# Converting breast pump to milker?



## MindieRose

I have a Medela double breast pump that is not being used currently. Has anyone converted one to milk goats? :? There has to be a way, but I am no engineer!


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## 8goatfarmgirl

It's funny because my 4H leader just told me a story about a lady who used a breast pump to milk her goat who had very small teats and it worked great!


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## mommaB

Hmmmm....you may be on to something!!! I'll be keeping my eye on this post!


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## liz

I have a doe who literally has 2 teats on her belly...very small and meaty udder, no capacity at all..her kids do great though because it seems they nurse constantly instead of every few hours like kids would do if mama built up a supply. I used the standard evenflo hand pump with her...the one that has the horn with the 4oz bottle attached under it....it worked great with her, though I did need to be sure her udder area was clipped short to allow the horn to seal over the teat, it did work fairly well...the Medela is a power model right? Is it a constant suction or a pulse type? The pulse would be better as then you wouldn't need to worry about turning your does teats purple.


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## MindieRose

Yes it's a pulse model, you can do 2 at a time, and you can adjust the suction level and how fast it pulsates, so I am think it would work great if I could just design a way to adapt it to fit goat teats and accommodate quart jars!


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## liz

I'm assuming that a standard baby bottle attaches to catch the milk?

would the 8oz bottles work as well? It may be a PITA but even the 8oz on each side would work but would need to be switched to empty ones if your doe gives more than 2 cups per milking. As far as adapting the horns to do both sides at once, I can see how using them as is would be difficult as the width of the horns are too big to create a good seal and would overlap each other on the doe....any way to trim the circumference?

I've often wondered if I could convert a used pump for milking my girls....the pulse would definatly be better than the constant suction.


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## MindieRose

I think that the breast shells are not deep enough for my Alpine as she has rather long teats. Perhaps I could find syringes wide enough to adapt. Hmmm, now I am brain storming.


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## freedomstarfarm

Most all pumps including the Medela ones accept most all baby bottles. 4oz or 8oz and most bottle brands also even though they of course suggest using their brand. 
The Medela sells inserts that make the horn smaller for women with smaller nipples and they also make much larger ones. Both can be purchased separately at places like BabiesRus, Target and Walmart. :thumb: 
Would love to hear how it goes!


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## kid'n'kaboodle

I have used a manual breast pump successfully to milk my pygmy doe. As Liz mentioned, the udder does need to be clipped to enable a good seal. I think it would be difficult to maintain a seal with the double. I had no problem with too much suction but the pulse models would probably mitigate the risk of bruising the teats. I didn't know you could buy inserts but it sounds like a good idea.

When you have your milker "engineered" I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures. Good luck!


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## milk and honey

I looked into buying a breast pump for my ND's before I went ahead and made a milker.... there's no pulse with the one I made, so I too would love to hear how you do with yours. I use 20cc syringes with my milker which was the best 'fit' I could find. Let us know if you get it going.. or if you have any problems we could brainstorm thru... Good Luck!


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## luvmyherd

I was just thinking the other day about asking my daughter what she plans to do with her breast pump. So, I may be doing some research and experimentation of my own.
I am looking forward to hearing how this goes for others as well.


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## Randi

Make new horns out of silicone. There are lots of soaping sites that sell the stuff and give good directions. Then they would be custom fit.


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## kid'n'kaboodle

:think: Wow Randi......you are very resourceful!


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## luvmyherd

I talked to my daughter. She has loaned her pump to a friend but thinks she is done with it. So, I am going up to visit her next month and I will bring it home and see what I can do with it.
I would love to have something for people who are caring for my animals but are reluctant to milk to use.


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## mrs. lam

Too funny. You need to put that under the 'might be a country girl' topic. :hi5: 

Gina


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## mhuckeba

My husband and I were just talking about this, he told me to buy the teat suction cups online and he would rig a way to make it work with a breast pump.


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## liz

I bet that would work!! I don't think it would be too difficult to convert the funnel shell to the cylindrical shell.


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## ctimlin

Old post here, but my husband and I just had this same conversation yesterday. I had bought a constant suction pump and like it, but am having issues with the battery life. I found a Medela pump at our consignment shop for a good price, the kind that runs on DC or batteries. I am planning on splicing the lines and using it with my existing 60ML and 30ML teat cups to see how it works


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## bpfgal

I was under the assumption the lbs of pressure was to great on a human breast pump and would injure a goat. 


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## ctimlin

*Initial experiment did not work *

I found a Medela Portable at consignment for cheap, but it did not work!

I am presently using a manual/electric suction pump to milk out my 3 does each day. They are full sized goats, not dwarfs, so I can't use an 8 oz baby bottle. I use a half gallon mason jar. The pump system I bought attaches to this jar.

Also, this system comes with a pressure gauge, so you can see how much you are applying to the teat and stay within safe ranges. I find that I never go above 200 mmHG, or 8 inHG, and that is only at the beginning. Once I get the milk flowing, I can let it drop to 100-150, or lower and then restart suction. I researched the Medela and found stats that say it is has a variable settings from 50 mmHG to 250mmHG. It also pulsates, which is why I wanted to try it, because that is supposed to be better for the teat.

I tried attaching the Medela to the jar and existing tubing, and the result was, while I did see some movement of the teat, there simply wasn't enough suction built up in that large of a jar and that much tubing with the pulsation. It wouldn't pull the teat in, much less stimulate it enough to make milk flow. And that was on full max.

