# Here's my setup. What's yours?



## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Here's some pictures of the girls in their stanchions. How do you guys do it? I always looking for ways to improve and could stand room for a lot of it.




















I'm still a rookie at posting pictures, so let me know if they come out.


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## Skye (Jul 21, 2006)

Do you hand milk or use a machine?


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

So far I've been handmilking. I'm now setup to milk with an automatic milk bucket. I've got the vacuum, the bucket, and the cows. I just have to let them calve. 
In the past, I've only milked one for the house. With the others, I've always put them in the stanchion and then turned loose the calves. The calves haven't been picky. They just grab the first available teat and latch on. When the cows are emptied out, I wrestle the calves away and turn the girls back out to pasture. 
It gets kind of tiresome trying to wrestle 10+ calves away so I'm planning on milking with a machine this year and dumping it out into a trough that I'm going to make. I had a guy tell me about one he made once that was a long piece of 12" PVC pipe with a nipple about every 2'. He said it worked real good. Alternatively, I'll just dump the milk into buckets with nipples on them.


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

Here is our setup, the black mats in the front there were replaced with cement, raised it, and graded it so when cleaning, it was easier. The parlor is washed after every milking (hosed out). It also makes for cleaning them each time, if dirty. We use a pressure washer with 100 degree water (Rinnai on demand hot water heater). So yes, very spoiled, and quite clean. Somatic Cell here averages between 70-80k, bacteria is 1000, sometimes less. I might modify the parlor to fit 6, in a couple years. More or less 3 per side, angled to fit 6, would speed up milking some.










Jeff


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

I had to have a chuckle at your photo's - bloody chooks running around. Exactly what my cowshed looks like except that I've also got 3 dogs, a goose, a duck and Pukekoes (swamp hen) to add to the mix.

I've never quite worked out what a stanchion is but from the look of your photo, it is a set-up where the cow puts her head through the gap and there is a bit of timber that can be brought across her neck to hold her there? We don't use that type of thing here and I've really got to learn to post photo's so that I can show you what my set-up it like.

Once I got up to milking 6 cows I gave up on the idea of both hand milking and sharemilking with calves. It became a physical hassle especially when the calves got older and weighed twice as much as me  I now leave them with their mothers for the first 4 days by which time they have had a good start. I milk the cows and feed the calves on calfaterias. I've done the PVC pipe thing; it did work but wasn't very efficient and by the time we had bought everything, it would have been cheaper to have gone out and bought a 10 teat calfateria.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Ronney is this along the lines of what you have in mind for calves?...

www.bradenstart.com locate milkbar feeders.

FrancisMilker- 
I would encourage to use the milkbar feeder over the PVC setup as well, mostly less cleaning difficulties. I like your feed boxes. Keep grain dry up off ground. How do you get minerals to your cows?
I think the next improvement would be to provide some type of stall dividers between cows so they can't swing their butt sideways when you are training new heifers or milking a cow who is owly because she has a scratched or sunburned teat.
Thanks for sharing the Pics


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## john in la (Jul 15, 2005)

francismilker said:


> I had a guy tell me about one he made once that was a long piece of 12" PVC pipe with a nipple about every 2'. He said it worked real good. Alternatively, I'll just dump the milk into buckets with nipples on them.


I would think long and hard before using either of these ideas.
You need something that cleans real easy and has no spots for milk to hide and spoil.
Most people have problems with nipple buckets because they wash it out with out removing the nipple. The bottom of the bucket looks clean but milk gathers where the nipple connects and spoils.


