[Goatlover]

I’m a dairy goat woman myself! I’m curious as to why you chose sheep…..like what is their milking capacity? Lactation length? You know milk stuff! LOL

[AnnS]

I love sheep cheese; there were ewes available from dairy lines and not a doe to be had when I was looking, so I got a small number of sheep. LOVE the milk in my coffee. Still learning but I was surprised at how much milk such a small animal gave. The one in milk has been dried off and I’m hoping for spring lambs and milking. I find I love Sheep personalities and I find the billy goat we have to be a bit annoying but the ram is pleasant. That said, I am not against adding a couple does since the offspring love their billy. I enjoy cabrito.

[Goatlover]

Since I have miniature dairy goats (Nigerian Dwarf Breed), I get a quart of milk from a doe in the prime of her lactation. That’s a good bit of milk from a 50 pound animal. Later on, the milk will decrease to about a pint, but I’m okay with that as I keep 2 or 3 does lactating at all times and rotate breeding so each girl gets a rest in between pregnancies. My favorite cheese is Chèvre that I coat in crushed herbs from my garden. It’s an easy cheese to make and is so delicious.

[AnnS]

I love soft herbed goat cheese! I’m hoping to make something similar with sheep milk.

Nigerian Dwarf is what I originally intended to have. A friend gave me a buckling and Muffin has matured into a handsome fellow.

My ram smells better and behaves nicer.

[Goatlover]

I knew I had “crossed over” into being a crazy goat lady when I started to LIKE the smell of a buck in rut!

[AnnS]

Wow, that is far gone but I must admit I don’t hate the smell of hogs or horse manure. And I love the smell of the burping cabbages as they ferment into sauerkraut.

[Goatlover]

I just started some Kraut today! LOL

[Abby-Joy]

I’m curious… is there a specific breed of sheep that are considered dairy? Do you raise them strictly on grass like Greg Judy? Or is there a lot of inputs required?

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by  Abby-Joy.

[Goatlover]

As a goat owner, it has been my experience that the flavor of the milk is much better if you give your animals a “sweet feed”. Grass-fed dairy goat milk tastes like grass (yuck!)

[Sojourner]

Back in the day we drank goats milk that grazed in a pasture with bitter weeds. Talk about some yuk tasting milk, that was really gross.

I wonder how many animal lovers will do whatever is required of them to keep and maintain their herds when you must bow down to the beast to get a sack of feed?

Most of my neighbors love their animals so much, I honestly think many of them would choose starvation before they would slaughter an animal for food. Time will tell I reckon.

But they are still paying $34 a square bale here in Arizona for orchard grass. Spending $1000 monthly for a small herd and a few glasses of milk? 🤔

[AnnS]

I’m still learning. I purchased my girls from a dairy so they had production numbers for their dams. I chose three ready to breed for spring, three who will be mature next winter, and one mature gal in milk. Learned a bit about milking by doing one. Dried her off for winter to focus on more infrastructure.

They are grass except I add growth pellets for lactation and babies. My goal is not but I am learning the rotational grazing and my skills so far are unreliable so I supplement with pellets. I’m building a new mineral shaw that will include kelp as a next step.

Goal 1: healthy sheep with babies rotationally grazing and being milked.

Goal 2: phase out inputs.

[AnnS]

I’m using. Ram from Greg Judy. Will hopefully bottle raise some ewe lambs for future dairy and see how the cross does.

[4MFarms]

sweet feed definitely sweetens the flavor

[Bright_Sunday]

https://cowsmo.com/news/niacin-helps-improve-quality-colostrum/

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/feeding-nicotinic-acid-niacin-dairy-cows

https://www.hubbardfeeds.com/species/dairy/dry-cow/opticare/ruminant/niaplus-transition-niacin-supplement

If you know of other sources of rumen-protected niacin (nicotinic acid) available for sale within the USA, please list in the comments.

[ShoshanaB]

What breed are you considering raising for dairy? We raise Blackbelly and Soay currently for meat. Nubians and Lamancha dairy goats for dairy.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by  ShoshanaB.

[AnnS]

My girls are some mix. I’ve forgotten what went into them. I like their milk whatever they are! Later as I get good at this, I may seek a specific breed but not yet.