How to Milk a Pig

Though typically bread for their meat, pigs also produce potable milk that can be used to produce excellent cheeses and butters, due to its high fat content. The process of milking a pig does not differ much from the process of hand-milking a goat or other medium-sized livestock critter, though pigs tend to have a lot of smallish teats, making the process somewhat more tedious and time-consuming.

Things You'll Need

Milking stand
Milk pail
Fill container
Bleach
Soap
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Sterilize the equipment with which you will milk the big. This includes the pail, fill container and hands. Scrub the equipment thoroughly with a hot, bleach and water mixture, and rinse everything thoroughly. This will prevent bacteria from contaminating the milk.
- 2
  Lead the pig onto a milking stand. Though no company manufactures a milking stand specifically designed for pigs, you can use most goat milking stands, provided the sow doesn't weigh more than 200 pounds.
- 3
  Secure the sow's head to the hitching post with rope at the front of the milking stand. You might also consider placing blinders over the pig's eyes to keep it calm during the procedure. This might be especially helpful if the pig has never been milked before.
- 4
  Wash the sow's teats with warm, soapy water. Do not use bleach or other irritants that could hurt the pig. Rinse and dry her teats with a towel.
- 5
  Pinch the top of one teat tightly with the straight length of your thumb against the lowest knuckle closest to the tip of your index finger. This traps the milk on the inside of the teat, preventing it from squeezing back into the udder when you squeeze the teat.
- 6
  Squeeze the teat with your other fingers while gently pulling down, aiming the teat at the center of the pail. A stream of milk should shoot into the pail.
- 7
  Repeat the milking procedure until the the udder doesn't yield any more milk, alternating between the teats of the sow's udder.