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## Full_Cry (Mar 13, 2007)

francismilker, looks great for us poor ol hairy homeowner/farmers ...good job

JeffNY, how many cows do you folks milk in that lil barn? yrs ago i use to milk in one just like that. We milked 130 hd with a 6 stanchon 3milkers that we'd swing side to side....took for ever

When i got out we were milking in a doulbe 10 Parallel milking parlor
with 20 milkers. Milked around 300 and it took longer to get ready and clean the parlor after milking than it did to milk lol with a rolling herd average around 20,000 lbs

your barn looks very clean congrats to ya


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## Sunraven (Jan 20, 2007)

Nice homemade stanchions Francis. And Jeff, wow, your parlor sparkles! We spray out everyday but we don't scrub down every day so there's always poo splatter stains on the walls. I'll agree with John some on the calf feeding things- I wouldn't like the pvc idea, too hard to clean, also if you use nipple buckets make sure you squeeze your soapy water through the nipple every time or milk will sit in there. It's actually just as easy to teach the calves to eat out of the bucket without a nipple and cleaner, and the buckets can be used for more things. Also you want have as much of the sucking on each other as if you use nipples. Another thing about the buckets, once your calves are drinking their milk good from the bucket go back through and give them water after the milk, then a handful of grain, anything that goes in that bucket they'll eat! When you get closer to weaning time just give them less milk and more water and grain and they'll wean themselves! You won't get much of the crying. 

Here's a photo of one side of the parlor here. I'm glad I don't milk in stanchions! Too hard on the knees.










I'll try to take some better photos later.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Hey JeffNY, I'm jealous lol! When I grow up, I want to have a setup just like that. 
UpNorth, thanks for the link to the milkbar calf feeder. 

I also appreciate all the info on using PVC nipples and bucket feeders. Thanks for the other pics as well. I'd like to have a raised parlor I just can't financially justify it at this time. It's interesting to see how other do it!

By the way, I've got two calves on the ground this morning. Both of the little ones (half Jersey) aren't much bigger than a jackrabbit! I went out to do the morning chores early this morning. After breakfast, I went out to make one last look before morning church service and found the heifer I been fretting over standing over a new bull calf cleaning him off. After church, I came home to one of my 1/2angus 1/2 holstein heifers standing over a new little heifer cleaning her off. I'm pretty happy that neither of these two needed anything from me but to be left alone for awhile to get their business done.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

That's them Up North. I use a brand called Stallion which is very similar and I prefer it as the teats and valve unscrew for easy cleaning. I also have a 10 teat Milk Bar.

Sun, your cowshed took me back a few years....... How many aside is it?

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Ronnie,
I've gotta know...What's a swamp hen??? You've gotta learn how to post pics. I would love to see your place. 

Heather


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## DaleK (Sep 23, 2004)

This is one of our stalls from the back. Every 2nd stall has a waterbowl on the back of the post.










This is from the front. 31 stalls on the right, 31 on the left that you can't see. We keep the cows on the right in a freestall barn, we actually milk 35-55 cows through the stalls on the right depending how many we're milking.
Still working on installing the parlour (double 10 Kipe parallel but it'll be installed with the units swinging)


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

i milk out side on dirt floor in lean too against barn with a head gate and a bucket for feed....


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## Tam319 (Jan 6, 2007)

LMAO My set up is pretty bare bones. I tie her up to a tree in the pasture and milk under the stars. LOL


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

jerzeygurl said:


> i milk out side on dirt floor in lean too against barn with a head gate and a bucket for feed....


Sure is good to have a roof over one's head


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Our big barn burned a couple of weeks ago. I will try to post a picture of the homemade stanchion DH made for me in our small barn. We just milk one or two cows so ours is a small setup also.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

Up North said:


> Sure is good to have a roof over one's head



lol i used to not, the head gate is on the end of the loading shute, i used to milk there, it was hard retraining them to walk to the other side of the gate, i miss the stars


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## JeffNY (Dec 13, 2004)

Not many are milking, and I plan to go no more than 20. I am after the genetics part of things, and would rather concentrate on 20 solid milkers, vs more that could be so so. The barn is being modified again, this time to make things better for me, and for them (keep them cleaner). Going with 100% adjustable stalls, something that can accomidate any size animal, big or small. Also putting in 4 box stalls in the barn, to accomidate those calving, or any other issue. Instead of walking around the barn, they will be able to walk through the center of the barn. One end will fit 18, with the other end fitting 6, so a total of 24 stalls. I plan on turning over some animals, as I improve. So having the ability to keep more than needed, allows me to sell off excess, and keep turning things over. When I get to the point where all 20 are solid animals, then I will turn over the heifers, improving here and there.

