It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN! Dada-da-da! Dada-DA-da-da! Dada-da-da, da-da-da-da-da. (FYI,that took me a full 5 min to figure out.)
Get ready ya’ll. Because today we’re gonna have a competition of epic proportions. That’s right, folks. After thousands of years of milk-drinkin,’ we here at Weed ’em & Reap are going to FINALLY make the decision everybody’s been waiting for.
First, read here to see why we drink raw milk. Now, let’s start with some of the pros and cons of each of the contenders’ milk.
COW
PROS: One of the benefits of cow’s milk is that the cream separates from the liquid. Hence, you get cream. Hence, you get butter. Hence, you get heaven on earth. So yeah, two big thumbs up for that Mrs. Cow. Cow’s milk also is a better milk to “feed the masses.” While I don’t support commercial farms (CAFOs) AT ALL, even small organic, grass fed, raw dairy farms who have only 50 cows can put out a whopping 300 gallons a day. So, another thumbs up to those amazing cows that produce so much milk a day. Also, cow’s milk knocks goat’s milk out of the park in levels of B12 and folate.
CONS: Because the fat globules are bigger (the main reason why the cream separates), cow’s milk is harder to digest. It takes your body about two hours to digest cow’s milk, even if it’s raw. Not too bad, but a far cry from goat milk’s 30 minutes. The 3rd most common allergy for children is cow’s milk, and there are theories for this ranging from leaky gut side effects to a mutation in the beta casein protein in “newer breed” cows like the common Holstein. But no matter what it is, allergies are definitely something to worry about.
GOAT
PROS: Goat’s milk is closest in structure to human milk. The fat globules are smaller, which aids in digestion. In a recent study of infants allergic to cow’s milk found that 69% of them were able to drink goat’s milk with absolutely no allergic reaction! The ease of digestibility is also due to the high amount of medium-chain fatty acids (has 35% compared to cow’s 17%). Goat’s milk also contains less lactose (milk sugars) than cow’s milk, which is great because it helps those who suffer from lactose intolerance. Goat’s milk is slightly alkaline, unlike cow’s milk which is slightly acidic.
CONS: Some people dislike the taste of goat’s milk, and we agree that certain breeds of goats can have musky tasting milk. We own Nigerian Dwarfs, which produce a mild taste that’s almost identical to cow’s milk. The only drawback is that they are small animals. Small animals = less milk. Because we get about 1-2 quarts a day from one goat, we need about 2-3 goats to feed our family of four. Not too bad, but you’d definitely need a lot of Nigerian Dwarfs to “feed the masses.” Read my Guide to Raising and Milking Goats here.
SHEEP
PROS: While there’s some debate on the actual amounts of fat soluble vitamins in sheep’s milk, they still produce the CREAMIEST milk out of these three. Sheep are famous for the deliciously succulent cheeses their milk makes. They are efficient producers, only needing 100% grass (no alfalfa or grain—just cheap grass!) to produce rich milk. Like goats, they also naturally homogenized milk. That means smaller fat globules and more medium-chain fatty acids. This aids in digestion, just like goat’s milk.
CONS: Sheep are naturally prey animals, which means they have difficulty “relaxing” while being milked. Trying to milk a sheep is difficult, because if you scare them even slightly, their bodies will produce adrenaline. This counteracts the “letting down hormone” oxytocin and the subsequent production of milk. Boo.
Next, let’s go over the nutritional facts.
Now let’s do some official taste-testing! Yes, all of it is fresh and raw. Deliciousness.
The girl: COW – “Goodish” GOAT – “Good-ish and Bad-ish” SHEEP – “Awesome”
The boy: COW – “Good” GOAT – “Sweet” SHEEP – “Awesome”
The man: COW – “Good” GOAT – “Good” SHEEP – “Good”
The woman: COW – “Tastes like a hoof” GOAT – “Sweet” SHEEP – “Perfect”
So, which is best?
I’ve thought long and hard over the subject of milk and I’ve come to an official decision for everybody.
Are you ready?
I have no idea. Lolololzzz…. Honestly it just comes down to personal preference.
