# Grade A milking parlor, sizes for platform, entry door, etc



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Been on this forum for a few days, now, and I feel bad asking so many questions, but I have some more, so here goes (or go ahead and kick me off for asking too much!):

We're building a simple grade A dairy parlor with a very low budget (it looks like opportunity for a small market is opening now and since at this moment the goats only cost money, even just breaking even would help!). I can not find detailed info on goat parlors with stand sizes, etc. It may be available (even on this site) so if it is, maybe someone can send me in the right direction for that info?

My questions: 


what size entry door for the goats will work? I'd like it to be a 'one-goat-at-a-time' entry with probably a weighted door on a pully.
What is a good platform size for a parrallel size parlor? I'm not sure how many stands I'll have, so I may expand it as I go, but I need to know what a good length is for a full size Saanen doe to stand comfortably and be milked. I plan on being able to 'push out' the front head gate, so that there will be space for the ladies to leave the parlor afterwards.
Heighth of the platform? I know it depends on my height (5'10, with a daughter that I think will be taller than I and two VERY tall sons, who by the way right now still think goats are for woman and cows are for REAL men....) but what range works well?
What kind of ramp to get the goats up is everyone using? Wood? metal? inside parlor or already bringing the goats up to level in holding pen (that what I thought was best...)

Thanks for everyone's help! In return I'll let you know what I did in the end and how well it's working, maybe that can help others. We plan on starting to build this week and finishing....welll.....this week! (I can dream!)


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Hi Marion,
The best thing to do, if you have not done it already is to contact your local extension or agriculture office and find out who is in charge of dairy inspections and then talk to that person. When I was looking at it they sent me a packet of papers with all the specs on everything that they cared about. Granted, certain things are personal preference, but if you know the minimum requirements your state will want, then you can adapt those to be in compliance, but also to fit your individual situation. Also be sure and visit as many local goat dairies as possible so you can see what you like, don't like, etc. 

Good luck and welcome to the forum!


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Nothing when dealing with Grade A regulations is low budget or cheap, so do not go into this with the idea you can spend only a little but of money. Start up costs range around a minimum of $35,000 if you have the building and up to over $75,000. this is to make cheese. Nothing about farming is lucrative. It costs a lot, makes you sacrifice more than your share and with costs constantly on the rise, you need a large pocketbook. I just replaced the motor on my vac pump for $400 rebuild and lost 3 days worth of milk that was not Grade A so another $400 in lost product. If you want my opinion or advice you may pm me and I will be more than happy to answer your questions.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks, but I was really looking for specific goat dimensions. I am very much aware of the stringent requirements (we've been in the dairy business all our life, cows, though!) and have already had the inspector on the premises twice, so I have taken care of the major details: the plan for the building and all requirements therein has been approved, but the dairy inspector does not have info on goat stand sizes. 

So can anybody help me with the specific sizes and entry door types that work?


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

Wide enough for a big bodied girl in late gestation to walk through  Call some goat dairies and ask would be my suggestion, the places I know of use a standard house type door.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

We are not grade A but have a standard 36" door. 

I have seen platforms that are waist-chest height. I would measure the width of my biggest doe to decide how far apart to space the stanchions.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Check out the stands at Hoegger Supply. Those dimensions are pretty standard.


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## cheesemoose (Jun 23, 2010)

Check out this Web site good dimension http://www.lmgoatpens.com/index.php?page=milking-parlor


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks everyone!!! Good info, time to put it all together and get to work!


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I made my goat doors 18 inches wide and that will handle my biggest old alpine though she has to squueze a bit when heavily bred. My platform is 8 foot long by 4 feet wide and I milk six goats at a time on it. I am using the Little Mountain Goat Pens Headgates (cascading self locking) and am very happy with them. The first week was a little rough as the goats learnedxthe system but after that it is great!


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Forgot to mention the platform is 36 inches high - I find this puts the udders at a good height for most normal sized people to milk.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks everyone!


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

A three foot high platform puts those goats Too high up for me to work. How long are your ramps, if you have any? Goats don't like too steep or they just jump it. Do they get feed while milking and do you walk in front on the ground level, then reach up at least 4 feet to their feed dishes? I am trying to picture this in my head. Three foot is like counter height and that's where the feet would be. Also your ceiling must be at least 9 feet if you ever have to stand on the platform, you would be all bent over. Curious, that's all.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

Jennifer - I will try to post a picture. My ceiling is 10 foot high. I do have to walk around the platform and reach up a bit to put feed in their dishes but I love the setup not having to bend over at all when milking. I think my ramps are about 8 feet long. They dont have any problem walking up or down them. 

Eventually I will put in an auto feed dispenser that will drop the feed into their dishes so I dont have to walk around after each set are milked.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

My ceiling will be 8 ft high, but I will also go with a pretty high platform (3ft, or higher), because the ideal height just depends on how tall you are. I'm 5'10", my youngest daughter, the goat-lover(!), is going to be taller than me, and all the boys in our family are very tall, so a high platform will save our backs (especially mine, I'm the main goat herd :biggrin).

I am still a bit baffled by the enormous variation in platform widths people have suggested: anywhere from 2ft per goat (that sounds like WAY too much), 'til a bit over 1 ft/goat. I'm tending towards 1'4" - 1"6", which should accomodate both older does and smaller milking yearlings. 