The main goal is to sell genetics, sell feed, and ship milk. A three pronged approach, not simply milk. I am after a show barn, and this spring will accomplish a major hurdle. Better presentation as anyone comes in, keep the best animals on that side as they come in, organized look. These steps were taken in the milk house/parlor. Clean walls, clean floor. As far as scrubbing, anyone manures it usually is washed off shortly after. Here is a partial shot of the milk house.










I use silicon milk hose, it takes a long time to wear out, it doesn't harbor bacteria, it can withstand hot temperatures and cold temperatures without loosing structure. Stuff I reccomend to anyone who milks using a machine. It costs more than rubber, but it outlasts rubber significantly.


Jeff


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

JeffNY said:


> Here is our setup, the black mats in the front there were replaced with cement, raised it, and graded it so when cleaning, it was easier. The parlor is washed after every milking (hosed out). It also makes for cleaning them each time, if dirty. We use a pressure washer with 100 degree water (Rinnai on demand hot water heater). So yes, very spoiled, and quite clean. Somatic Cell here averages between 70-80k, bacteria is 1000, sometimes less. I might modify the parlor to fit 6, in a couple years. More or less 3 per side, angled to fit 6, would speed up milking some.
> 
> Jeff


We have some of those same stanchions in our old dairy barn.


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

JeffNY said:


> The main goal is to sell genetics, sell feed, and ship milk. A three pronged approach, not simply milk. Jeff


I think that is a great idea. There is good money in replacement diary heifers


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Sorry, I am not a very good photographer.


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## JulieLou42 (Mar 28, 2005)

Here's my stanchion in the corner of the two-car garage. I have a milking stool I built myself out of some 1"x6" cedar. There are two 3'x3' thick, black rubber mats that hook together for her to stand on that I drag onto the driveway and hose off as needed, sometimes needing to take a stiff brush to them...usually water pressure is sufficient to get manure off...if she soils them at all! [I got them at Home Depot.] There is a small grain box built into it on the other side of the headgate just big enough for her grain. The side and rear of it comes apart for storage when not in use. I did have to put one side rail thru on the right side of it for when I'm milking, so that she keeps her hind end inside of it! The kitchen is upstairs over the garage and accessed via stairs at the back of it, so it's not very far to go.

Overall, I'm pleased with the way it works out.

Because of the calf and my knees, I've not been milking this past winter, but will be pretty soon, when she weans her calf.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Jeff, I'd be frightened to go into yours in case I got it dirty - and as for putting cows in there  

Heather, I promise I will get on to this photo posting thing. A friend has given me some detailed instruction designed for idiots on how to post a photo using Photobucket but I spent today trying to figure out why I can burn files on to a CD using a DVD writer but I can't write anything on to a DVD :shrug: I will try and get some photo's of my swamp hens. They are a native bird and, as their name implies, they live in wetlands. Not a particularly pretty bird with long red legs, dark blue body and red beaks and head shield but quite comical and cheeky. I'm quite flattered than they feel comfortable enough to live around the cowshed and wait for the handful of kibbled maize I throw them. This year they felt confident enough to bring their babies with them and that's a first. They join a possum that has lived in the roof of the feed shed for two years and annually produces a mini-possum, and a Blue Heron that hangs out with my rams. Doesn't sound like a big deal but I get a huge buzz out of the wild life that has chosen to live close to me and my activities.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Bump..................For those who have any updated pics. I've since poured some concrete and changed the wooden feeders from wood to plastic. But not much else has changed. (Other than feed prices.)


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

will have to get some of my new one soon


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We have 24 cows. 10 are milking 2x a day and 2 only at night. The rest are due pretty soon.
We milk in a swing 6 parlor but only half of it is finished. Grain, mineral, and kelp are fed in the parlor.

