Module 4: Home dairy set-up

The purpose of this document is to help you set-up a successful home

dairy for personal consumption. My advice and experience is aimed at pro-

ducing high quality milk and milk products for personal consumption.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers and regu-

lates the sale of milk for human consumption. Additionally, each state has

rules and regulations pertaining to dairy grading & standardization.

The Agricultural Marketing Service manages the federal Dairy Program to

operate a Grade Certified Dairy. Although my micro-dairy meets the require-

ments for grade certification, my goal is self-sufficiency, not public sales,

therefore I am not a certified grade producer.

If your goal is to operate a micro dairy and sell milk, start here:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/dairy-program

-Dairy goats have a 10 month lactation period.

-The average dairy goat produces 6-8 lbs ( 1 gallon) of milk per goat, per day.

-7 days after birthing, goats can be milked as often as twice daily for full pro-

duction.

Example: My micro dairy milking schedule

Four dairy does provide me with an ample supply of

milk to drink, make cheese, sour cream, buttermilk,

creamer, cream, butter, soap, lotion, and the occa-

sional treat of Cajeta and fudge. More about this in

Module 5: Safe handling and using milk.

I breed two does in fall and two in spring in order to

freshen (begin lactating) in February and October.

This provides me with a steady supply of milk year-

round.

In Module 3: Health, breeding and birthing, I mentioned the option to milk once or

twice a day depending on your goals and schedule. Whenever you choose to milk, ad-

hering to set times and a set place optimizes production.

The goal of milking is to get milk. The best milk maids will tell you that an experience

that is easy and enjoyable for dairy does will also be easy and enjoyable for you.

Hand milking

Pros: Gentle on animals, minimal cost/equipment

Cons: Less efficient, time consuming, less sanitary safeguards (no built in filters)

Three milking methods:

Handpump ex: Henry Milker

Pros: Inexpensive, faster, more sanitation safeguards in place

Cons: Equipment must be cleaned and sanitized after each use (time consuming), less gentle on animals

Machine ex: Nupulse

Pros: VERY fast, fantastic sanitation safeguards in place, Grade A Dairy approved, gentle on animals

Cons: Equipment must be cleaned and sanitized after each use, expensive

A milking stand, bucket with cover, gentle udder disinfectant and a controlled location to milk

your dairy goats is all you need to get milking.

1. Wash hands

2. Wash udder before milking

3. Wipe or dip each teat in gentle cleanser

4. Trap milk in teat by clamping at top with

thumb and index finger. This prevents milk

from going back up into udder.

4. Gently squeeze down by adding lower fin-

gers. Do not loosen index finger at top.

5. Squeeze milk into test cup. Look for

lumps, discoloration or texture differentia-

tion. If milk looks of smells off, continue to

milk animal and discard milk until problem is

identified.

6. Continue to milk by hand, hand pump or

machine.

7. You will notice the udder shrink as it emp-

ties. Massaging the udder will help release

the last of the milk. To get the last milk, strip

the teat by gently drawing thumb and fore-

finger downward toward teat end.

8. You may wipe or dip the teat again after

milking.

Goal: An environment that is clean and sanitary, controlled and comfortable, and promotes

high-quality, large-volume milk production.

An ideal home dairy set-up has the following:

-Separate in and out doors to minimize dust and traffic

-Washable walls for sanitation

-Concrete floors for sanitation

-Light

-Ventilation

-Access to water to clean and sanitize equipment

-Temperature control

-Power driven milking stand to lift does to a comforta-

ble level for me to milk

-Storage cabinets to keep supplies and equipment dust free

-Stainless steel milking stand(s), cart, stool, table

-Milking machine for top quality and quantity milk

-Stainless steel tanks to transport milk from dairy to fridge

-A pleasant place to spend time

Cleanliness and sanitation is critical in the home dairy

for two reasons:

1. Milk can carry pathogenic bacteria.

2. Milk contaminated with hair, dust, dirt, et cetera,

tastes awful.

I will talk more about safe handling and using milk in Module 5. For

now I want to impress the importance of keeping your dairy in tip

top condition!

My micro-dairy cleaning schedule

Every day: Clean milking machine, attachments and utensils

after each milking. Clean stainless tanks before filling with fresh milk. Wipe down all

stainless surfaces. Sweep floors.

Weekly: Dust. Vacuum. Wipe down walls with disinfectant cleaner. Wash floor with

disinfectant cleaner.

Animals: Always keep animals clipped and well groomed. Wash udder with gentle

milking disinfectant before milking. Wipe teats before milking.

I hope you’re here to get ideas to build

your own. Let me to show you around...

My dairy is connected to the barn. The

barn has water and electricity. The girls

enter through the main door and exit to the

outside world.

The milking stand is home fabricated. It

has a power lift that brings girls to my

level.

I thought classical music would create a

nice milking environment, but the dairy

does prefer to rock out, or listen retro

90’s rap music.

Notes

-My current milking machine

is a self– cleaning NuPulse

from Hambry Dairy.

-Walls and floors are easy to

clean surfaces.

-My milk storage tanks, ta-

bles, carts and other acces-

sories are all stainless steel

because it lasts longer, is

more sanitary and cool milk

faster.

-Windows provide light and

ventilation.

-There are two florescent

lights mounted to ceiling.