64582 Silicone Inflations (Parts Dept., )  

 

When to replace inflations

NOTE: Figures that companies give on how long you can use an inflation before replacing them, are often based on milking cows, not goats.  Goats are milked at a higher pulsation rate, so the inflations wear out faster.  Be sure to ask the equipment supplier how often to change the inflations you are buying.  If they don't know, find out who the manufacturer is and call them. Parts Department recommends replacement of their goat silicone inflations at 2000 to 2500 milkings.  We'll use that as an example. How to figure out when to change inflations: (1) How many goats are milked with one cluster, every time the stand fills with goats?  (2) How many times do you fill your stands during a milking? (3) How many times do you milk a day? Take the answer to number (1), times number (2), times number (3).  Take that times 30 days in a month.  Take 2500 milkings per inflation, and divide by the number you got above.  That will tell you how many months you can use a set of inflations before they have to be changed.  Example: You milk two goats with each cluster every time the stand fills with goats.  You fill your stands with goats 4 times during a milking.  You milk twice a day.  2 goats x 4 stand fills x 2 times/day milking x 30 days in a month= 480 times per month the inflations are used. 2500 milkings per inflation divided by 480 milkings per month= 5.2 months per inflation Make a note on your calendar when you buy inflations, and count ahead the right number of months and write yourself a note there too, to remind yourself  to buy inflations next time, so you don't forget to change them.    Bad inflations cause teat damage, which causes mastitis.  Mastitis costs you money in lost milk production and lower milk checks.  It makes $ense to buy new inflations on a regular basis.  Remember to figure that into your budget.

Shells    (Replace only when cracked.)

A note about using converted cow equipment:   Many people are tempted to use converted cow equipment because it is inexpensive.  The downside is that the milkers are too large and they are very heavy, causing slipping and fluctuations in vacuum pressure.  This in turn causes teat irritation and mastitis.  One Boumatic dealer says that although some of the vacuum fluctuation created by using cow equipment can be relieved by installing a pulsator board, he highly recommends that you use equipment made specifically for goats in order to avoid teat damage... (Interview Krueger's Boumatic Clintonville, WI, 2004)

How to figure what size bulk tank to buy for your herd:   1) Take the maximum # of goats you could be milking* and multiply that by the average milk production per goat each day**).  ___goats x ___lbs./ goat /day =_____ total pounds of milk produced/day.   2) Take that number and multiply by the number of days in your longest milk truck pickup period: ____lbs/day x ___days = ___pounds per pickup.   3) Divide that number by by 8 lbs./ gallon::                         ___lbs per pickup =  _____ gallons / pickup                            8 lbs per gallon      That is the minimum size tank you should buy:   _____ gallon bulk tank   *(Make sure that you have carefully considered what your family can handle and how much building space you have available to house the milking does.  Young stock, babies and bucks also need housing space and you need an area set aside as a sick room, milking parlor and milk room.  See the “stocking rates” section below, and make sure you only measure OPEN space where a goat can stand.  Also see “herd size” in the Quick Reference Guide.)   ** An average milk production per day per goat is 5 lbs per day, but you should be looking for at least 8 lbs. per day for a commercial herd. (Coffee, Dairy Goats)

Example for new producers:   You want to buy the recommended minimum herd of 150 goats.  You have a large barn that can house 150 milking does (see stocking rates below), and you have other buildings that will hold the young stock, bucks and babies.  You know that you will not be able to milk any more goats than that because you can’t house any more.  You plan to work full time in this operation and your wife plans to work outside the farm full time to pay the bills.  She will only be able to give a few hours a week to the farm work.  You are young and healthy and feel you can handle milking 150 goats, plus chores, along with birthing and other duties as they come along.   If you haven’t bought your herd yet, or you know where you will be buying your herd, but the herd owner doesn’t have a clue how much they give, then, how do you know how much milk you will have to store, and consequently, what size bulk tank to buy?  In this case, you could start at the average amount of 5 lbs. of milk per day. 150 goats x 5 lbs. of milk/day/goat= 750 lbs. of milk per day.    Now consider that the route you want to get on only picks up the milk every fourth day, so you need to store four times the amount of milk they give per day.    4 x 750 = 3,000 lbs. of milk per milk pick up   Now divide 3,000 lbs for the total pickup period, by 8 lbs. of milk/gallon to find out how many gallons that is, because bulk tanks are sold by the gallon, not the pound.    3000 lb/pickup divided by  8 lb/gallon  =  375 gallons per pickup.   You need a 400 gallon bulk tank to store up the amount of milk you have in one pickup.    But what if the milk truck can’t get through in a snowstorm, or what about holidays when the route drivers are not working?  You may have to store the milk an extra day, so add a days worth of milk to your total pickup.. 3000 lb. + 750 lb= 3750 lbs.   3750 lbs/pickup  divided by 8 lb/gallon= 468.75 lbs. per pickup       Now you will need at least a 500 gallon tank to allow extra space for holidays and snow storms.   We don’t have any more space for milking does and the bank won’t loan us any more money to build another building, so we pretty much know we are probably not going to get much bigger than the original 150 goats.  In this scenario, with average goats, we would simply buy a minimum 500 gallon tank, or maybe buy a 600 gallon bulk tank because we know that, with good management, we can get the milk production up a little.   What about the rich farmer who is buying a very high producing herd of 150 goats with DHI milk records showing an average of 10 lbs a day production per goat?    150 goats x 10 lbs./ goat /day= 1500 total pounds of milk produced/day. 1500 lbs/day x 5 day pickup (4 day pickup plus one day extra) = a potential of 7500 pounds per pickup.  00 lb/pickup divided by 8 lb/gallon     =   937.5 gallons.    He would need to buy at least a 1000 gallon bulk tank.   To be safe when figuring bulk tank size, use the highest number of goats you REASONABLY think you might we able to milk in your existing buildings.   It is important that you do not assume you will be building new buildings in a year or two unless your rich uncle is dying and you know ahead of time you are his sole heir.  It takes years to understand how to increase your income in this business and you may not be making a profit for many years, especially if you have to get a large bank loan to open your business.  Most goat milk producers have big plans at the beginning, but find they cannot afford to build new buildings, and end up with exactly as much space as they started with.  Be reasonable in your expectations, because you have to pay for the electricity to cool that big tank no matter how much milk is in it.  Ask other producers what size they use and how many goats they milk.  Ask them whether they would still buy the same size.  Learn from their mistakes.   After you’ve moved a bulk tank into your milk room, you’ll never want to have to do it again.

Moving and Installing Bulk Tanks   http://goatconnection.com/articles/publish/article_76.shtml  

18”

23”

29”

37”

43”

49”

55”

61”

73”

85”

97”

 

Leg brackets for equipment sinks (Parts Dept.)      

 

 Wall brackets for equipment sinks (Parts Dept)