# building a new milkstand



## ohiogoatgirl

hello! well i'm back on the farm and i've decided i need a new stand. the stand i have now is several years old. i'm guessing its about 10 years old. it's wooden and wobbly and dirty... i like it in general but i have several aspects i want to change in a new one. what kind of milkstand do you have? what apects would you definitely keep? what aspects would you change? what is your dream milkstand?

one thing i want to change is the hieght. i'm not tall by any means but the stand i have now hurts my back to lean toward the goat. i notice that when the goats are pregnant they seem to be awkward or uncomfortable getting up and down at the current height, so i will be adding a ramp, since the new one will be taller. i have a nice milk stool but i was thinking i may toy with an attached seat idea such as the one in this link: http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q12/ ... kstand.gif
though the head-lock part will be like the one on my current stand. 
another thing i had thought about was a 2 goat stand... i dont plan on having alot of milkers (but i think we all know how addicting goats are! :shades: ) and the goats are my thing and unless i find someone else who is into goats then i will be doing the milking myself. but i can see where a 2 goat stand would come in handy if i were to get more milkers (i could bribe my sister to help me :ROFL: i would probably have to work out a pay rate for her! :scratch: )

thank you!


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## sblueram6

i have a 4 stand milker


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## milkmaid

Here's a link to a thread with my milkstand.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17372&p=209816&hilit=#p209816
I love this stand; however, there are a few changes I'll make for the next one. I noted them at the bottom of the post.


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## xymenah

This is my milk stand in 2009. The goat standing on it is a yearling.




























I love my milk stand. It is comfortable for me to milk on (I milk from behind so a side area to sit on would be unpractical for me) or cut hooves or anything else and its extremely sturdy. Instead of using 2x4s for the legs like I see most people use we used 4x4s it takes all that wiggle out and just makes for a heavier stand. Its strong enough that I used to have my horse put their front hooves on it as a trick. The only thing I would change is the way it latches (like this) to something more like milkmaind's chain. The way I have it its not adjustable and they can unlatch it with their horns so I have to tie a rope around it to keep them in.


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## francismilker

sblueram6,
Would you post a pic of your 4 stand milker if possible? I need to make a larger one and would like some ideas. Thanks.


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## sblueram6

the 2 pic 4 side by side pushed together 
lost cord to cam..
can put on face book
put bar on top to close all at once. :slapfloor: 
we use milkers so 4 works well. :stars:


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## Di

I saw one that was really tall, milker liked to stand, and it had a hole cut in the floor with a box mounted under it, that was insulated. She put a gallon jug in the box and milked straight into the jar. She had her strainer in the jar and milked, strained, and the insulation kept the jar cool (she stored her jars in the freezer).

Looked pretty cool. It was so tall though, I did raise mine up about 6" this year, so I can sit closer. I put a concrete block next to it so the girls would
have a step.

I'll probably have to build a longer/taller one for my Alpines. My current on is like pic 2, but, mine was scrap lumber so hers is prettier!


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## ohiogoatgirl

raised your stand to 6" ?!?!?! wow... mine is about 1' 3" where the goats stand.... now i'm not tall and thats about a hair below my kneecaps. i cant imagine milking on a 6" stand.... 
though i guess if you have nigi's/pygmy's/mini's then you might not have wanted to make it so tall... which is what it sounds like when you say you'll need a larger stand for your alpines. though i think if i had little goats and standards then i'd have one stand that was at a good height for me to milk and put a ramp on it for the goats to walk up... 
just me thinking aloud.... er... in text (?) hee hee


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## francismilker

sblueram6, 
I'm a little computer illiterate. Are you telling me I have to be on facebook to see your milkstand?


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## sblueram6

francismilker said:


> sblueram6,
> I'm a little computer illiterate. Are you telling me I have to be on facebook to see your milkstand?


lost cord for camera but you can see it on face book at Gerald Shropshire dandridge tenn.


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## francismilker

OK thanks, I'll have one of my coworkers look it up for me. I'm not a facebooker so I can't see it! Thanks!!!


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## Di

Oops! No, I should have said "I raised it 6" higher then it was"...so the deck is about 1.5' off the ground. I have a stool I sit on and I am a little more comfortable at this height, I still think it needs to be a little higher, though.


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## jaycee

I used the plans on this website to build mine: http://scroungeman.blogspot.com/p/free-e-book.html . I liked them because they are really simple to follow and it doesnt require any cuts of wood besides 2X4 s and one 4' sheet of treated plywood. Easy Peasy!


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