Post by mothership on Jun 13, 2008 18:03:58 GMT -5
We haven't figured out how to get the surge belly milker to fit properly on Temmie yet. When we hang it under her using the surcingle, the teat cups won't go on all 4 teats without one or more of the hoses getting kinked. Does it have to be hanging there to work properly, or can we just set it on a box under her so the hoses won't kink?
I'm wondering if her rear teats are especially far back, compared to average dairy udder conformation, and this is why the surge claw didn't seem to fit quite right. I also don't see how it would be possible to milk all four quarters by hand while sitting at her side, unless you have one arm in front of her leg and one behind, with the bucket between her back feet. Right now, we sit directly behind her to milk the rear quarters, holding a stainless pitcher between our knees. Anyway, we're trying to switch to machine milking, if we can get the durned thing on there.
Also, the vacuum hoses on the claw STINK, the ones leading from the pulsator to the cups. They smell like moth balls (which is a smell I detest, it turns my stomach). It's all new except the bucket, so I'm hoping the smell will fade, but if it doesn't, please tell me it won't affect the milk (I know the milk isn't supposed to touch the vacuum hoses) or that I can replace those hoses with others of a different material. Can I also replace the black hoses that lead from the teats to the bucket with something clear (silicone?) so I can see when the milk flow starts to reduce in any of the quarters?
Oh, and what's the correct pressure range? And where do I get plugs for the cups to put in when we pull one off before the others? I don't remember seeing them on Hamby's site when we bought the surge.
It feels like a secret club for people who know how to use a milking machine, and we haven't learned the handshake yet.
I'm wondering if her rear teats are especially far back, compared to average dairy udder conformation, and this is why the surge claw didn't seem to fit quite right. I also don't see how it would be possible to milk all four quarters by hand while sitting at her side, unless you have one arm in front of her leg and one behind, with the bucket between her back feet. Right now, we sit directly behind her to milk the rear quarters, holding a stainless pitcher between our knees. Anyway, we're trying to switch to machine milking, if we can get the durned thing on there.
Also, the vacuum hoses on the claw STINK, the ones leading from the pulsator to the cups. They smell like moth balls (which is a smell I detest, it turns my stomach). It's all new except the bucket, so I'm hoping the smell will fade, but if it doesn't, please tell me it won't affect the milk (I know the milk isn't supposed to touch the vacuum hoses) or that I can replace those hoses with others of a different material. Can I also replace the black hoses that lead from the teats to the bucket with something clear (silicone?) so I can see when the milk flow starts to reduce in any of the quarters?
Oh, and what's the correct pressure range? And where do I get plugs for the cups to put in when we pull one off before the others? I don't remember seeing them on Hamby's site when we bought the surge.
It feels like a secret club for people who know how to use a milking machine, and we haven't learned the handshake yet.