Newbie to sheep milking question..

[Jeepn_girl]

I have just started milking a first time mother ewe. She is a year and one month old. She lambed twin lambs on Feb. 28th.
I left the twin ewe lambs on her 24/7 for their first week of life. This past Saturday I took the lambs away in the AM to be able to milk their mother in the PM. I think for her being a first time mother and this is her first time being milked, and me my first ewe to have milked (I've milked goats before), we did great.

I strained the milk with a coffee filter Saturday night and all looked fine. I milked her again last night and almost got a full quart jar full. I am hand milking and also using a method we found on YouTube using a 60cc syringe. So while the syringe is working one teat, I am hand milking the other side. And alternating after each syringe - it is not always half full.
After I am done milking, the twins are returned to their mother to nurse until the morning.
Last night when I filtered the milk, I saw that there were tiny little red, well, all I can compare them to is if there were itty bitty bits of red fuzz or something at the bottom of the filter.
I took out Saturday's milk quart and saw that the cream had separated and to me it looked to be very lightly pink.

Now, all I have ever seen was cream colored cream from Jersey cows and almost white colored cream from dairy goats.
Is there something wrong with my ewe?
I have see an ad for a strip cup that showed how it could catch the clots from the beginnings of mastitis, but they looked white in the picture..

Could it be something she's eating? I have her on Orchard Grass and local grass. She gets Sheep 14% grain, and there is a sheep and goat block (no added copper) for them to free choice from. They eat the heck out of those blocks...

I should have taken a picture. But I didn't think of it. If it happens again tonight I will try to get a clear photo of it.
(Can someone tell me how to post photos?)

Danielle

 

[aggieterpkatie]

First off, I would stop using the syringe. I know many people do it, but I don't like that method one bit. It applies constant suction at an un-metered pressure rate, and it can cause damage to the teat orifice. It could be causing the small amount of blood you're seeing in the milk. Constant suction is bad, puslating suction is good. Hand milk, and make sure not to squeeze too much of the udder, and be as gentle as possible. Try that for a few days-week and see if it clears up. Let us know how it works out!