# Where do you milk?



## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

Just curious how others have set up their milking area. Until recently I put my milking stanchion in a separate area in the back of the goat house, but I've now moved it into the barn. 

I hear talk of "milking parlours" and such, which sounds awfully fancy! 

I have my stanchion in a corner of the barn, and carry my supplies up to the barn in an insulated bag which I put on top of a hay bale within easy reach. After milking I strain the milk into a mason jar and put it in a freezer I have in the barn while I finish up my chores. Then I take the milk out of the freezer, put it in the bag with my supplies, and head back down to the house. 

Does that count as a "parlour?" :whatgoat:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

My milk stand is in the barn.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I have mine in the garage....my garage is a "converted" garage though with stalls and a rabbit pen


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

I have a parlor adjoining my kidding stall. It's nice to have an area dedicated to milking. In the beginning though we just milked in a stand in the aisle of my horse barn.


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## armortrails (Jan 8, 2014)

I milk in the house. I use to milk in the barn, but I had enough with the Florida heat and the flies.

We have a spare bedroom off the rear porch with it's own outside entrance. So, one day I cleaned out the spare bedroom (junk) room and dragged my milking stand in there. 

I love it. The room already had tile floor and our second freezer was already in there too, so its been very convenient for cooling milk quickly. It's so much nicer milking in the air conditioning with no flies. 

However, my husband was less than thrilled when he came home and saw me milking the goats in the house. He said that I just crossed the line to full blown *******.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

^^:lol: What does it say about me that I'm jealous?


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## armortrails (Jan 8, 2014)

It says that you might be a ******* too.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I have my milk stand in the great outdoors  
Its all i have for now  How's that for fancy !
Armourtrails , you gave me a wonderful idea ! I have a few spare bedrooms , although they don't have their own door to outside , maybe my husband won't notice me bringing in my Mochalo past him while he is watching TV :ROFL:


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

:lol: I wanna see that!


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> I have my milk stand in the great outdoors
> 
> Its all i have for now  How's that for fancy !
> 
> Armourtrails , you gave me a wonderful idea ! I have a few spare bedrooms , although they don't have their own door to outside , maybe my husband won't notice me bringing in my Mochalo past him while he is watching TV :ROFL:


:lol: :ROFL:


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

:slapfloor: :ROFL: Well, I have neither a barn, or a small enough milk stand to fit through my door, so I guess I'm just outa luck! :lol:

I milk outside, about 30ft from the gate to their pen. They all have their pecking order about who goes to get milked first. I pour the grain, open the gate, first doe runs to the stand, I close the gate, walk back and latch the head piece, wash her udder, dry it then milk. Then another 10 minutes is waiting for her to finish her grain, so I go and flush water tubs in the time waiting. 
Take the doe off the stand and put her back, and repeat the process. 

This year I plan to have my milk barn up, and if I'm lucky, I'll have another one up for the cows.
I used to have 3 barns, a milk room and a garage at my last house, and I have none of those things at this one! :lol:


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Will have to try that one day , lol :ROFL:


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Little-Bits-N-Pieces said:


> :slapfloor: :ROFL: Well, I have neither a barn, or a small enough milk stand to fit through my door, so I guess I'm just outa luck! :lol:
> 
> I milk outside, about 30ft from the gate to their pen. They all have their pecking order about who goes to get milked first. I pour the grain, open the gate, first doe runs to the stand, I close the gate, walk back and latch the head piece, wash her udder, dry it then milk. Then another 10 minutes is waiting for her to finish her grain, so I go and flush water tubs in the time waiting.
> Take the doe off the stand and put her back, and repeat the process.
> ...


What do you do when it rains?


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

I have a fold-up milk stand in the barn (my "barn" is a 10x12 shed, but "barn" sounds better). Only downside to this is you have to have patient, well-trained goats. I only have 3, and they wait their turn (somewhat). If I had more, this wouldn't be feasible without crafting some sort of dividing wall. I have a little shelf that I can set my stuff on - but the "barn" is only 40ft or so from the house, so I just milk into a glass measuring cup and strain it into a jar when I get back in the house. Never more than 10min or so from milking to refrigerator. 

