Milking

~ Milking at the Burrow ~

I milk twice a day, morning and evening.

I find it's both empowering
(to gather your own milk)
and meditative.

I feel incredibly blessed each day I go out to milk.

I have a covered bowl with clean rag for udder wash (I mix in the house)

a small covered bowl for the test milk ( 3 to 4 from each side)

a very small plastic cup for teat dip (I keep a jug out in the barn area)

.

.

.

My lovely stainless steel milk pail. I think it may have been a wine chiller,

I got it at a yard sale last year intending to use it for milking.
.

.

.

I cover my milk pail with 3 or 4 folds of cheesecloth and hold it with two heavy rubber bands.

It keeps hairs and other debris out of the milk and is easy to wash and sterilize.

.

.

.

I then put the milk pail into an enamel pail with a handle.

.

.

.

Having a handle helps a lot and I can also add ice water to the black pail to cool the milk.

.

.

.

Anya is always ready and waiting :)

.

.

.

She's very good now and jumps right up on the stand.
I wash and dry her udder, milk a bit from each side into the test cup, examine,
milk the rest into the milk pail, dip each side, then let her down,
give her some love and send her out to eat.

.

.

.

I always add the leftover teat dip to the leftover udder wash
and use it to wash down the milking stand and table.

.

.

.

As soon as I get in, I strain the milk through unbleached coffee filter
into a large measuring cup so i can see how much there was.

.

.

.

While the milk is straining I wash up everything else.

.

.

.

I rinse everything in warm water, wash in hot water then sterilize and set to air dry.

Ready for the next milking.

.

.

.