Author Topic: milking parlour (Read 3874 times)

DavidandCollette · « **on:** June 02, 2015, 06:05:16 pm »

We were due to pick up a couple of Guernsey goats this week but it transpires that one of them is pregnant

this brings my milkingspace project forward! What would be a good size please? I have access to concrete building blocks and roofing material so it's a question of getting the size right. Can anyone help please?

Beeducked · « **Reply #1 on:** June 02, 2015, 06:43:29 pm »

Can't tell you what the ideal is but I have a 7' x 5' shed with double doors that works very well. Plenty of space for them to hop up onto the milking stand and back out again, pretty easy to keep clean and tidy (although not technically possible to sterilise but that doesn't worry me) and was relatively cheap. Not perfect but does the job.

A little bigger would be fine but I don't really need anymore space than this as only ever going to be me milking and I can only ever milk one at a time!
The think that I have had to tinker with a bit is the milking stand. I made mine to match the one of the people I bought my goats from so as similar as possible to what they were used to. 4' x 1' platform and about 22'' high with a sightly raised section to stand the feed bucket on. It turned out to be too tall for me to comfortably milk on and a battle on the occasional days when the girls also thought it was too high and couldn't be bothered to climb up

Ended up for a long time with a slab of tree trunk next to it as a sort of foot stool for me and a step for the girls but we are all now much happier since I shortened it to about foot. So my main advice if you haven't milked before is see if you can try out a few times and find out what suits you.

PS Congratulations!

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 02, 2015, 11:55:22 pm »

I have a 6 x 4 shed for milking, stand fits along far side, shelves on the end and a wee seat for me to park my backside on, easy to manage and not too much space, they can only go in and out

exciting times ahead

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #3 on:** June 03, 2015, 12:53:48 am »

I milk in our 6ft x 9ft conservatory which doubles as storage space. I made a milking bench from board covered in non-slip flooring with foot high legs.

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #4 on:** June 08, 2015, 06:37:32 pm »

Thanks for you help. 6x8 sounds plenty big enough

quick panic at this end!

Anke · « **Reply #5 on:** June 08, 2015, 09:23:00 pm »

If you are hand-milking you can do it in their pens, no need for extra space... (but maybe not a solution for new milkers - both goat and human).

My milking stand and machine sit in the central space in my adult goat house. Stand also doubles as restraint for injections and other stuff that I need doing to them on a regular basis.

Are the GG's registered? If yes, make sure you get a service certificate from the current owner, as well as have the goat transferred into your name, to allow you to be able to register the offspring. You would also need your own prefix for that.

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #6 on:** June 09, 2015, 07:59:35 am »

Thanks for that Anke Yes they are registered and we have discussed the paperwork. They are coming from a friend of a gg breederg friend so we will be ok. Thanks again

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #7 on:** June 10, 2015, 01:25:24 am »

I don't have a seperate milking area, but bring them out of their pens across a small clear area, milking bench is half a pallet (No gaps between boards), which I than made narrower, 2 lengths of (I think) 4x4 wood raised it up a bit more. I sit on a little 'step stool' plastic buffet. Goats are tethered to a ring on the the wall, and don't get fed while milking, they get fed when back in their pens. (goats don't graze while their babies are feeding).
Lucky thing getting Golden Guernseys, I've admired them for years, went down to a show in Malvern, probably in the eighties, never did get one. I think quality has improved drasically since then :-).
When is she due?

DavidandCollette · « **Reply #8 on:** June 10, 2015, 03:06:13 pm »

Yesterday! The people we are getting them from didn't realize theywere both pregnant so on Sunday we pick up four goats not two. One male is being sold on so I am milking as of Monday hence the panic