Originally I had my milking stand in the garage, which was handy because the freezer is out there, so I'd put the milk in the fridge as I milked the second goat... but taking the goats one by one out to the garage (in the dark and the rain, etc) became a pain. When I built the "barn", milking right there was one of my goals. It never gets that hot here, so lack of refrigeration isn't that much of an issue for me. I still keep the feed in the garage, so I still have to go out there twice/day... but at least the GOATS dont have to go out there.


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## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

I'm jealous too! The barn is fine for now, but it's going to be a long haul up there in the winter. We're talking about moving the goats down to the front yard and setting up one of those tarp garage things for winter milking. That way I can just pop out the front door to get milk for my morning tea. :greengrin:


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

When it rains i either wait for it to stop or wear a rain jacket and cover Mocha up with a plastic tarp and the both of us stand there in the rain under a tarp , milking  It works for us  Thank goodness she is the only milker right now


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## Little-Bits-N-Pieces (Apr 7, 2013)

NyGoatMom said:


> What do you do when it rains?


Get rained on, of course! :lol: Or if it's drawing toward the end of the year, I anticipate the rain and dry them up before hand.

I wear a jacket with a hood and drape one over them too, so they don't get soaked. I have a jacket specifically for them too :lol:


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## armortrails (Jan 8, 2014)

I think you should sneak them in. They do really well in the house. I was even surprised. I have not had one accident in the house.
In fact, I have one goat that poops and pees right before she gets to the porch every single time. She's like clockwork.
I know I have heard people say that it's easy to train them not to pee in the house, but almost impossible to train them not to poop because they don't have any control over it. 

However, she sure controls it and poops on demand.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I had intentions of getting a Rhino shelter for my milking and hay storage , but our plans changed since we are hoping to move soon.
We even had a couple shipments of sand poured for it , now its a sandbox for the babies to play in


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

you moving Laura? Where to?


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

She's gonna move here with me  LOL! Jk


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> you moving Laura? Where to?


Wherever there are lots of goat people  I would love to go to NH , but we are looking into the upstate NY region  Love it up there !

Looking to sell our property here first though. Got builders looking at it , so fingers crossed ! ray:ray:ray:


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Ha ! I posted before i even saw yours Skyla !


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Haha! Too funny! See it's meant to be! You need to come to NH! :lol:


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Well I hope it sells for you! ray: Better not forget TGS in your travels!!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

NyGoatMom said:


> Well I hope it sells for you! ray: Better not forget TGS in your travels!!


Oh dear God , how could i ever live without this place and all of you 
Seriously , i could never do that !!!!! :hug:


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I know Skyla ! We will see where it all takes us i guess  
That would be sooo cool though


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> I know Skyla ! We will see where it all takes us i guess
> That would be sooo cool though


I sure would be!  
We'll have to see how it works


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Back to our regular scheduled program :-D
Sorry about that OP :hugs:


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## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

No worries, if you don't mind me eavesdropping.


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## FarmerJen (Oct 18, 2012)

Trickyroo said:


> When it rains i either wait for it to stop or wear a rain jacket and cover Mocha up with a plastic tarp and the both of us stand there in the rain under a tarp , milking  It works for us  Thank goodness she is the only milker right now


Man... if I waited for it to stop... I'd not have any milk from October till June!


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## LuvMyNigies (Sep 14, 2013)

We have the goat "pasture" and then we have our backyard, but both are connected by a run. We put our milking stand in the backyard, convince our ornery goat to come on over, and milk into a stainless steel pot, then come inside and strain it into a bottle or jar.
Not fancy, but it works, unless of course you dont have something or someone to keep her legs from kicking!  

If it rains--- you drag a sibling out to hold an oversized umbrella!!!


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## SusanP (Mar 22, 2014)

I'm with you Farmer Jen, we're just north of you on the we(s)t coast of Canada and it's pretty much liquid sunshine from Oct-April. Rain hats with really big runoff brims are haute couture around here from fall to spring! :cowboy:


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## dreamacresfarm2 (May 10, 2014)

we milk in the old green house right now soon to move up to the barn now that the stalls are nearly complete


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