# hand vacuum pump milking



## goateeman (Dec 22, 2012)

is there anyone out there who can tell me about the hand held vacuum milkers? i'm trying to get started with some milk goats (2) and was wondering if the hand pumps work or are a lot about nothing.
thanks

the goats are nubians:thinking:


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Be wary of the "homemade" type milkers that do not pulsate. They can be hard on the does teats. Constant, hard suction is not what you want. 

I have arthritis in my hands, so I purchased an Udderly EZ milker. Even though you still have to start and finish by hand, it is much easier to accomplish the task. I use it with my Nigerians, and my Alpine doe was very good with it too. No way I could have milked Lucy Alpine by hand! I am very close to getting a machine milking system. But, it's less of a necessity because of the ez milker. You have to empty the bottle more often with the larger goat, but, that's no problem at all.

Do you have goats already? Are they trained milkers or newbies? There is a "learning curve", lol. But, once everybody "gets it" milking is so relaxing. It's funny, my girls made their own "line up", who goes first, second, etc. Once in a while somebody will "jump the line" and when we are done the others will beat her up a little for going out of turn. Then, next milking, there she is in line where she's supposed to be. Goats...gotta love them!


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## Marty1876 (Jan 12, 2013)

I didn't have much luck with either the small vaccuum milkeror the hand pumping one with the gauge. I'm still hand milking. However, I'm getting togather a regular milking system. 

I milk Nigerian Dwarfs, so I'm not getting as much as I used to from my Saanan, but they eat way less, and have very heavy cream, so I actually get more cheese from each gallon of ND milk than I did from either my Saanan or Nubian.


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