How to Build a Station for Milking a Cow

Simple homemade milking stanchions, or milking stations, are easy to assemble and customize to fit your needs. A good milking stanchion keeps a cow in one place. That way you can milk without worrying about your cow stepping in the milk bucket. Stanchions come in a variety of designs and sizes, but the basic purpose is the same. They catch and hold your cow. If you keep a family cow that you milk by hand, then a homemade stanchion can save you time and money in the milk barn.

Things You'll Need

  • Circular saw
  • Safety goggles
  • 8 boards 4 feet long by 2 inches by 4 inches
  • 2 boards 20 1/2 inches long by 2 inches by 4 inches
  • 6 boards 6 inches long by 2 inches by 4 inches
  • 2 boards 20 1/2 inches long by 2 inches by 4 inches
  • Piece of 1/2-inch-thick plywood, 2 feet by 4 feet
  • 2-foot-long chain
  • 2 1/2-foot chain with clasp on each end
  • Feed pan
  • Wood glue
  • Nails
  • Hammer
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Instructions

  1. Feed Box

    • 1

      Use the circular saw to cut all lumber to the needed length. Always wear safety goggles to keep sawdust and wood chips out of your eyes.

    • 2

      Put wood glue down the length of one 4-foot 2-by-4 on the 2-inch side. Line this up with the 4-foot side of the plywood. This will become the feed box. Flip the two pieces of wood over and nail the 2-by-4 into place using six to eight nails. Repeat on the other 4-foot side.

    • 3

      Form a box by gluing and nailing the two 20 1/2-inch boards to the short ends of the plywood. They should fit snugly in between the two 4-foot boards. Nail the ends of the 4-foot pieces to the ends of the 20 1/2-inch pieces.

    • 4

      Now turn the feed box face down. Take four of the 6-inch-long 2-by-4s and nail them to the four corners of the feed box to form legs. Nail the other two 6-inch boards in the middle of the 4-foot sides of the front and back of the feed box. Six legs will give the milking stanchion more stability.

    Headstall

    • 5

      Set the feed box on its legs with the 4-foot side facing you. Frame the headstall by lining up a 4-foot 2-by-4 with the left front leg of the feed box and nail it into place. Repeat with the right side. Connect the two boards at the top by nailing another 4-foot 2-by-4 crosswise. This is the outer frame.

    • 6

      To make the inner frame and add stability, nail another 4-foot 2-by-4 a foot in from the outer frame boards on both sides. These are the inner frame boards. There should be roughly a 2-foot gap in the center of the milking stanchion.

    • 7

      On the inside of the inner frame boards, measure 2 feet up from the base of the feed box. Mark this spot on both the inner frame boards. Nail one side of the 2-foot chain to each of the inner frame boards at your mark. Make sure the chain is not loose. If it is, remove links to tighten it.

    • 8

      Fasten one end of the chain with the clasps to the center of the first chain. Let the rest of the chain hang loose.

    • 9

      Place the feed pan full of grain in the feed box. Your cow will stick its head into the stanchion to eat the feed. Take the loose end of the chain, wrap it around your cow̵7;s neck, and fasten it to the other chain below. This locks your cow's head into place while you are milking.