There are several different setups for milking goats. Although most producers use a parlor style setup with a pipeline, there are producers using the bucket system with a dumping station, and even a few milking by hand. It is best to view different setups and make up your own mind as to what will work best for you. When setting up your system you will have to take into account the size of the animal being milked. Most if not all of the parlors are set up with either stands or a dropped floor (pit parlour), either way the required result being bringing the goats udders to a comfortable height for milking.
The GOAT MILK UNIT at left has a transparent, lightweight,
ergonomic shape, with vacuum reserve and air bleed. An auto shut off
valve is integrated into each teatcup, with automatic vacuum shut off
when the cluster is removed or kicked off, to prevent air entering
the teatcup. The liners are conical to match the teat shape and are
available in nitrile rubber or silicone. The clawpiece is large
capacity (100 cc) polysulphone construction for good milk
visibility.
While cow milking equipment can be adapted to milk goats satisfactorily, some changes and adjustments are necessary for proper and safe performance. Of primary importance is the vacuum level. Normally this is 15 inches for cow; for goats it should be between 10 and 12 inches, you should use as low a setting as you can get satisfactory milking performance . Use a diaphragm - type regulator sized for your system as the old weight - style regulators are far too slow to respond to vacuum fluctuations.
Vacuum pulsators may be difficult to modify depending upon their design. Another problem sometimes encountered is that they tend to stick at the lower vacuum level used for goats. Vacuum goat pulsators are available but are not cheap. The older surge bucket pulsators are perhaps the easiest to adapt, but they do require frequent maintenance and , at least in my experience, will frequently stick after temperature changes.
The last item is the milking units. Inflations not designed for goats’ teats and lower vacuum can cause udder health and milking problems. The wrong sized holes can cause the teats to be sucked in too far. The material must be soft and flexible enough to work at the increased speed and decreased vacuum. Some cow shells and inflations have been used successfully. As well there are various specialized goat products available. Some have proved more satisfactory than others. Before investing a substantial amount on a new system it would be advisable to check with a few established producers and see what they have had success with. Silicone inflations will give for longer service than rubber generally a year or more versus a few weeks. Various “y” fittings are available to connect the inflations to the milk line replacing the heavy cow claw. It is important that they are of milk-grade material and have a tiny vent hole to help suck the milk away from the teats.
Proper equipment is essential for milking performance, herd health, and good bacteria counts. Fortunately it is not difficult to modify cow equipment and specialized parts are readily available.