You’re probably wondering that if sheep’s milk is so superior in nutrition, why it isn’t more popular? I’ll tell ya’ now: I’ve been milking my sheep, Paula for the last month and that animal is a pain in the rain. Sheep are not friendly. And by “not friendly,” I mean “has given me a bloody nose, knocked me flat on my back, and bruised my hands and shins.”
Personally, I prefer goat’s milk because goats are cheap, easy and fun. (Hey sounds like my best friend in high school!)
Seriously though, I attribute the reversal of my son’s asthma to our lovely goat’s milk. The smaller fat globules makes it easier for him to digest. Personally, when I drink goat’s milk I feel like it goes down clear and smooth and light. With cow’s milk, I feel sort of phlegmy and it seems like I am always clearing my throat. I LOVE BUTTER though, so I would still love to have a cow someday (literally) and the benefit of having copious amounts of milk to make tons of butter. Mmmm, butter.
I do love sheep’s milk as well (although Paula’s a brat), and I’d love to get myself a dairy sheep that didn’t hate my guts so I could make some rich cheese. Right now we only have meat sheep, and while you technically can milk them, they aren’t efficient producers and they are basically Satan’s spawn.
I guess overall, there is a benefit to each kind of milk. You’ll just have to decide which works best for you. Above all, I gotta give a shout out for RAW MILK. It is awesome, and nourishing! If you are worried about drinking raw milk or need to search for raw milk in your area, go to Realmilk.com.
After our showdown, which do you choose?
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122229/
https://www.milkfacts.info/Nutrition%20Facts/Nutrient%20Content.htm
This post is a part of…Small Footprint Fridays
Hi Kelly, I know it has been YEARS since you posted this, but it sounds like you are doing EXACTLY what our family would like to do and I would so so appreciate if you emailed me if you see this. Thanks!
Hey! Thanks for this post! I was curious what breed of sheep Paula is???
Thanks
Hi Kaleigh-
The breed is Katahdin.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Sheep and animals don’t hurt another being unless they feel threatened are in pain are sick etc
Try make Paula feel safe comfortable understood and loved
Sheep are just people with fur, different physical bodies
They have emotion intellect etc just like us
Animals are not ours to use
They are gifts we steward honor protect and nurture love
She is feeding you
She is sacred
I only buy dairy from Long Dream Farm or people I know and how they are with their sheep cow or goat
Love your comment…every word you said is true!
Ana
Great article. I love how your personality shows through your writing.
I find that Bovine milk gives my body the nutrition it needs, whereas goat milk does not. When had goat milk products as a staple of my diet for about a year and a half, I had a problem with having a sort of mild incidence white lesion on my lower lip, and it seemed to entirely correlate over that span of time in which I mainly relied on goat cheese and goat milk for my dairy consumption. Since I’ve been all bovine, with fundamental cheese, raw milk, and kefir (pasteurized and raw)…. no more lip lesion.
Please Do a show down even for cow vs baffalo vs goat milk..
I want that information including percentage of phosphorus.calcium, etc!!!
Have tried hard but have been unable to find a way to get sheep’s milk either at a store or delivered.
Hi Christian-
You might try locating someone near you that raises sheep in order to get sheep’s milk. Perhaps look on a CSA website for your area or at farmers markets. It’s not something that is typically sold in stores. Best of luck. Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi Bobbi.
I have tried a few times to figure out how to comment not as a response to a comment to no avail.
I found this page comparing sheep milk to goat and cow milk very interesting because I grew up with goats, have a sis in law who milks a mini Jersey, and myself have been milking sheep for our family for the last 6 years.
Sheep and sheep milk is my all time favorite for many reasons.
I have hair sheep breeds and have some very gentle ewes that are quite productive. I just wanted Danelle to know that while I have had some sheep that are super nervous and reactive (Satan spawn candidates) I have also had some super friendly gentle low key animals that made the wonderful alpine goats I grew up with look evil in comparison. Sheep butter is awesome too!
If Danelle would like to swap notes sometime, I would love to visit.
Hi Jolene-
Thanks for the sheep info. So good to hear that sheep can be gentle and that their milk, butter, etc. is delicious.
Thank you for reading and posting, and I will let DaNelle know!
-Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I live in Napa Valley. The Whole Foods in our area carries locally sourced sheep’s milk. Humboldt Creamery. They have it in small batches when available. As someone who is lactose intolerant and has tried every dairy and none dairy option their is it is worth waiting for between batches!
