# building "ideal" milk room



## Vickir73 (Apr 24, 2012)

ok, goatie friends. In the quest to get licensed (hopefully by this time next year), I am beginning plans for my new milking building.

The idea at first was just to convert the building the I use now - built by my grandfather about 25 years ago, but after speaking with my other half this weekend he said nope not gonna happen. Too much trouble. Why don't we just build you a new one from the ground up???? Well, let's see - how long did I have to think that over ????:slapfloor:

Any one have any suggestions? 1 milk stand? 2? windows, cabinets, things they don't like about theirs? thinks they love about theirs? how high to build the milk stand? I like being able to sit down while I milk so I'm thinking about 3 feet off the ground at least. A window unit will be a must down here. I would also like a space for a refrigerator and if I can talk him into it, a sink area (which would probably require drainage of some sort - which I might have to sweet talk him for this  Not sure I can get hot water, but would at least like an area where I can rinse things off.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Okay! I have a dairy license but they don't require ask the things I would need if I was commercial dairy. U may want to look into your local requirements. Then decide what u want to add as extras or conveniences.

My floor is concrete and painted with epoxy paint that has texture. It cleans great and is slightly slip resistent. Love it! Walls at painted, insulated and dry walled. Love it! I have a 10 x 12 room with one stanchion. Perfect for a small operation. I use lockers for my cabinets. I love this so the goats can't get in. I use a plug in radiator lookingheater in the winter. Love that! I don't have a sink or refrigerator so I have to take everything in the house to process. An inconvenience but I love so much of the rest I can live with it. I have a window by my stanchion I look out while I milk. A Plus! My stanchion id wide than most. I sit on it while I milk instead of a stool. Like! I think it is 18"off the ground. I wouldn't want it any more.when the girls are heavily pregnant it is allot for them to jump on.









This is a small sample of my room. The deck of the stanchion is cedar boards and they are slippery so I use a rug. It is also easier to clean spills.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Definitely find out what the requirements are. I know in Ohio you have to have a completely separate milking area from the barn with a concrete floor with a drain. Walls and floor have to be able to be scrubbed down along with anything in that room. 

How many goats do you intend to have?


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## fibromom (Mar 31, 2013)

Wow, nubians2!
That milking room is fancier than any room in our house!!!

Since I'm so new to this whole goat/babies/milking thing, I don't have anything fancy at all. I'm thinking, tho, that I'd like to turn one of our covered, concreted floored patios (0 drain but I could brush broom the hose water out like we already do) into my milking room (dh will not be excited to hear this.) It's also my plant-repotting room. It has a cold-water faucet and is very near the extra fridge we have for eggs and etc. IF MILKING TURNS OUT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, I definitely need to make things easier on me.

I am disabled with fibromyalgia and, along with the 24/7 pain, debilitating fatigue some days + 30+ other stupid symptoms, almost all of my short-term memory is lost. Therefore, I FORGET TO TAKE ALL THE STUFF I NEED out to the current milking area. If I had cupboards handy (I LOVE THE LOCKER IDEA!) where I kept them stocked/could lock some grain in whereby mice couldn't get in, that could be way cool.  In fact, we have a set of old lockers out in my dh's shop that HE'S NOT USING.

Hmmmm... I'M BEGINNING TO SEE POTENTIAL HERE!

Thanks so much for the good ideas!


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

Learn something every day. I did not know there were two types of license.


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## Vickir73 (Apr 24, 2012)

Right now I have 6 does but Also have 3 doelings. This will hopefully be our retirement plan so sure in 15 years or so we might want something bigger as we get more does, but these 6-9 will be enough for now


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## Vickir73 (Apr 24, 2012)

Nubians2, what are the dimensions of your room and do you have a sink and frig in there too?


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Last year I was milking in the garage, which was a hassle. But the one nice thing, was that my big freezer was RIGHT there. I'd finish milking the first goat, strain the milk into the mason jar and pop it into the freezer. Then go get the next goat. Got the milk cold really fast. Never froze it, since it only takes 15min to milk my two does... but it did get it cold quickly. 

NOW I have my new lil goat barn, with my fold up stanchion, which I LOVE. I also LOVE not having to walk the goats outside the fenced area to access the barn, trudging through puddles, etc. My goats HATE puddles! But... there's no electricity out there, and even when there is... no room for a freezer. And it would be a waste to leave it on all the time if it was JUST to cool milk. Since I only have the two, and milking is fast... I haven't noticed any change in the milk. But I do notice it takes much longer to cool down going from body temp to the fridge, than it did when I used the freezer for the first few minutes.

