Milking Equipment for a Homestead

There’s certain milking equipment and supplies that you need when you own a homestead dairy animal. Be it a cow, or goat, or even a sheep, you need these essential items to get the job done and keep your milk clean and tasting fresh.

UPDATE: I wrote this post back in 2018 when I first got goats but had 4 years of experience with milking cows. I have now been milking dairy animals on my homestead for over 14 years (mid 2026). I have updated this post as my experience and knowledge has grown and expanded over the years.

Milking supplies for both cows and goats

We have both a family milk cows and dairy goats. Having multiple animals in milk ensures that we can have an one in milk year round as well as make all the dairy goods and even goat’s milk soap.

But, I digress this is about milking equipment, not me geeking out over dairy animals.

Over the years of milking, I’ve settled on the milking supplies that I like to use. Having the proper equipment on hand, is essential to being clean and efficient when milking at home.

While we used to hand milk our cows, we now machine milk and but we still hand milk the goats. Either way, there are still items that you need whether you machine milk or hand milk.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn about the essential milking supplies you need to start or upgrade your home dairy operation.
• Learn why we choose and suggest certain items for milking.
• Get a practical list of items you need for milking your own dairy animals

Top 6 Milking Equipment and Supplies

There are 6 essential items you need to milk. A dairy animal is also a must but I’m assuming you already know that. 😉

1- Glass Jars-

I like to use half gallon glass mason jars for storing our milk. You can use plastic but I’ve found that in glass, milk just stays fresh longer, tastes better, and there’s no risk of leaching chemicals in our milk.

Glass is also very easy to clean and sanitize. I even freeze milk in glass jars. I’m always sure to use wide mouth jars and leave over an inch of head space to prevent jar breakage.

The size of the jars you need is based off of several factors- 1- The type of animal and the volume of milk they produce, most cows will produce gallons at a time vs goats or sheep that will be more likely to produce pints to quarts at a time.

The quantity of jars also depends on how fast you use up your milk, how long you are able to keep it fresh, how mush fridge space you have for milk, and how often you want to wash jars. I personally don’t think there is ever a such thing as too many jars but my family and my storage shelves may disagree with that.

2- Stainless Steel Funnel- 

I love the funnel that I use for my milk. It’s a large stainless steel funnel with a removable little mesh strainer. I like the stainless steel for the same reasons that I like glass for storing milk.

It’s easy to clean and sanitize and it doesn’t leave any off flavors in the milk. I can also use this funnel when I’m canning so it’s a bonus! I like having multi use tools in my life.

A funnel really is a must to prevent spillage. Pouring a large amount of milk from a pail into a jar (even a wide mouth jar) is difficult at best and nealr impossible to do without making a mess if you don’t use a funnel.

3-Straining Cloth, Reusable Filter, Muslin cloths, or Liners– 

In addition to the little mesh strainer, I like to use muslin cloth or a reusable coffee filter to strain my milk into my jars. Having a couple of layers ensures that no debris gets into the final product in the fridge.

When I’m out cows, I like to keep a mesh (food grade) strainer in my large pail for an initial strain before I even bring the milk in the house. All of these strainers may not be 100% necessary but I just like have the assurance that my milk is going to be very clean.

4- Small Stainless Milk Pail- 

Whether I’m milking a cow or a goat, I like to use my small milk pail for milking straight into. It’s easy to hold on to and it’s also less milk at risk for spilling if your animal dances around, kicks, or steps in the bucket.

It also works great for goats because they’re much closer to the ground than a cow. The size of my smaller pail is 2 quarts.

5- Large Stainless Milk Pail- 

A large pail is another essential piece of milking equipment. My large pail holds about 3 gallons of milk.  I like to milk my goats and pour the milk from each goat into the larger pail lined with a mesh strainer.

If I’m milking a cow, I’ll have lots of milk to pour over into the large pail. I could also just use the large pail to milk in to for a cow. Plus, nothing makes you feel more like a legit milk maid than hauling a large pail full of milk around.

6- Udder Balm- 

This is a must to keep your dairy animals happy. No one wants chapped, dry, or cracking teats. I make my own udder balm for our animals. It’s also awesome for your hands.

I make mine with specific essential oils to promote a healthy udder, ward off bacteria, and promote healing in the case of a cut or even mastitis. It also smells wonderful so that’s just a bonus!

Summarized list of milking supplies needed on the homestead

Glass Jars

Stainless Steel Funnels

Proper Strainers

Milk Pails

Udder Balm

Once you have all of these supplies on hand, you’ll be ready to start your home milking journey. As long as you have a dairy animal, that is. I know I’ve said it a million times but milking is my happy place. Having the right milking equipment just makes the job even better.