Milking Stanchion

How to build this goat-milking stand that makes milking easier for the goat and the milker, including materials, layout, bracing, diagrams, the seat and the feed box.

June/July 2002
 
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Story, photos and illustrations by
Janet and Mark Knickerbocker

If you get dairy goats, you'll probably want to build this nifty stanchion to make milking easy for both the milker and the milkee. The stanchion features an adjustable seat for the milker, a platform to raise the goat to a comfortable height and a feed box to keep her content while you milk.

To make the stanchion, you'll need a skill saw, jigsaw, electric drill, Phillips screwdriver for the drill, a 1/16" drill bit to bore pilot holes for screws and 1 1/2" wood screws.

If you want, you can add a chain neck restraint, which will come in handy when introducing a new goat to milking.

The Stanchion

MATERIALS

A. Two 44" 1x12s for front
B. Two 48" 1x12s for bottom
C. Two 23" 1x6s for leg supports
D. One 36" 1x8 for seat slide
E. Four 10 1/2" 2x4s for legs
F. Two 23" 2x4s for slide support
G. One 36" 2x4 cut 45 degrees on each end (for brace)
H. One 23" 1x4 (top connector)
I. Two 8" L-brackets
J. One 6"piece of light chain
K One screw eye, one screw book

FRONT: Begin with the two 44" 1x12s (A). Lay one on top of the other. Using a jigsaw cut out one half of the keyhole. Start the bottom of the keyhole at 19" with the top ending at 39". (See illustration for the shape, which may need to be enlarged to accommodate a goat with horns.) Lay the two boards (A) side by side and screw the top connector (H) flush with the top. Use four 1/2" screws. Mount the L-brackets (I) flush with the bottom of front (A) on each outside edge, again using the 1 1/2" screws.

FLOOR: Position the two bottom boards (B) side by side. As pictured, position the slide supports (F) under the bottom boards (B) and screw down from the top using 12 1 1/2" screws, six per support. Attach the seat slide (D) across the bottom and flush with the outside edge of the slide support (F).

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