So... long story short, lol, I would want a mini freezer or at least a very cold mini fridge - in an ideal world.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Vickir_ my milk room is 10x12 and no I don't have running water or a sink. Here in Idaho there are two different ways to be licensed. 
One is a small herd dairy license. I can have 7 and under in lactation to qualify. I have to have the girls tested for tb, and Brucellosis. Then the state test the milk monthly. The other option is a full commercial license requiring everything and more. I just wanted to be able to sell my milk legally and also know I was doing everything safe for my family.


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## Vickir73 (Apr 24, 2012)

well, so far I think we only have the one kind and it's whether you are a private individual or an actual dairy, it's a dairy license.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Here is another picture of my milking parlor.


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

Wow that is nice. You put alot into this room.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

Lol! Yes we did but my husband figured if I stopped milking goats then he would have a man cave in his shop. Little does he know that the goats and I will be occupying that room for awhile.


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## mtmom75 (May 19, 2011)

I was able to look up the milk room requirements for my state online. There was a document with pretty clear guidelines for the milk parlor. You might try looking that up for your state. 

Nubians2 - I love your milk room!


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## backyardFarming (Jun 13, 2013)

I gotta tell ya... light bulbs hang over my head after reading this post. I been wanting to creat a nice milking section in our barn for milking but 1) I don't think I have the room and 2) I am not creative enough to come up with my own ideas. I milk my goat in our garage. Every morning I walk her down to the house and in the garage where I have my milk stantion, udder wash, brush, strip cup, and Fightbac. I then get back to the barn and run back to the garage to get the milk. I showed my husband this post and showed him the pictures you guys posted and told him that this is what I want. I plan on milking 2 or 3 goats by next year. So I even thought... we could buy a shed; maybe 8x10 (those pretty sheds made by the Amish with a little tiny cute porch) and put it out next to our barn. I love the fridge idea.. electricity a must for a heater, and lockers too. Is a wood floor o.k.? Because the Amish make those sheds with wood flooring... sort of like plywood. Thanks for this post.. I know now what I want to aim for, for next year!!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

backyardFarming said:


> I gotta tell ya... light bulbs hang over my head after reading this post. I been wanting to creat a nice milking section in our barn for milking but 1) I don't think I have the room and 2) I am not creative enough to come up with my own ideas. I milk my goat in our garage. Every morning I walk her down to the house and in the garage where I have my milk stantion, udder wash, brush, strip cup, and Fightbac. I then get back to the barn and run back to the garage to get the milk. I showed my husband this post and showed him the pictures you guys posted and told him that this is what I want. I plan on milking 2 or 3 goats by next year. So I even thought... we could buy a shed; maybe 8x10 (those pretty sheds made by the Amish with a little tiny cute porch) and put it out next to our barn. I love the fridge idea.. electricity a must for a heater, and lockers too. Is a wood floor o.k.? Because the Amish make those sheds with wood flooring... sort of like plywood. Thanks for this post.. I know now what I want to aim for, for next year!!


I think I'll save up for an Amish shed too, those are neat, add a few extras and you have yourself a milk room. I'm contemplating trying to get my milk license her in WA in the next year, probably two. I have friends that will buy the milk w/o my license, but I would like to well do it legally


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## cybercat (Oct 18, 2007)

We are going to build a kitchen so we can sell at our farmers market jellies and such. We have one of those amish shed and you could put down the stick tiles to make a real nice floor.

Our barn will be built this winter so I can plan on my milk room when we do it. Since we can not sell milk in this state it is not such an issue. I do not think we will every become a dairy so we could sell cheese as my hubby and BIL and MIL are huge eater of cheese. I will never have enough to sell.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

The wood floor would work but I would either seal it or tile it like it was suggested. When raw milk is spilled and then spoils it really smells. It is hard to get out of the crevices in the wood. My stanchion has a wood deck. That its part of why I put a rug down. I can wash it easily. I think the shed idea is great. I would consider a window, I love my window so I can look out while I milk. I milk 4 does in there.


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## Vickir73 (Apr 24, 2012)

our guidelines don't specify sizes, but it does specify what kind of material the floor (nonporous) and walls (painted wood) need to be made of. I love the pics nubians2 (and the milk room). Ideally, I'd like to do a half and half/ half milk room / half prep / storage room. It has to be separated by a door to minimize dust. I'm just having trouble forming in my mind what I want. Gonna try to tour a couple of dairies this summer and see if that helps.


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