As you’ve heard from me before, we’re new to all this, and boy do we screw up. I use the royal “we”, here. When it came to building a stanchion, I screwed up. But, on the bright side, I eventually got a workable solution. Wood is so forgiving.
Knowing nothing about stanchions, I researched some designs and photos on the web, visited a few local milking parlors, and decided to build something with a raised floor and side rails. I figured that this would protect us, if one ton of cow suddenly decided to somehow lunge sideways at us! Here’s what it looked like, when the two of us first tried milking.
Some protection huh? If Tanya decided to step to the right, she could easily have squeezed my head against that “safety” rail.
And the raised floor? I thought it was a great idea. Having her stand on the stanchion meant that it would not move if she tugged at the planks holding her head. But it also meant that she was standing on a pretty slick surface. This was not good–she actually slipped a few times getting on and off. It also caused her to be somewhat restless during the milking.
Once again, taking some great advice from the folks in the Keeping a Family Cow forum, I removed the floor planks. I also figured that the side rails were unnecessary: our cow, at least, was not the kind to lurch sideways during milking!
To compensate for Tanya not standing on the stanchion, I anchored the freestanding new design to one of the stall walls. The key thing, a friend advised, is to not let the cow think that she can move it in any way.
As you can see, the result is a much more comfortable and natural milking position for us and Tanya.
I really like your design. I have a dexter that likes to kick when milked unless she is in a stand. I also have a jersey heifer that i want to start training to get in to one and get her used to it so by time she calves, it will already be routine. I have been looking all over for good ideas for a stanchion, and your’s by far is the greatest I’ve come across. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I found your blog while searching for a stanchion design. We are getting a cow (either a mini jersey or a standard jersey) and we need a stanchion before we get one. We’re trying to copy your design, but were really hoping for dimensions. Could you just tell me the width of the space where the cow stands?
Thanks!
Thanks. I’ll try to remember the next time I’m out in the barn.