Dr. Richard Phipps, a large animal veterinarian and rancher in Banner, Wyoming says the beef industry can benefit from this tool as are the off-grid, hobby farmers, homesteaders, and many Amish families currently milking their cows, goats, sheep and even horses with this milker.
“Some people might think it would hurt the udder if used very often, but it has less suction and pull than a calf suckling, and the pulsation makes it easy on the teat,” he explains.
“The pulsation supplied is a combination of the pump’s piston working and the animal’s heart beating, which in turn prevents a continuous sucking pressure. A calf does the same thing, giving intermittent slurps, it’s like you sucking on a straw; You can’t suck continuously because you must stop and breath, Intermittent sucking action of a calf releases pressure on the cow’s teat and udder; pulsation on this milker does the same thing,” he says.
“I’ve put a stethoscope on the udder when using the pump, and every time there’s a burst of milk going into the bucket/bottle there’s a heartbeat. Pulsation is essential. You don’t want a continuous vacuum because it might cause injury.”
“The pulsation releases the pull on the udder just enough to let it relax,” explains Dr. Phipps. The Ultimate Ez Milker is an updated version connected to a small compressor. It is equipped to milk one, two, three or all four teats if desired, safely, and efficiently. Many homesteaders have been using this equipment over 12 years without any problems whatsoever. It has an adjustable suction vacuum regulator, with colored arrows pointing to the proper setting for the animals to be milked. There are three color-coded sizes of special Silicone inserts that are tapered internally and gentle on the teats for a perfect fit. This milker is quieter than other electric milkers and gentle enough to use on animals with painful mastitis.
“With this machine, the pulsation helps relax the cow and stimulates milk let-down, like when a calf suckles. It’s a natural kind of action and triggers the release of oxytocin in the cow.”
If he has a cow with big teats and when she calves, he puts the large teat cup on her big teats and milks them down to where the calf can get on them and take over. “Before, we were doing it by hand, and it was a lot harder.” He uses the EZ milker frequently at home and on client cows. His Ultimate EZ Electric Milker that he takes with him uses the 300-Watt Inverter with Milwaukee 18-Volt, 6 Amp Battery, making it totally portable. “My wife uses on all the time on our ranch because she takes care of our milk cows when I’m off doing my Veterinary work.”
This is a shortened version of an article by Heather Smith Thomas, published in the August 2021 issue of American Cattlemen. (“this article is in response to the many questions we have received about how this milker works without a Pulsator, and will it cause any damage to my animals teats”? the answer is No!!!) Thousands of these milkers are now operating in the Amish community alone.
