We have dairy sheep. We use electric fencing to rotate them through the pasture. We also have chickens who free range. Some of the braver chickens go into the fenced area and eat alongside the sheep. As Baymule suggested, adding location and how much land you have to work with and other...
Hi @BrahmerQueen, I have dairy sheep. High % East Friesian with Lacaune and/or Awassi in the mix. Small flock of 3 ewes, 1 ram and 1 wether. I have sold one of the ewes so I'll be down shortly (until they lamb). I also have a deposit on a ewe from a milky Finnsheep line so I'll probably get her...
Training for milking is challenging. It's not like just cuz the breed is for dairy that they are OK with it. Gotta have the headlock on the stand, gotta have grain for them to eat and gotta be ready for the tantrums until they get used to it (which was many months for Dot, less for Louise)...
@Alaskan, funny thing is I'm not young and my kids are grown. But I didn't even know a little homestead was what I really wanted until mid-life and then life kept taking me away from that goal. I'm 63 now and have only had the sheep one year. That's why I got the Simple Pulse machine as my...
@Alaskan, this is about the finest udder/teat conformation I've ever seen. NOT my sheep. Interestingly, although the big dairy breed is East Friesian (EF), usually crossed with Lacaune and/or Awassi, this photo is of a finnsheep from a dairy line. I've got a deposit on a ewe lamb from a...
This is Dot. Her teats are pretty good. About 2" when in lactation. This photo was from her first year (2021) so this year her teats should lengthen just a bit. Her udder was usually bigger but since I lamb share and pulled her off the pasture for a quick picture (this was a few months ago...
Mostly I drink it. Sheep milk is very creamy (far more milk solids) and slightly sweeter than cow milk. I've made greek yogurt, ricotta and mozzarella cheese and kefir. I drink kefir daily. My ewes are dried off at the moment so I'm drinking raw cow milk kefir but the kefir from raw sheep...
Hi @farmerjan and @Baymule , we have a small flock of dairy sheep. East Friesian, Lacaune, Awassi mix. Not in the picture above but ever present are chickens who free roam.