Make Your Own Milking Stanchion

Image Gallery Reprinted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS.

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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-inch drill bit to bore pilot holes for screws and 11/2-inch wood screws.

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

1. The Stanchion Materials

A. Two 44-inch 1x12s for front
B. Two 48-inch 1x12s for bottom
C. Two 23-inch 1x6s for leg supports
D. One 36-inch 1x8 for seat slide
E. Four 10½-inch 2x4s for legs
F. Two 23-inch 2x4s for slide support
G. One 36-inch 2x4 cut 45 degrees on each end (for brace)
H. One 23-inch 1x4 (top connector)
I. Two 8-inch L-brackets
J. One 6-inch piece of light chain
K. One screw eye, one screw hook

FRONT: Begin with the two 44-inch 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 inches with the top ending at 39 inches. (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 11/2-inch screws. Mount the L-brackets (I) flush with the bottom of front (A) on each outside edge, again using the 11/2-inch 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 1½-inch 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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