Loving the milk!

halfacrehomesteader

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Just thought I would put this out here in case anyone was curious about milk a katahdin. They are generally not for milking but it was the best breed for our family and I wanted some fresh milk. I was curious though what it would taste like. I heard mixed opinions on the taste. When I gave it a test try I sampled the milk and was not a fan. I wasnt going to give up though 😁. Turns out I was not wiping the utters enough especially since they hadn't really been wiped before. After plenty of times being washed and I mean I wipe them really well the sheep taste isn't in the milk anymore and........it's delicious! I like it more than cows milk. I 100% grass feed which I have heard helps with the flavor but other than that just have to make sure you get all of the oils off. I don't get a whole lot but it's something. I have 2 sheep and will get a half gallon a week. We don't use much more than that anyway. So if you have thought about trying it then give it a go!
 

Mini Horses

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Washing well - sheep have lanolin! My goats don't -
and chilling fast...makes all the difference. 😊 Some katahdins have really nice udders & do well milking.

Use what you have on the farm 👍👍. If you get enough, try cheese.
 
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Mini Horses

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I'm back to milking my dairy goats after pulling kids. Just had a cold glass a little while ago. Had milked and put jar into freezer to fast chill. Plenty in frig to drink.

Yours will produce more with subsequent lambing & your milking her. Enjoy it. Makes great cheese easily.
 
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Are you milking by hand? I've got Katahdins as well, thinking about giving it a go next year. They're friendly enough to train to milk, but I'm not sure how easy they'll be to milk by hand. Their teats are smaller than goats, and I'm not a pro at milking goats either
 
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