited a bale band 'rope', double stranded, 2 lengths long, loop it round a back leg, under the back of the pallet and put my foot on it while milking, she can't bring her foot too far forward but I can take my foot off quickly if needed.
Mind you, while this works, I sometimes dream of a milking stand, as one girl tries to bite me while milking, she now gets fed AFTER milking, she's learned to let me get on with it ;D
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Home made for us, not good enough for trading standards if you want to sell produce as it is raw wood, just needs seeling with varnish or paint,
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Mine is a permant structure for ease of cleaning, which can be hosed down.
Structure is made of concrete blocks, 18" high infilled with rubble and more concrete. And with concrete patio slabs for the top.
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Haven't got a husband, went out and made one up yesterday afternoon ;) If you want a job done you DIY ;D
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This is a bit of a tangent - could you use it to keep the goat in position for feet trimming - we have to 'deck' ours with me holding the head end and other half 'sitting on' them (not quite of course). It's not ideal and every month when we do it I think there must be an easier way?
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definately, even my awkward one I can do on my own, shouldn't be a battle, food bribes work well too.
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This is a bit of a tangent - could you use it to keep the goat in position for feet trimming - we have to 'deck' ours with me holding the head end and other half 'sitting on' them (not quite of course). It's not ideal and every month when we do it I think there must be an easier way?
We used to have a battle with mine, but now they stand reasonably quietly. best if someone holds head, push against wall, lift feet like a blacksmith would a horse, (but not too high) stand rump to rump with goat for back feet, hold hoof firmly between your knees, be firm and don't let go when they struggle (unless their falling over of course). GIVE A TREAT AFTER. They eventually realise it's not such an ordeal and there are goodies when they've been good :) .
If you persevere I'm sure you will all be happier then being 'decked' :)
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Oh yes! We have kids so we know about bribes of treats! ::) Now I've just shown OH Jaykay and Plums' pics and said I was going to give it a go at which he looked like ::) and I looked like :eyelashes: and I will no doubt look a bit :innocent: after its made up! :fc: :fc: :fc: Will I be confident enough to show the results :trophy: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ..... we architects like fiddling about with bits of wood - its all in the detail...see it in 6 months I think...
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our milking stand consists of ...... my o/h kneeling on the floor with his jug (sometimes on a kneeler pad, not always), the goat with her head in her bucket and me sitting on a little stool holding a saucepan!
but one day.... :)
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Goosepimple, did you find the pattern on the Fias Co Farm (http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkstand.html) website? It really wasn't too difficult to make - good luck :thumbsup:
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Yes, just got that Jaykay, many thanks - we were lucky enough to inherit a workshop with built in tools so I've no excuses! We're living in deconstruction city at the moment but it will all have to stop when our kids come off at the end of june, so a project for a day with the kiddies I think. That and felting our fleeces - hopefully it will stop raining for a couple of days 8)
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Inspired by all (plus being a bit desperate), we made one!
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That's excellent - good job :thumbsup:
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Very nice! ;D
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There are some talented people on here.
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Well done! I've no excuses now ::)
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Well done!
Not sure what your surface material is - put some lino or something easily wipeable down. I have one girl who is an expert in multi-tasking - she's having her breakfast (or dinner) while being milked and is doing her business the other end too if I am too slow...
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:D Geraldine is abit like that.... though she usually wanders off to do her business, and have a look round while we wait for her!
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Well done!
Not sure what your surface material is - put some lino or something easily wipeable down. I have one girl who is an expert in multi-tasking - she's having her breakfast (or dinner) while being milked and is doing her business the other end too if I am too slow...
Wouldn't lino be a bit slippy if they come in with wet feet?
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Well done!
Not sure what your surface material is - put some lino or something easily wipeable down. I have one girl who is an expert in multi-tasking - she's having her breakfast (or dinner) while being milked and is doing her business the other end too if I am too slow...
Wouldn't lino be a bit slippy if they come in with wet feet?
Anything that's wipe-able will be a bit slippery, but mine cope well. We didn't have lino on to begin with and cleaning the wooden surface was a nightmare, now just a quick wipe afterwards and it is clean.
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yes its getting a bit mucky (they are a bit like horses the minute you take them up into a horsebox they poo!). Intention is to get a thin bit of rubber matting in due course (can't bear to cut up by thick horse ones...).
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I used a texture floor covering tha tis scrubbable but not slippy.