Buying a Milking Machine

Your cow has calved, she has tiny teats, you are hand milking as fast as possible but know it’s not all coming out….

I applaud all those that hand milk and those that have cows with teats suitable to hand milking. But for many, hand milking is not an option. The woes of hand milking happen to a lot of beginning dairymen and women, when buying a modern dairy breed of cow that has been bred genetically to have smaller teats (designed to be machine milked) and bred to produce a lot more milk than her ancestors. Some people get lucky with a cow that has large handles (teats), others have superhuman forearm strength…

Even if you don’t plan on using a milking machine, you may find yourself in need of one. Our advice to all new cow owners is: Consider buying a milking machine, even as a back-up plan to your goal of hand milking, OR find a neighbor that has a machine that you could borrow in an emergency.

COST is the number one hindrance to purchasing a milking machine. Is it worth it? Why does it cost as much as my cow did!?

WHY A MILKING MACHINE IS WORTH THE EXPENSE:

• Calving in a cow that gives a lot of milk -without having a milking machine – can be dangerous to the health of the cow. There is a myth perpetuated by many how-to dairy books that “a calf should get all the colostrum and should be able to drink all of the milk a cow produces in the first few days, therefore I do not need to milk my cow the first few days.” Maybe 50 or 100 years ago, a dairy cow produced very little milk in the first few days and the calf could possibly get away with drinking enough milk to maintain the cow’s udder health. But dairy cows give a lot more milk today. A modern full-blood dairy cow of any major dairy breed (Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, and YES even Milking Shorthorn & Ayrshire!) may calve in giving several gallons of colostrum within the first milking or two.
• If you are a beginner at hand-milking, it’s near impossible to “milk out” a cow completely, as a cow “lets down” her milk for a mere 10 to 15 minutes (give or take) at a time. We commonly hear about people milking for 30, 45, or 60 minutes and only getting a pint, quart, or half gallon of milk. Then arthritis sets in in the hands and they’re in a quandary. Milking for 15 minute sessions over 3 or 4 milkings per day can help improve the amount of milk a person is able to milk out, but that is a temporary fix.

There are TWO main types of milking machines at the homestead level:

Surge “belly” milkers (under cow)

DeLaval “stand-alone bucket” milkers (to side)

How much should that milking machine cost?

A few Chinese imports, commonly found on ebay, lure people in with cheap prices.

In the case of milking machines and vacuum pumps, you get what you pay for!

Budget options:

The only time you might get an even cheaper option is if you make your own pump using parts or buy a set up via local classifieds (something we all dream of finding, and for sure, they’re out there, but there’s enough interest in milking a family cow now that the values have risen and “good deals” are hard to come by). Maybe you have a friend or neighbor with equipment in a barn they’re not using? Ask around!

Mid-line options:

Expect to spend at least $500-650+ for a quality machine and pump. For this low of price, the pump may be used or minimal size and the machine will most likely be used/reconditioned. In the case of milking machines and pumps, USED IS OK! Just buy new rubber portions for the milking machine if “new” rubber parts are not included.

High end or NEW options:

Pump cost: $900-1,400+

• My favorite modern pump option is the Nupulse. Many different companies (Hamby, Bob White, etc.) sell this pump, so shop around. Here’s an picture of what this pump looks like:

Machine cost: $250-450+

• DeLaval style “stand alone” bucket milker: $400+
• Surge (available in used only, they are not manufactured anymore): 200 – $350 for a reconditioned machine ready to use

Key features that should be included in your purchase:

1. The milking machine needs to be food grade quality – no seams, no rough welding spots, no rust, no old rubber parts, etc. The stainless steel needs to be level to seal properly and of high enough quality to not rust (newer type and Chinese steel can be very poor quality, watch out!).
2. The milking machine MUST have a pulsator – some cheap machines do not have a pulsator, meaning they just have a constant vacuum. That is NOT a safe way to milk a cow, as the action of milking is squeeze and release – the action a pulsator supplies. Read more here.

Next post:

I’ll discuss the differences between the two types of milking machines, pros and cons and why one style works better for some whereas the other style works better for others.

Part Two: Comparison of Milking Machines

For pump information, we already have a post on that: VACUUM PUMP INFO