Here's the cow area








the pit








some girls milking








this is our "free stall area"


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Just a one-cow setup for me.


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## Shygal (May 26, 2003)

linn said:


> Just a one-cow setup for me.


Beautiful cow and calf!


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Thank you, that is my little Dexter, DD and her third calf. DH built a combination garage and milking parlor for my after our barn burned. This picture was taken a couple of years ago.


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## Calfkeeper (Feb 1, 2006)

Francis, I like your setup; very nice.

Here's our setup, just ignore the guy there. :baby04:
There are concrete feedbunks up front, used semi mud flaps in back, to catch the um...splashes, as it were. 
We can milk anywhere from 3-5 at a time, depending on where he closes the front gate. The feed is overhead and he lets it down through a series of pvc pipes and little chutes. I don't have any pics of that though. 
I think we are milking about 42 cows now.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

This is my set up I milk 3 at a time i have the forth stall but just did not think I needed it...I milk 12 cows twicw a day only from Sept to March...I left one end open to let the smell out...I have a very good smeller and I can take the cold better then the cows...Laugh at my holding tank..but thats all it ever does holds the milk till I take it out and feed the calfs...I pour out left overs I have the 500 gallon tank but to hard to clean ..of course I had to use one of those $110 buildings to cover it


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Myers, looks like you're a professional bottle calf raiser and have got it down to a fine art! I like the quanset hut you have for a milking barn.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

BTW the reason the barrel is so high it gravity feeds right into my japanese truck to haul to calfs...I think your right Francis feeding 90 bottle calfs at one time will make you a professional or you will go broke


Wish I had bought a few 100 beef calfs now when they were pulling the babies off broken mouth cows last fall....need a new tractor...wait I bought 2 tractors this year but being a farm never can have to many tractors can you


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

Wow, there are some really nice barns on here. I'm getting barn envy! My isn't nearly as nice. I only have one cow in milk at a time and I milk by hand. I share milk with the calf, so have set up things to work for that.

Here is my poor little 13 x 20 log barn. It was built in the early 1900s and is looking sort of shabby. We put a new roof on it last year and this year it is going to get a new walk-in door, new paint on the big doors, gables and trim, some chinking replaced, and logs refinished. 









Here is the stanchion my dh built for me. The screen at the front is for when I have a calf tied there, the cow can see and smell it but it can't spill her feed everywhere. I tie the calf so it can butt the cow in the belly just behind her front legs, but it can't get back far enough to get in my way or make a mess of my milk. I've done this for more than 20 years with purebred Jerseys, beef cows, Dexters and crossbreds of all kinds. I very, very rarely have trouble getting a cow to let down using this method.









This is our tub and alley, sorting gate, palp cage, squeeze chute, and scales.









This is our loading area. We back the trailer to the corner of the barn and the trailer gate swings over the the fence. The cattle are confined in this small area and it's easy to load them. When unloading, I can put them into 3 different corrals from this spot.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

I'm getting barn envy! My isn't nearly as nice


if you want to trade for mine would be on the road in a minute to pick yours up...that has is one nice museum piece.. would love to have something like that just to set in myself and think about each log and what it took to make it HISTORY THERE


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## barefootflowers (Jun 3, 2010)

Chalk Creek, I think your log barn is a beauty now. I can imagine how great it will look when you are done. Your milking area looks so organized. I'm waiting for my Jersey Annabelle to have her first calf. This will be my first time milking. It's so helpful to be able to see all the pictures of other milker's set ups. Sometimes I have a hard time picturing how it will all go together. I think we can make something similar to what you have- minus the beautiful log cabin look. Did you make your milking stand or did it come that way? It's such a clear lay out that I can actually picture milking in there. Thanks for the inspiration!


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

barefootflowers said:


> Did you make your milking stand or did it come that way? It's such a clear lay out that I can actually picture milking in there. Thanks for the inspiration!


