You don’t need a milking machine, but there are several reasons you may want one. First of all, they are easier on the hands and forearms. As I have gotten older and arthritis has set into my hands I find it much easier on my body and my Tylenol bottle if I use a machine, Also I have a reoccurring tennis elbow issue that does not allow me to milk pain-free. If you are young and have none of these problems then hand milking may be for you.
Secondly, a machine is a much cleaner way to milk. No longer does dirt or dander get into the milk supply as the system is sealed until you get to the kitchen. This aspect appeals to a lot of people who think hand milking is downright gross.
Thirdly, A good machine is faster than hand milking. Maybe this is not that important if you only have one goat, but it significantly saves time on several goats.
And finally, machines for the small homestead size herd are very affordable. Now if you are milking more than four or five goats you may need an industrial size machine they can cost from $700 to several thousand. Still, if you are milking several dozen goats then you must be selling the milk and therefore you need the biggest milker you can get to increase sales and production. On the other hand, a good small goat milker for the homestead can cost as little as $150 USD and offer many years of service.
Having milked both cows and goats by both hand and machine I will stick with my machine if for no other reason than the cleanliness factor. Today we are talking about small milkers for the homestead and a few cows or goats. There are several different types for instance for the cow you can get a belly or surge milker and for the goat a small detached milker. Some even come as battery powered so you don’t need power in your barn to use them.
The Surge milker is a large teapot-looking item that holds four to five gallons of milk and sits under the belly of the cow. New ones go for about $1500 to $2000 but used ones can be had on the secondary market. Parts are still available as of this writing so used is a viable option. The other option is a detached milker from China. I have not used the cow version of these but the goat version has worked out well.
My Motad three-liter battery-powered milker has revolutionized my goat milking routine. I have had it for three seasons now and it is still running strong. It is all stainless steel with a variable-speed motor that is battery-powered. I at first was a little skeptical of the battery setup but I am in my third season now and it is still going strong. I did have an issue with my first set of tubing in that it had a small gouge in the lining of the teat cup. This caused no problem with milking but did tend to harbor bacteria. Not to worry though when I contacted the seller to buy a new set they returned a new set free of charge. You don’t often get service like that these days.
As you can see you don’t actually need a milker but they do make life much easier and they save a lot of time as well. If you are looking for a small goat milker I would highly recommend the Motad milker as I have had great luck with it.
