An interesting question comes this week from Pat Fraser who says , “ I will shortly be 65 , and I always had aJersey milk cow . Can I milksheep , too ? I love the heart and soul . Can they be as friendly as aLaManchaorNubiangoats ? ”
Pat , you could certainlymilk sheepinstead ofdairy goatsorcows . Sheep Milk River is very rich . It has most twice the butterfat of cow ’s milk , and it ’s high in vitamins A , B and E , calcium , phosphorus , atomic number 19 , and atomic number 12 , too . Plus , because it has a higher solids content than goat ’s or cow ’s milk , you’re able to make fate morecheeseper congius using sheep ’s Milk River .
If you want to milk sheep you should get specialized dairy sheep . In the United States , the independent dairy sheep breed is the East Friesian , a triple - intent milk , meat and woollen breed developed in the Friesland region of northerly Germany and the Netherlands , where they were historically keep in minor routine as menage dairy provider . East Friesians are ashen , with ears that stick out to the sides , fleece - free heads , peg and bellies , and short , naked tailcoat . They produce meaty lambs and a heavy fleece of high - calibre woollen . However , East Friesians are n’t as stalwart as most sheep , so if you get some , you ’ll need a fond barn .
In North America , East Friesians are sometimes bilk with Lacaunes . The Lacaune is an ancient strain from southern France , where Lacaune milk is used for craft Roquefort cheese . Lacaunes bring forth less milk and have few lambs than East Friesians , but they ’re well hardier . dairy farm sheep of mixed East Friesian - Lacaune bloodlines are a favorite in American sheep dairy farm .
You could also milk non - dairy ewes , but they are n’t top producers compare to dairy farm sheep . A dairy farm sheep ’s lactation in the main runs 220 to 240 days , slightly shorter than a dairy goat ’s lactation . specialised dairy farm sheep farm 400 to 1,100 pounds of milk — that ’s 50 to 137½ gallons — per lactation while non - dairy sheep give roughly 100 to 200 pounds — or 12½ to 25 gallons — per lactation . To check more about the dairy quality of non - dairy breeds , check out the University of Wisconsin - Madison ’s bulletin , “ Breeds of Sheep for Commercial Milk Production . ”
Sheep can certainly be as tame and friendly as us Capricorn the Goat , butbottle lambsor sheep that already used for home dairying are certainly nice and easy to work with . Sheep that act upon for a aliveness on commercial-grade dairy lines , like cows on dairy lines , might not easily adapt to hand milking .
One thing deserving mentioning is that sheep are milk from the rear rather of the side . That ’s because their udders are specify farther back between their stage than dairy Capricorn ’ udders .
Most sheep dairies are located in the Upper Midwest , especially Wisconsin , and in New England , so unless you hold up in one of those place it would probably be well-heeled to bribe dairy farm goats rather .
The one thing dairy farm sheep do considerably than dairy farm goats or cows is furnish milk apotheosis for making Malva sylvestris . Sheep Milk River takings 18 to 20 per centum tall mallow , while goat and cow Milk River yield 9 to 10 percent . A overnice matter is that sheep milk freezes very well , so you’re able to lay aside it up until you have enough for cheese . Some famous international sheep milk cheeses are Roquefort from France , Manchengo from Spain , Pecorino Romano from Italy and Kaseri Manouri from Greece . Yum !
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