Are milking machines worth it?
Are you on the fence about buying a gas or electric milking machine? I’ll share our experience and things you should consider before deciding if a milking machine is worth it.
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I don’t want to bury the lead. We ended up buying an electric milking machine, and it’s what works best for us right now. But there are several considerations you should make before making the investment.
Let me just come right out and say that I really enjoyed hand-milking our dairy cow. I thought it was peaceful and it was a great way to spend some quality time with my milking buddy, who is my dad.
But when one Jersey cow turned into three Jersey cows, there came a point when we were faced with the decision of whether or not to purchase an electric milking machine or dry off our cows early. I’m so glad my sweet husband, Derek, was so supportive in getting the milking machine.
Here are the major questions you need to answer.
Are milking machines worth it? First answer these questions.
- Can you afford a milking machine?
- Do you enjoy hand-milking your dairy cow? Or do you dread it?
- How many dairy cows do you have? Do you have one cow or more than one that you have to milk by hand?
- Where would you set up and store your milk machine?
- Do you have access to electricity (or gas) and water?
- Do you have the extra time needed to clean your milk machine properly?
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Can you afford a milking machine?
This is a big one. Gas and electric milking machines don’t come cheap. Regardless of whether or not you like milking by hand, the first consideration has to be whether or not you can afford to buy a gas or electric milker.
The good news is that there are several different manufacturers and models to choose from. With more supply available, the prices should go down over time.
We made a considerable investment and bought a Melasty electric milker from Mitty Supply, but that’s not the only option. They also have gas-powered milkers.
If you can afford to spend some money to get a good milker, shop around for the best deals and read the reviews.
Also, choose something that you can set up yourself so you won’t have to hire help to install it. And ideally, choose a model that comes with a pulsator. It really is worth the extra hundred dollars.
Make sure that the model you choose has a milk bucket(s) that will suit your needs for your cow(s), too. You don’t want milk buckets that are too big or too small for your needs.
Do you enjoy hand-milking your dairy cow? Or do you dread it?
The next question you should ask yourself is do you look forward to hand-milking your cow or does it feel like a terrible chore that must be done? Similarly, do your hands have mobility and enough strength to milk by hand?
If you enjoy hand-milking your cow, and if your hands have the strength and mobility necessary, there’s really no need to buy an expensive piece of equipment like a milking machine.
If, however, you don’t enjoy milking by hand or if your hands aren’t strong enough, you may want to consider purchasing a milking machine. This was one of the main reasons that we purchased an electric milker.
Some of the church folks I shake hands with on a regular basis may disagree with me, but my hands and fingers aren’t strong enough to milk our dairy cow by myself enough to empty her out. And cold weather is really hard on my dad’s hands.
We found that daily milking makes our hands ache. So milking felt more like a dreaded chore after a few weeks.
How many dairy cows do you have?
Many homesteaders can handle milking one cow by hand. But if your herd grows to more than one cow, you may struggle.
If you have help, this might be no big deal for you. Maybe your spouse or children are able to chip in and help with chores. If that’s your situation, great! There’s no need to purchase a milk machine.
I’ve already mentioned that milking one cow by hand was getting too difficult for my dad and I to do. We are certainly not able to milk out two or three cows by hand.
Where would you set up and store your milk machine?
While portable milk machines take up less room than stationary machines, you still need a place to put it when you’re milking or to store it when you’re not using it.
Electric and gas milk machines have several components. The motor takes up a good amount of space, the air lines and milk cluster (milk claw) use a bit of space, and the milk bucket takes up room.
If your stanchion or wherever you milk has enough space to set up a milk machine, then you may want to get one. If, however, you don’t have a good location and can’t build something, you may not want to invest in a milk machine.
In my experience, having an enclosed area is absolutely essential for keeping the milk machine clean. We let our farm chickens and turkeys and other critters free-range. If possible, they would be all over the milk machine if they could. So keep that in mind when considering whether or not to get a milking machine.
Do you have access to electricity (or gas) and water?
Milking machines will need a source of power. Gas-powered milkers are easier in the sense that you can set them up almost anywhere. But electric milkers will need an outlet nearby.
Can you get an extension cord long enough to reach the nearest outlet? Or do you have electrical skills enough to run your own electricity line from your panel box to your milking machine?
Another consideration is water. It’s easier to clean your milking machine if you have a source of water near to where you’re actually doing the milking.
Now, this doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We don’t have a hot water heater or water lines in our dairy barn. But what we do have is a nearby spigot at the corner of our house.
We simply use a long water hose to run water into our dairy barn. This makes cleaning up afterward so much easier since there’s a lot of washing to do.
These are logistical questions that need to be answered before you make the investment.
Do you have the extra time needed to clean your milk machine properly?
One of the last big questions to answer is whether or not you have the time to clean a milk machine after milking your cow(s).
This is no joke, but I spend 7 minutes actually milking out one cow with our milker and another 45 minutes cleaning it. Of the 45 minutes, it takes me about 15 minutes to sanitize the milker prior to milking our cow, and then it takes about 30 minutes to wash and sanitize the milker after milking our cow.
So using a milk machine won’t save you any time. If your time is valuable and you don’t have extra…getting a milk machine might not be a good decision.
Are milking machines worth it?
Your answer may be different from ours and that’s completely fine. For us, it was worth it to buy an electric milker because the alternative was to dry off our cows early and revert to store-bought milk. We just couldn’t physically keep up with hand-milking.
However, it doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario.
If you find that you have trouble milking your cow by hand every day, you don’t necessarily need to buy a milking machine. It’s far cheaper to buy a bottle calf and graft it onto your dairy cow. Now, that takes a lot of work, too, and some planning.
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