The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on August 26, 2012, 05:05:02 pm
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I'm starting to get arthritis in my right hand and it's not much fun milking with that hand. I seem to remember that someone had a post a while back about a hand operated milking thingy which was consideraqble cheaper than a milking machine. Can anyone remember?
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And the difference between squeezing a lever and squeezing a tit is---? The point I'm trying to make is that you still have to use your hand, I know there is an electric machine like mine sitting under a work bench in Welshpool , It won't be expensive . PM me your phone number and I'll call you back with the details.
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I use the Udderly Ez hand milking thing.
It requires quite a strong 'grip' to squeeze the handle. But it's more a whole hand movement that doesn't cause me pain whereas the smaller finger movements do to actually hand milk. I suppose it depends where your arthritis is!
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I'd be interested to know more as my hands are terrible at the moment and milking is agonising :(
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If you can squeeze a tennis ball then I think you'd be ok with the Udderly Ez (http://udderlyez.com/pdf/SheepGoatCowMareMilkerBro.pdf) hand pump. If that hurts, then I think squeezing the handle of the pump would too. As I said, I'm ok with it when my fingers and thumb hurt so much I can't hand milk.
Has additional advantages in that it doesn't get kicked over, the bottles are sealed so no filtering the milk and they can go straight into the fridge/freezer. Plus one of my goats has silly little teats which made hand milking really difficult but is fine with the pump.
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I can't milk by hand but can with the EZ(by the way JayKay any ideas where to get extra bottles in this country the postage alone from America is £23! :o ) I thought I could get away with using a lamb bottle but the threads are slightly differant.
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Thank you. I remember watching the video now. I wouldn't be able to squeeze it with my right hand but need to try the tennis ball with my left hand. No arthritis in my left knuckles but some starting in my left wrist. Strange as it may seem, I find it less painful reaching through to the far side with my left hand and using my right hand on the nearer teat. There's no way I can use both hands at the same time but I need to be ready to whip the bucket away as she is not keen on having one teat milked.
Tizaala, I've pm'd you.
My big dread is that I will have to rehome my goats as I can do so little now. Fortunately I have a very good friend who milks once a day, sweeps the yard occasionally and, with her OH, mucks out fortnightly for me. That, together with my OH mixing feeds and carrying buckets (and this is the man who really would rather we didn't keep goats) keeps us going.
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Well, I got the bits to repair my pump (I dropped it :eyelashes:) from
www.horserequisites.co.uk (http://www.horserequisites.co.uk) who are in Newmarket. 01638 664619 sales@horserequisites.co.uk
so they'd be my first port of call.
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Thanks I looked at their web but thought they only sold the complete set but I see they do sell spares so will ask :)
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Come back if not, I did have another UK contact but would have to root around for it.
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Come back if not, I did have another UK contact but would have to root around for it.
Hi JK (or anyone) If I buy the milker form the horse place, can I buy the inserts in the UK or do you have to send to America for them? keep forgetting to ring the horse (requisites?) co.
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Hi there, I bought my goat Udderly EZ from an agent of Udderly who sold all the goat parts and bottles back in 2010.
His name was David and the number was 01525 375157
07949 575339. I don't know if he still sells their stuff though. I resold mine on eBay pretty quickly, I didn't really get on well with it.
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That's the other contact Joseph, well done :thumbsup:
I don't know PHB, I bought mine in 2008 direct from America as there were no agents here then. But as Joseph says, David did the whole goat package. Worth talking to the two dealers here I guess?
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Dave rings a bell did he sell driving harness etc as well?
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Thanks all
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My friend has asked if she can do morning milking as she doesn't like coming out in the dark (we milk late). I now find it easier to milk as, I assume, my knuckles are less stiff with having been used during the day, especially with typing. Maybe I'll take up the piano again.
Thanks for all the advice. I will hang onto it in case things get worse.
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Glad to hear your hands are loosening up again :thumbsup:
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Yes, it's a great relief. Still some pain but at a level that I can cope with. I love hand milking and didn't really want to have to use something. In a couple of years, though, I could have two to milk and then I might have to rethink.
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we just received our hand milker from USA this week and its made such a difference! She would let you hand milk for 5-10 minutes then she would start kicking out and hated you going near the teats again but since we started using the hand milker, we are really getting her stripped out with absolutely no stress for her and she'll happily let you clean the teats and massage some cream on them. Can't recommend it highly enough but had a real struggle to find anything similar in the UK.
Also it means we let the children get more involved with the milking:)
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I think the chaps name was David Hanson but when I tried to get parts recently it appears that he has gone AWOL!
Horse requisites are good but they only sell the small bottles which is a real pain as you have to keep emptying the bottle mid-milk.
I spoke directly with Buck and he was really helpful.
Perhaps if there are a few of us on here that use it then we could club together to do an order and split the delivery costs?
I could possibly do with some more of the larger bottles....
