# Hand Pump teat cup / udder question



## fauna (Jun 25, 2014)

DH made me a hand pump milker and I used it the first time this morning on my ND. She has twins that are a month old.

When I use the recommended 35ml size for nigerian dwarfs, it gets good milk flow, but it sucks down about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of udder (or at least it looks that way to me). She didn't seem to be in discomfort on one teat, but on the other, she was kicking at it. 

After I removed the teat cup, her teat was red for a little while. (I only milked her for a little bit just to try it out and see if it would work - I guess I got about 1/2 cup total and her udder seemed to still be a good size afterwards). 

We tried a 20ml this afternoon, and it also slipped over her teat all the way up to the udder, but I didn't get good suction because I didn't want it pulling her udder into it. So no milk.

My question is twofold, one, how much milk can I safely take in the mornings without worrying about the babies going hungry. And two, should I just keep using the 35ml syringe or will it hurt her. If I go with a smaller syringe, can it actually get so tight as to reduce milk flow?

Thank you.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You could take it all or almost all. But continuous suction milkers are not good for udder health.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We've never had it turn their teats red like that. Do you have a meter for pounds of suction? We only let it go until we get milk flow and then shut the suction off. Also, are you using anything to help get a seal? We use coconut oil but I also know someone who uses a little milk. And we use the 35 ml cup...


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## fauna (Jun 25, 2014)

kccjer said:


> We've never had it turn their teats red like that. Do you have a meter for pounds of suction? We only let it go until we get milk flow and then shut the suction off. Also, are you using anything to help get a seal? We use coconut oil but I also know someone who uses a little milk. And we use the 35 ml cup...


I milked her again today. It does turn the teats red while they are in the teat cup, but afterwards, they return to normal color. I haven't tried using anything to get a better seal, that hasn't seemed to be a problem. Unless I'm not suppose to let the cup go up to the bottom of the udder.

We ara using a craftsman hand vacuum pump and it does have a meter on it. On the 35 ml syringe, I can pump and milk starts coming out a little before 5, when I tried the 20 ml syringe it got up to ten and milk never came out, so I quit. Both times I had a good seal.

Also, Should I let her eat the whole time she's on the stand? Even if it's more than she normally eats? Should I restrict it to just alfalfa, goat pellets, dairy pellets? T & A Hay?


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I would leave it with the 35 ml syringe then for sure. Less suction is a good thing. It may just be that her teats will need to get use to it too. 

We let them eat the entire time they are on the stand.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

I use 35ml teat cups too for my NDs. I've tried coconut oil and it does help with a seal but it's not usually necessary. I just leave the udder wet after I wash it off anyway. I'm in Florida, so wet udder is not a freezing problem as it might be if I lived in a cooler climate. I've tried teat cups from 60ml -way too big, 35ml - about right, 20ml - doesn't work, 10ml - really small, doesn't work. I've always got quite a bit of udder in the teat cup. It doesn't seem to bother the does. They do get fussy for other reasons and I swear Nigerian Dwarfs are stubborn as dwarfs and thus named correctly.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I seem to remember I used a 12ml syringe for my NDs. Or 20. 
I used up to 10 on the gauge... Never over that. They can hold back milk when they have little ones waiting. She may do much better when the babies are weaned. 


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

They hold back something awful. Nigerian stubborn as a Dwarf!


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

I believe that the the psi wanted for milking is like 3-5 lbs. Anything over that and its not good. Someone who uses a milking machine would be better to answer that.


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## Dorioakes (Nov 13, 2013)

I ruied one of my does teats with one of those milkers. it never got above the specified amount of pressure and her teat leaks out of several places now.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

The psi gauge is usually around 5 - 8 when milking. It depends on the day and the weather more then the doe.


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