Still learning, and my plan is to make the building permanent, but the metal platform in a way that I can adjust size and placement as my herd grows and/or if i find out I made it too tight/too wide.

What kind of head gates does everyone have? I'm planning on making my own, and we're trying to make it a 'manual rapid exit', so a front gate that either rotates up with a handle you can work from the pit, or a front gate that is on wheels and pushes out (also with a stick or bar you can work from the pit). Does anybody have something like this, or any other great idea is welcome, too!


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Visit http://www.gardnerbarn.com/Goat.htm 
look at their head gates. This is what I have and the would be fairly easy for you to make if you are handy with steel pipe.


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

As promised here is my setup in operation.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the picture. I don't see your ramps, though, do you move them when the goats are on the platform, or am I just not seeing it right?


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## Ziggy (Nov 13, 2009)

I am sorry - the ramps are outside of the parlor - the ramps come up to the "door" - which is more like a window that isw at the platfomr level. where they exit is right next to the wall and go down a ramp (which is outside the parlor). I do have a 2 foot section on the enbtrance side that gets moved after eah load and unload so that I can get around to fill up the feed pails.

I am waiting on my welder to build me a stainless section that will hinge to the sand and fold up and down. When it is up it I will be able to pass thru and it will also serve as an endgate/stopper to [prevent anyone from falling or jumping off the end. Right now I just stand at that end when I release the goats after milking and they go out the other door. When it is down it will allows them to get form the entrance door on to the platform. 

Does that make sense now?


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Yes, makes perfect sense! I want to have my ramps outside of the parlor, too, so this design is very helpful. Thanks!


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## cheesemoose (Jun 23, 2010)

My current plans


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

The first pic is the parlor with goats. It is a high line, ramps on either side, window to the milk room on the right. You can see the grain bucket on the platform to the right with a pressure fit gate so no does can sneak to the grain. The second pic is my daughter milking. The third is the grain bucket and gate and stanchion. And the fourth, is a front view of the parlor with no goats so you can see the pipeline.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the pictures and a very nice parlor, Jennifer! The gate looks like regular cow-headlocks (but then goat-sized, I assume) and I like that system: simple and very effective. I did not start on my parlor yet, but we hope to do that soon. I see you have a wooden gate (and wooden feed through?) in your parlor, which shows me again that different states have different rules: we can not use any wood in our parlor according to our inspector. We're probably going to go with a PVC feed through. I see you don't have sequencing gates in your parlor, and we're trying to figure out wether we need those or not. 

I will start with a single 6 parlor, but hope to 'end' with a double 12 in the future. With an approximate parlor size of 18x20 ft, we have some room to play with, which is easy one one hand, but on the other hand it gives me quite a few options and I haven't been able to choose my ideal placement of platform(s), entry/exit ramps etc. My milkroom will be 9x20 and same for the equipment room. The concrete slab with drains is already there, so I'm stuck with these sizes for each room.

I was wondering about your cow: do you keep that milk separate and make both goat and cow-milk cheeses, or does it end up in the same milk tank and do you make cheese of the mix? Also, do you replace one of the goat-claws with a cow-claw when she comes in, or do you have that set up all the time? We have a heifer, and were going to let her go to a cow-dairy when she starts milking, but you got me thinking with your 'dual-purpose-parlor'! Our Skippy is a little on the wild side (understatement), so at this moment I couldn't even picture her behaving in the pit of my parlor, but hey, she's got some growing up today, and I'm sure she'll tone down a little!


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Well, I very much like my parlor, we call it the Teeny Tiny Milking Parlor and that is what is painted on the front swinging pantry-style door. There is a gang release for the head gates, but it is just as easy for me to unlock each individually. Yes, the wood feed tray is allowable as is the wood and wire gate, in fact most of my stall gates and pasture gates are wood. I only have one 12' pipe gate! The goat milk goes into my bulk tank and the cow milk has it's own fridge. I can ONLY mix the milk in the cheese room, if I want to. Right now, I do no blended cheeses only blended butter (cow and goat cream mixed) and I sell out of it each time I make it.
I milk the cow first on her own machine into the line. She does have her own pulsator, an old electric surge one. My line is set for goats with 5 nipples and 5 Interpulse pulsators. I just removed one I was not using because I milk the goats with three claws and attached this on in it's place and used a cord to plug it in.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

Lost half my post. I try to finish your questions later


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I really like your parlor. We're starting to build this saturday, so I'll drag my husband in front of the computer and show him your parlor! Neat on the cow being milked separately. I am going to mull this over: I was planning small entry/exit doors for the goats, but I will have one 'people size door' for me to walk into the holding pen, so I may decide to make that one a tad bit larger in case I do want to do what you're doing with your cow. Like I said, I have quite a bit of room to work with and I think this is a very creative idea. I will not build a grade A processing facility now, but I may want to in the future, and being able to make both cow and goat products would be great. Right now I only make products for our own family: pasteurized milk, (all my products are pasteurized, actually), flavored milk, yoghurt, some cream cheese/chevre and 'vla' (my kids' favorite, it's a Dutch desert). Thanks for sharing your parlor with me!


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