:wave:
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Yes I think it was David that name rings a bell,also sold driving tack and I couldn't find the link either when I was looking for something the other day.
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I
Perhaps if there are a few of us on here that use it then we could club together to do an order and split the delivery costs?
:wave:
Excellent idea. We'd still have the cost of getting things to each other but that would be cheaper. Or we could have a milky thingy party and collect them there. (bit like Tupperware) ;D
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A milky thingy party! ;D ;D ;D
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I think the chaps name was David Hanson but when I tried to get parts recently it appears that he has gone AWOL!
Horse requisites are good but they only sell the small bottles which is a real pain as you have to keep emptying the bottle mid-milk.
I spoke directly with Buck and he was really helpful.
Perhaps if there are a few of us on here that use it then we could club together to do an order and split the delivery costs?
I could possibly do with some more of the larger bottles....
:wave:
I spoke to David a couple of weeks ago, phone no is through the company he works for (owns?). he isn't getting anything in untill lambing time. He said it's only about £15.00 more from USA.
I was just talking about the udderlyEZ thingy tonight, still think it's expensive, esp with the postage, I'd be interested in a club 'bulk buy'.
Trouble is we are 'winding down' now, it's just one girl who seems to hold milk back in one side, if something catches her attention the teat goes from a squashed sausage to an icing bag shape again ;D
anyone tried these these other idea where it has a seperate hand pump and it goes into a glass jar? found the pump in google, (£45) silicon tubes and jar wouldn't be a problem, but where could I get the tubes which fit on the teats? any ideas?
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I looked at those too but the problem I saw was cleaning the tubes.
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No promblem cleaning the tubes you just pump hot water through them like washing out a normal milking machine.I just found (a) I couldn't get them to work well and (b) the tubes kept getting in the way.I find the hand held straight into the bottle one is much easier to work.Just experomenting to see if I can find any other bottles to fit
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I'm watching this with interest. Didn't think my original post would generate such a lovely lot of feedback. Thanks all. :thumbsup:
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I think the chaps name was David Hanson but when I tried to get parts recently it appears that he has gone AWOL!
Horse requisites are good but they only sell the small bottles which is a real pain as you have to keep emptying the bottle mid-milk.
I spoke directly with Buck and he was really helpful.
Perhaps if there are a few of us on here that use it then we could club together to do an order and split the delivery costs?
I could possibly do with some more of the larger bottles....
:wave: 35 cc syringe tubes .. A saw some one using a spray bottle top with a peice of tube onto a syringe.. I'll try and find a pic and post it
I spoke to David a couple of weeks ago, phone no is through the company he works for (owns?). he isn't getting anything in untill lambing time. He said it's only about £15.00 more from USA.
I was just talking about the udderlyEZ thingy tonight, still think it's expensive, esp with the postage, I'd be interested in a club 'bulk buy'.
Trouble is we are 'winding down' now, it's just one girl who seems to hold milk back in one side, if something catches her attention the teat goes from a squashed sausage to an icing bag shape again ;D
anyone tried these these other idea where it has a seperate hand pump and it goes into a glass jar? found the pump in google, (£45) silicon tubes and jar wouldn't be a problem, but where could I get the tubes which fit on the teats? any ideas?
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What about this??
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I tried that too again the tubes got in the way...I don't like the syringe either too hard and has no give and you have to keep pumping which if the problem is squeezing is just as hard work
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I wander if a 12 volt windscreen washer pump from a car would work??? With pipe work a battery and a switch. I made on for water when camping.
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Getting close to the smallholder milkinng machine that idea...might work :)
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interesting idea, would certainly be easier if your hands/fingers are painful, would have to regulate the pressure though?
it's not so much the pumping as something comfy for the goats teats that I'm struggling with.
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(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/Odds%20and%20sods/Poppydogsgoatsaug12003_zps80629d0a.jpg)
This is bascically the inside of my Smallholder Milker but the bloke who checked it was working for me took it apart and I don't no where the various tubes go :-\
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interesting idea, would certainly be easier if your hands/fingers are painful, would have to regulate the pressure though?
it's not so much the pumping as something comfy for the goats teats that I'm struggling with.
got some syringe tubes today and inside of them are very smooth I font think they would hurt.. Thinking about the pressure I think you would switch it on till the milk starts to flow then switch off and back on when the flow slows down.. I am going to make one then visit someone with goats for a trial
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(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/Odds%20and%20sods/Poppydogsgoatsaug12003_zps80629d0a.jpg)
This is bascically the inside of my Smallholder Milker but the bloke who checked it was working for me took it apart and I don't no where the various tubes go :-\
does it work now?? What powers it? Battery? I have a friend who fixes all sorts of electrical things I can get him to have a look at it for you if u want to post it to me
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Could you use teat cups and liners the same as on a milking machine.
I've recently had to replace the ones on my milking machine, available from a dairy suppliers.
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Yeh how much are they ??