Mike CHS
Herd Master
I love it that Rammy is still here. 
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- Thread starter Baymule
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- #222
Baymule
Herd Master
Me too!I love it that Rammy is still here.
SageHill
Herd Master
Gas on the Rez yesterday - 4.19 .25 less than Costco
Margali
Herd Master
Y'all are enablers! Husband did authorize buying 10 sheep and I've only bought 7. I'm not sure that extends to another species. Anyone have info about milking sheep? 
ETA: I have an UdderlyEazy milker so I think I will try Mocha this weekend.
ETA: I have an UdderlyEazy milker so I think I will try Mocha this weekend.
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Mini Horses
Herd Master
Shorter overall lactation, normally. A little richer milk. Like goats, depends on breed as to quantity, etc.
I've see some khatadins with really nice, big udders. Check yours out! You may just need to train. Surely, you have one still in milk? Try it. Also, FF are smaller first year. Bay had one with a great udder! Couldn't convince her to milk that ewe
. I would have!
Also 7-10 days post kidding, to get past any of the first rich milks produced to get babes started. It isn't what the tru taste would be later.
Of course, if white like sheep, same ears, maybe he wouldn't notice it was a goat.
. Ooops.
@Ridgetop ... You milked any of your sheep?
I've see some khatadins with really nice, big udders. Check yours out! You may just need to train. Surely, you have one still in milk? Try it. Also, FF are smaller first year. Bay had one with a great udder! Couldn't convince her to milk that ewe
. I would have!Also 7-10 days post kidding, to get past any of the first rich milks produced to get babes started. It isn't what the tru taste would be later.
Of course, if white like sheep, same ears, maybe he wouldn't notice it was a goat.
. Ooops.@Ridgetop ... You milked any of your sheep?
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Ridgetop
Herd Master
Yes, I have milked a Dorset ewe that was gentle with a huge udder. Needed sheep milk for a bottle baby. But since at that time we had milk goats, didn't use it for the house. I also milked out a ewe that lost her lamb and froze the colostrum for emergencies. I don't know about the flavor or yield. I wouldn't think the yield would be enough since you would have to feed the lambs too. Teats on sheep are much smaller since you don't want long teats on sheep. Sheep have less leg height on them to accomodate longer teats on large udders. Dairy animas have been bred for ease of milking while the majority of sheep breeds have been bred for just enough teat to nurse lambs.
If you are an experienced milker ewes would not be much more difficult than a FF with small teats. However, if I were milking for house milk and had children I would have dairy goats again. Long lactations (10 months), much more yield, easy miking once trained to the stand, and we like the flavor. Also, since goat kids are bringing as much or more than lambs these days, the kids could be sold at a couple months for more $$ than the lambs. The drawback for me since I breed my White Dorpers to lamb every 9 months would be the annual only kidding. But then you have a year of milk production with the dairy goats so it would be a push moneywise.
There is the labor factor with milking but since Margali has children they could take over the milking eventually. My 4 older children milked from the age of 8 years old. By the time they were in Junior High DS2 was milking 12 - 18 does am and pm, and DS3 was doing the feeding chores and bucket feeding kids and calves.* We eventually got a small milking machine when DS2 was in high school, but DS2 did all the miking except for the week they were at 4-H camp when DH took vacation time and stayed home to do all the chores. I had to go to camp with the kids because I ran the camp store.
*They also were very active in 4-H, kept up their grades, and were active in after school sports. Having so much to do chore wise kept them busy and we never had our kids haunting the malls or park getting up to trouble.
If you are an experienced milker ewes would not be much more difficult than a FF with small teats. However, if I were milking for house milk and had children I would have dairy goats again. Long lactations (10 months), much more yield, easy miking once trained to the stand, and we like the flavor. Also, since goat kids are bringing as much or more than lambs these days, the kids could be sold at a couple months for more $$ than the lambs. The drawback for me since I breed my White Dorpers to lamb every 9 months would be the annual only kidding. But then you have a year of milk production with the dairy goats so it would be a push moneywise.
There is the labor factor with milking but since Margali has children they could take over the milking eventually. My 4 older children milked from the age of 8 years old. By the time they were in Junior High DS2 was milking 12 - 18 does am and pm, and DS3 was doing the feeding chores and bucket feeding kids and calves.* We eventually got a small milking machine when DS2 was in high school, but DS2 did all the miking except for the week they were at 4-H camp when DH took vacation time and stayed home to do all the chores. I had to go to camp with the kids because I ran the camp store.
*They also were very active in 4-H, kept up their grades, and were active in after school sports. Having so much to do chore wise kept them busy and we never had our kids haunting the malls or park getting up to trouble.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
The important thing about a dairy goat is that she will produce milk for the table for 10 months (you dry her off for the 2 months before she kids again) which will save you grocery money. Her kids will bring $$ at the auction or private sale, and if Margali gets a nice registered dairy doe Margali's daughter can show her in Fairs.Y'all are enablers! Husband did authorize buying 10 sheep and I've only bought 7. I'm not sure that extends to another species. Anyone have info about milking sheep?
I think it would be a win-win situation.
- Thread starter
- #228
Baymule
Herd Master
And you can freeze milk, flat, in ziplock bags.
- Thread starter
- #229
Baymule
Herd Master
I DID milk that ewe for colostrum one time. It was a Wild West rodeo! That was Miranda. On the same day I milked her daughter, Eve, for colostrum. Another Wild West rodeo. Both had triplets the same night. Eve rejected one of hers, that is Panda the wether, @Margali has him now. Miranda’s smallest, weakest triplet was too weak to suck. Both became bottle babies, Tiny later joined her sisters and is with Cooper now.Shorter overall lactation, normally. A little richer milk. Like goats, depends on breed as to quantity, etc.
I've see some khatadins with really nice, big udders. Check yours out! You may just need to train. Surely, you have one still in milk? Try it. Also, FF are smaller first year. Bay had one with a great udder! Couldn't convince her to milk that ewe
Also 7-10 days post kidding, to get past any of the first rich milks produced to get babes started. It isn't what the tru taste would be later.
Of course, if white like sheep, same ears, maybe he wouldn't notice it was a goat.
@Ridgetop ... You milked any of your sheep?
Eve is due Friday and here’s udder shots!
Mike CHS
Herd Master
That is definitely some interesting marking
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