I *think* it would work if you had much less tubing and a smaller collection chamber, so perhaps for small goats, you could use an adapted nipple cone or convert it to a 20cc feeder tube as a teat cup, but I don't have any goats that small to test. My worst milker gives 2-3 cups a morning, which is far more than any baby bottle would hold. I suppose I could still try it just to see if it worked tho, and let anyone who wants to know if it does or not.


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## milkin_mama

I am using a Medela Pump in Style breast pump to milk my dwarf nigerian. I have multiple sizes of breast shields for it, so I just tried different ones until I found one that worked for my goat. You can't do two at a time because the shields touch and then you don't get the suction you need. I just switch back and forth...when one starts letting out less milk, I go to the other and go back and forth until she's done. I do want to get bigger bottles...there's all kinds of accessories to buy for these machines...check ebay or some medical stores...I got mine at a lewis drug that had a home medical store in the back...


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## milk and honey

They are also on CL ...often


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## bobw_189

*My Concept*

So, attached is my concept that I plan to try (from an IT Engineer not a mechanical engineer... also I did the drawing in paint so its not a professional grade desin or anything). The trick is going to be keeping fittings on the cap and the cap itself air tight so pressure can build within the jar.

Also, this is stealing Milk and Honey's 20CC Syringe idea.

Thoughts?


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## Goats Rock

Make sure it is not continual pressure, you need to have a squeeze effect or you can ruin her teats, 
That is why milking machines have a pulsator and a regulator to regulate the pressure.


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## TeyluFarm

I tried something similar, i couldn't get enough suction to get the milk to let down. Hopefully you will have better luck.


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## nicolemackenzie

Goats Rock said:


> Make sure it is not continual pressure, you need to have a squeeze effect or you can ruin her teats,
> That is why milking machines have a pulsator and a regulator to regulate the pressure.


Breast pumps also pulse and have a let down setting and a expression setting. You can adjust the amount of suction...

Definitely be careful. I know my lactation consultant recommends never going past half suction.

Pay attention to what the nipple looks like in the syringe. It shouldn't blanche.


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## Goats Rock

Wow, breast pumps have come along way since I attempted to use one back when dinosaurs ruled the world! Ok, the 1980's, but still, it was a thing that looked like a horn, you squeezed a bulb and the constant pressure pulled the milk out. Ouch!!!


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## nicolemackenzie

They are pretty advanced now!


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## Mtl

We have a kid that favors one teat so we had to milk the doe. We picked up a manual pump. The swollen teat works fine with just the silicone insert that comes with the $20 Evenflo pump. The other teat required some thought. We cut a larger hole in the end of a nipple (from a calf milk bottle) and stuck it into the silicone insert. It works great. You can use larger baby bottles if you don't want to stop and empty.


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## loggyacreslivestock

Following. I have a Medela breast pump that I'd like to convert....hmm


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## nicolemackenzie

Mine is a medela too. I think I'll try to set it up for milking next spring. If I get it to work I'll post pics!


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## Korita

Has anyone had success with converting the modela breast pump to milk their large goats? I have one I’ve been saving for that very reason. My girls should be kidding soon so I need to get my butt in gear and make it so it’s ready to go. I was thinking of attaching the tubes to a mason jar lid and using syringes for the cups but I don’t know if this would hurt them.


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## Megan Peterson

It worked for us with cashmere goats, 
Tried it on a mom who had suspected mastitis with no luck, after a vet check, her hard lumps are believed to be scar tissue indicating that shes just not producing, then we tried it with a different momma and it worked beautifully, thanks for the person suggesting a syringe, that made a huge difference for us


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## Theresa Kendall

Megan Peterson said:


> View attachment 151861
> It worked for us with cashmere goats,
> Tried it on a mom who had suspected mastitis with no luck, after a vet check, her hard lumps are believed to be scar tissue indicating that shes just not producing, then we tried it with a different momma and it worked beautifully, thanks for the person suggesting a syringe, that made a huge difference for us


 I am so glad I found this 2 days ago I had to rescue two newborn baby goats because their mom wasn't taking care of them today I was able to milk her with a human pump with the help of my daughter we had to Corner her though and I had to hold one leg up so she couldn't move well my daughter use the pump to relieve her she was getting Mighty full. Tonight the kids had their first taste of Mama's milk.


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## Sfgwife

Theresa Kendall said:


> I am so glad I found this 2 days ago I had to rescue two newborn baby goats because their mom wasn't taking care of them today I was able to milk her with a human pump with the help of my daughter we had to Corner her though and I had to hold one leg up so she couldn't move well my daughter use the pump to relieve her she was getting Mighty full. Tonight the kids had their first taste of Mama's milk.


Is she a first time mama? Are you able to leave the kids with her at all or is she just being nasty and tryin hurt them? If she is a new mama tie her up or hold her still several times a day so the kids can nurse. It may take several days of doin it this way and then it may click for mama and she realize they are actually makin the full and maybe little bit of pain feel better to let them nurse. She may decide these are her babies and what she needs do. .


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## Korita

Sfgwife said:


> Is she a first time mama? Are you able to leave the kids with her at all or is she just being nasty and tryin hurt them? If she is a new mama tie her up or hold her still several times a day so the kids can nurse. It may take several days of doin it this way and then it may click for mama and she realize they are actually makin the full and maybe little bit of pain feel better to let them nurse. She may decide these are her babies and what she needs do. .


I agree! I've had to do that a couple times with new moms. But sometimes they can be buttheads and decide not to let a kid nurse at all


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