# Hand Milkers: What causes the damage?



## TeriA (Apr 29, 2012)

Forgive me if this is offensive. I have read that hand or vacuum milkers can damage teats. I posted earlier, I have no interest in a milking machine but at the moment I have a Saanen with 1 inch teats! Hand milking her is painful and I know I am not getting it all.

I am considering the Henry Milker and wonder when people say these machines damaged their does teats, what does that mean? How does the damage occur? It sounds like I have control and can release pressure to create a pulse. What do I need to be cautious of? What happened that teats were damaged?

:crazy:


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Too much suction can pull the mammary tissue out of place – bad news. I use an EZ milker. I am very careful to not allow the suction to become too tight, I disconnect often.


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## mtmom75 (May 19, 2011)

I think what they say causes the damage is the constant suction, as opposed to the pulsating suction of a machine. That said, I used a Henry milker all last season, and I always kept the pressure around 7-8. None of my does appeared to have any problems with it.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

constant suction on teats would be like you holding the hose from a shop vac on the inside of your upper arm or thigh...sensitive and fleshy area on most people, you'd end up with a massive collection of broken capillaries that wouldn't feel so good once you broke the suction.

I actually tried out a Maggidans milker on my Angel a few years back...used it once only after my pretty white doe with tiny pink teats ended up with swollen and purple teats from the amount of suction neded to get milk to flow


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

liz, what milker do you use now?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

ThreeHavens said:


> liz, what milker do you use now?


My hands  Angel was my only doe who was difficult to milk and after her last freshening in Feb. 2012, she had a hard birth and has been retired.


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## TeriA (Apr 29, 2012)

Thank you for your comments. This scares me!! U hated breast pumps!!! A question I still have is ...can I safely use this if I monitor the pressure and create pulses with these milkers?


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## geonjenn (Oct 3, 2012)

I have a Henry Milker and I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I used it last year because I have carpal tunnel and just could not milk all by hand. But each of my girls have peculiarities with their udders (I think they were all someone else's culls for these reasons) and I have to start and finish the milking by hand and one of them is much faster by hand. With the Milker, there's just a very fine stream of milk so she takes FOREVER but by hand it seams normal and much faster. One has very saggy and bulbous teats and will not tolerate the machine at all but is perfectly fine with hand milking. I wonder if her teats are like that because of a continuous pressure Milker before I bought her.

So I just started milking for this year and used the Milker partially today. I will be looking for a surge Milker very soon. I guess here is my "review" of the Henry Milker:

I paid extra for the double Milker that came with two jars, two lids and the attachment to put them together so you can milk both teats at once, but I did not pay the extra to get a warranty. The very first time I put it on the very first goat, she gave it one small kick and turned my double Milker into a single. One of the lids broke with no way to repair it. I have not bothered to purchase another one. The gaskets that seal the lid to the jar allowing the suction won't stay in the lid reliably and if you have to change jars during milking you have to really watch that the gasket doesn't become misaligned or fall into the milk, making it hard to find. But I now have an extra gasket since the second lid is broken. The pump is not very heavy duty so you have to be careful with it. The crystal on the front of the gauge of mine keeps falling off, but it still works. The tubes are a PITA to remove from the other pieces, which is probably a good thing because you need a tight fit. But I actually can't get them apart anymore so I wash then all together. Probably not the most sanitary way to go but for now I'm only milking for soap or baby goats or calves so we are ok. The pump gauge goes way past 10 but the instructions very clearly said not to go higher than 10. You really need to watch the pressure. I did not know that the constant pressure was bad for the goats until after I started using it. I probably would not have bought it if I had known. All in all, I don't think it is a bad thing if it is temporary, but it is kind of cheaply made but a little pricey for the lack of sturdiness. You could probably build your own much cheaper and since it is not healthy for long term use, why spend a bunch? It did help my hands a little.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Unfortunately I do have to use something as neither mom or I can milk the goats out completely by hand ... So we are just careful. And I would like to save for a pulsating milker, which is MUCH safer for them.


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## TeriA (Apr 29, 2012)

Thank you Geonjenn for that review and for the other comments. My mentor loaned me an EZ milker she got at state fair one year, but does not really like. It had no pressure gauge and my little teated doe was so small that even with the small teat cup I had to pump and pump. I did not even get a suction and was afraid to keep trying.

I am hand milking her. The tips have been helpful...putting alfalfa in with her grain slows her down and squeezing the base of the utter has helped as well. I am milking 2x a day so it does not take so long. Thanks ya'll!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

TeriA said:


> Thank you Geonjenn for that review and for the other comments. My mentor loaned me an EZ milker she got at state fair one year, but does not really like. It had no pressure gauge and my little teated doe was so small that even with the small teat cup I had to pump and pump. I did not even get a suction and was afraid to keep trying.
> 
> I am hand milking her. The tips have been helpful...putting alfalfa in with her grain slows her down and squeezing the base of the utter has helped as well. I am milking 2x a day so it does not take so long. Thanks ya'll!


Another way to slow down a fast eater is to put some fist sized, clean, rocks in the the feed dish. They have to nibble around the rocks and it slows them down, sometimes! (I have a doe that intentially picks up a rock, looks at me and drops it on the floor!).


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Goats Rock said:


> Another way to slow down a fast eater is to put some fist sized, clean, rocks in the the feed dish. They have to nibble around the rocks and it slows them down, sometimes! (I have a doe that intentially picks up a rock, looks at me and drops it on the floor!).


Goats Rock, now I understand your name


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