Milking Machines
 | Why would anyone want to learn how to milk a cow? If you own a cow you must already know this, and if you don't have any cows you have no need to know how to milk one. Right? Well, raw milk has become very popular these days and many people who own land are looking to buy a dairy cow and have their own milk. But a lot of these folks are wondering how hard it is to milk a cow. How long does it take? Just how much time would it take every day to take care of and milk a dairy cow. Milk Machine Well there are a few things to consider. First, do you want to milk by hand or do you want to use a machine? If you have a type of cow that does not produce lots of milk (for example, a Dexter), you may want to just go ahead and milk by hand. This way there is no machine to clean up afterward and you will save a lot of time that way. And if the cow doesn't produce a ton of milk it won't take too long to milk by hand. On the other hand (no pun intended), if you buy a cow that is producing 5 gallons of milk per day (yes many cows do this and more very easily), you absolutely don't want to be milking manually. It would take a long time and your hands would be very very tired by the time you got done. In this case a milking machine is the best course. Don't be alarmed at the prices you see when you start researching the machines. Head to eBay and there are a couple of people who build these machines. They sell for much less than brand new, come with a warranty, and work quite well. I've been using one for years that I purchased in this manner, and it works great. So, a machine will be helpful and you'll be done in no time flat, but then you must clean the machine, so that does add a bit of time to the chore. It's well worth it though. As far as the actual procedure of milking it is just a matter of grasping each teat (there is one udder and four teats) and squeezing in a downward motion from top to bottom. If you are a little awkward at first don't worry, everyone is. Before long you'll be an old pro. You can milk into a stainless steel bucket and just cover it with a thin cotton cloth held in place by an elastic band. This will keep out any stray bits of hair or specks of dirt of dust. Just milk right through the cloth. When you're done milking, carry the bucket into the house and strain your milk through a filter into whatever containers you like to use. Half gallon canning jars work great. It is best to chill the milk in the freezer for an hour or two to get it cold very fast, then store in a very cold refrigerator and enjoy. Milking Machines |
