Every once in awhile we will get a cow that comes into the milking parlor with an uneven udder. No matter how hard you try to position the milking machine properly, it will squawk.

My boss simply grabbed a few metal coat hangers and twisted them so they can now hook onto the bar on one end and milk line hose on the other. This allows us to adjust the machines to different heights as well as angles for better hose support. The machines can be properly positioned, which stops the squawking within seconds.

Not only is it less annoying for us milkers, but the chance of potential cross contamination is reduced, less milking units fall off into possible parlor debris, and cows are milked out faster and more completely. This simple little change took seconds to make, yet saves us time and money every single shift. Plus, who doesn’t have some extra coat hangers laying around?

Katie Rottenberg, Michigan