Thanks, my dh gets all the credit, he is an amazing welder. He built it out of heavy pipe years ago to use as a chute before we got our squeeze chute set-up. Once we got that, he stripped it down into what is now the stanchion. I like the bar across as it prevents the cow from stepping over sideways, but it's high enough that it doesn't get in my way. The cow is elevated about 6 inches, which helps my back while milking.


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## Timberline (Feb 7, 2006)

myersfarm said:


> I'm getting barn envy! My isn't nearly as nice
> 
> 
> if you want to trade for mine would be on the road in a minute to pick yours up...that has is one nice museum piece.. would love to have something like that just to set in myself and think about each log and what it took to make it HISTORY THERE


Thanks, I spend a lot of time out there, even when there's no chores to do.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

I thought I was "squared away"....beaten again...Nice place.


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## Highland (May 10, 2002)

I milk 25 cows -- mostly Jerseys.Its a walk thru parlor.When a cow is done I pull the feed bucket out of the way and she walks out.Low budget operation but it works very well.
Ed


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Highland your pics are great! I assume you're grade A with that setup? It looks in working order and very clean. Do you sell to a coop? When I was a kid there was a barn setup like that setting on every quarter section milking 15-30 cows but they slowly went out. Nowadays, if a person wanted to get started the setup would be sufficient but you couldn't talk a coop into doing a pickup unless there was a mega dairy around the corner that they were already on the way to. 

Thanks for the pics and if you get a chance, post some pics with the girls in action. 
Thanks.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Chalk Creek said:


> Wow, there are some really nice barns on here. I'm getting barn envy! My isn't nearly as nice. I only have one cow in milk at a time and I milk by hand. I share milk with the calf, so have set up things to work for that.
> 
> Here is my poor little 13 x 20 log barn. It was built in the early 1900s and is looking sort of shabby. We put a new roof on it last year and this year it is going to get a new walk-in door, new paint on the big doors, gables and trim, some chinking replaced, and logs refinished.
> 
> ...


Absolutely awesome is all I have to say. Once again, you folks from Colorado have a piece of Americana right outside your door anytime you step outside. That's an awesome barn and an awesome view.


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## wannabfishin (Jan 31, 2014)

bumped


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Thanks for the bump I went looking for this thread.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

I see my older pics disappeared due to losing a domain so I'll repost.

On the organic farm we had a home built parlor. UW Wisconsin has some great resources if you are looking to build your own. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/dairymod/milkingcenter/
It was a swing 6 parallel but we only used one side. It had in floor heat where the cows stand but we only kept it warm enough to keep the water from freezing and several days it froze anyway.
Our cows stayed on pasture year round no free stall or bedded pack barn. 



























Currently not farming just homesteading kinda but a couple of years ago I put a tie stall in the garage in case I decide to lose the goats and go with a cow. I have a thick stall mat I put in there.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Sammyd

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I wasn't smart enough to do it on my phone!&#55357;&#56846;


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

somebody else bumped it. but it is nice to look through everyones set ups again.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

I don't think I have any pics of it, but we milk Marianne in the shed where her feed bunk is. We feed her at milking time, so she goes in without any trouble, and has something to keep her busy while I'm milking.

Numb put a loop of chain through the wall, secured to a post outside, and we run the lead from her halter through the ring. That way, when you pull the lead rope, it snubs her up to the ring and the wall, instead of pulling her toward you. This is crucial as she tends to be a bit unruly when she's in heat. :teehee: The rest of the time, she's a perfect angel, and stands quietly to be milked, but every 21 days, look out! 

Of course now that she's bred, that's not an issue. Actually, at the moment, she's dry, so it's REALLY not an issue.


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## domino (Jul 28, 2013)

I would like to see more pictures of your setup please. We have more heifers and need to build a better way of feeding them.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

Bump. This is an oldie but goodie!


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## mulemom (Feb 17, 2013)

francismilker said:


> Here's some pictures of the girls in their stanchions. How do you guys do it? I always looking for ways to improve and could stand room for a lot of it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They look happy and comfortable and it works for you which makes it great.


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