Dairy Sheep
by Susan Schoenian
sheep101.info
Sheep have been raised for their milk for thousands of years and were milked before cows. The
world's commercial dairy sheep industry is concentrated in Europe and in countries on or near the
Mediterranean Sea. The industry is in its infancy in the United States. There are approximately 100
sheep dairy farms in the U.S. They are concentrated in northwestern Wisconsin and New England.
There are several large sheep dairies in New York and California.
Sheep Milking in Nowy Sącz, Poland
World Milk Production in 2001
Thousand million
liters
As a percentage
494.6
84.6
Buffalo
69.1
11.8
Goat
12.5
2.1
Sheep
7.8
1.3
Other
1.3
0.2
TOTAL
585.3
100
Species
Cow
Source: FAO of the United Nations
Attributes of Sheep (Ewe) Milk
Sheep milk is highly nutritious, richer in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and
magnesium than cow milk. It contains a higher portion of short and medium chain fatty acids,
which have recognized health benefits. For example, short-chain fatty acids have little effect on
cholesterol in humans and make milk easier to digest.
According to a German researcher, sheep milk has more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) -- a cancerfighting, fat-reducing fat --than the milk from pigs, horses, goats, cattle, or humans.
The fat globules in sheep milk are smaller than the fat globules in cow milk, making sheep milk
more easily digested. In addition, sheep milk can be frozen and stored until a sufficient quantity is
available for sale or to make into cheese. Freezing does not affect the cheese-making qualities of
sheep milk.
Sheep milk has a higher solids content than goat or cow milk. As a result, more cheese can be
produced from a gallon of sheep milk. Sheep milk yields 18 to 25 percent cheese, whereas cow and
goat milk only yield 9 to 10 percent.
While sheep produce less milk than goats and much less than cows, sheep milk sells for a
significantly higher price per pound, almost four times the price of cow milk.
Composition of Different Kinds of Milk
Human
Cow
SHEEP
Goat
12.50
12.01
19.30
12.97
Fat (%)
4.38
3.34
7.0
4.14
Protein
1.03
3.29
5.98
3.56
Calcium (mg)
32
119
193
134
Calories (kcal)
70
61
108
69
Solids (%)
Source: The Nutritional Value of Sheep Milk by George F. W. Haenlein
Most of the sheep milk produced in the world is made into cheese. Some of the more famous
cheeses made from sheep milk include: Feta (Greece, Italy, France), Ricotta and Pecorino Romano
(Italy) and Roquefort (France). The U.S. annually imports 75 million pounds of cheese made from
sheep milk. Sheep milk is also made into yogurt and ice cream. Fresh sheep milk is rarely
consumed.
Specialized Dairy Breeds
While ewes of any breed of sheep can be milked, as with other species of livestock, there are
specialized dairy sheep breeds. Worldwide, there are more than two dozen dairy sheep breeds,
though only a couple are available in the U.S. Specialized dairy breeds produce 400 to 1,100
pounds of milk per lactation, whereas the milk production of typical U.S. sheep breeds (raised for
meat and wool) is only 100 to 200 pounds per lactation. The East Friesian breed is the most
common and productive breed of dairy sheep in the world. Their average production is 990 to
1,100 pounds per lactation of 220 to 240 days. Two other highly productive breeds of dairy sheep
are the fat-tailed Awassi and Assaf breeds from Israel. The breed of choice in France is the
Lacaune.
East Friesian Ewe
Awassi Sheep in Kazakhstan
Photo courtesy of Crane Creek
Worldwide, most sheep are milked seasonally by hand. This is because sheep are often raised in
remote areas where no cow could survive. Modern sheep dairies use sophisticated machines for
milking: milking parlors, pipelines, bulk tanks, etc. Ewes are milked once or twice per day.
Hand Milking in Moldova
Milking parlor at University of Wisconsin
Spooner Agricultural Research Station
In the United States, dairy ewes are managed in different ways. On some farms, ewes are not
milked until the lambs are weaned at 30 to 60 days of age. Another system allows lambs to suckle
their dams for 8 to 12 hours per day, after which time they are separated for the night and the
ewes are milked the following morning. Lambs are weaned at 28-30 days and ewes are milked
twice per day thereafter. Maximum milk yield is obtained when lambs are removed from their dam
within 24 hours of birth and raised on artificial milk replacer, as is common in northern Europe
(with the East Friesian breed) and in cow and goat dairies.
Cave for Aging Cheese
Farmstead Cheese
Cheese from the ewe,
milk from the goat,
butter from the cow.
A Spanish proverb
. . New Words . .
Dairy - having to do with milk and milk products.
Lacation - the secretion and yielding of milk by the mammary gland.
Wean - to eliminate mother's milk from the young mammal's diet.
Dam - female parent of an animal, especially domestic livestock.
Cheese - a firm or soft food made from the pressed curd milk.
Aging - to develop a certain quality of ripeness; become mature.
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