Hi Sarah-
Good to know! Thanks so much for the information! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
There’s a difference between A1 and A2 milk…A1 milk is from Holstein cows. A2 is from Swiss or Dutch belted cows or Guernsey cows. A2 is easier to digest as it has much smaller molecules than A1 Cows/Holstein, and it doesn’t cause allergenic reactions. I find A2 at a grass fed farm and it’s much better for my body than goat’s milk. Also goat’s milk from farms though raw, they are often fed grain. You really have to visit farms and check them out…Our farm where I live only graze their Dutch Belted cows with hay in winter, and then around December or January, the cows are allowed to rest. If people are getting raw milk in the depths of winter , the farms are over stressing their animals, whether it’s goat, cow’s or sheep. I have found that a lot of milk producer’s are selling raw milk and organic and mixing commercial grain in with their feed…These animals are not grain eaters and should be rested in winter. If one is a vegetarian it is much healthier to have A2 cow milk because of B12 and folate.
I found one near me but she is very strict about timely pickup and if you miss a few she will cut you off. Haha, I’m afraid to start with her for the fear of losing it. My local Sprouts sells sheep yogurt and feta cheese. You may look into that if you can’t get milk. I’m in Northern California so my options may be different.
Great article! I am going to start transitioning my 1 year old to a bit (1-2 glassess) of milk a day as I slowly stop breastfeeding and want to avoid cow milk. In this situation (where taste is my least concern, and I won’t have to be milking anyone personally), would you recommend sheep or goat milk for health benefits? (Or if you would go with cow, would like to know that too!).
Also I guess this was an old post, but sheep, as prey animals, are also more easily stressed when alone. Perhaps if Paula had a buddy she would be easier to deal with.
Hi EC-
If I had my preference I would go for sheep’s milk. Like goats’ milk it is highly digestible, with a milder taste, but most importantly it has a high cream content, containing conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Plus it contains higher levels of B12 and Folate. The only problem is, at least in my area, sheep’s milk is not readily available, but goats’ milk is. Therefore, while I prefer sheep’s milk, goat’s milk is what I can get my hands on and what I grew up on, and it is amazingly delicious and nutritious too! I do also drink cow’s milk (because it works for me), but I only drink raw milk from a producer I know.
I hope that helps answer your questions. Best of luck in transitioning! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Just found this piece while on lunch break, when I decided to look up the sheep’s milk yogurt I was eating vs goat milk yogurt. Your comparisons of the nutritional value of cow, sheep and goat milks was an eye-opener. I LOVE goat milk, but not so much goat yogurt. The sheep yogurt which I’ve only recently tried, is much tastier. I mostly steer clear of cow milk products, but I love butter too. Recently a friend introduced me to goat butter, and it is TASTY! Thanks for the article – old though it is at this point – I enjoyed your writing!
Steer clear… Did anyone else giggle at that? Just me? Ok.
Hey- are you still going to get a miniature A2/A2 jersey?
Hi Ryan-
Nope, no mini jerseys. DaNelle has decided to stick with her Nigerian Dwarf Goats. Thanks! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Great post!
Recently I decided to completely exclude cow milk (not butter and cheese) and stick to kefir/yoghurt or – even better – goat milk for breakfast. Also would like to exclude gluten bread (like my wife does) but love ciabatta too much.
Hi Alex-
I hope your decision to change up your diet works for you! Good luck on everything! Thanks for reading and posting! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Your site is very helpful and the writing style is light and engaging. I enjoyed the milk article.
Great post, thanks for compiling, it has provoked a lot of though…
As I am new to this site, Is the article about raw milks of each ? if not can you specify ?
Is the sheep’s milk similar to goats regards what is stated in the the goats milk: “The goat fat globules are smaller, which aids in digestion. In a recent study of infants allergic to cow’s milk found that 93% of them were able to drink goat’s milk with absolutely no allergic reaction! The ease of digestibility is also due to the high amount of medium-chain fatty acids (has 35% compared to cow’s 17%). Goat’s milk also contains less lactose (milk sugars) than cow’s milk” ?
And if so can you update the sheep’s milk section, thanks
Does anyone know of any raw sheep provider near Nottingham UK ?
Extending to other comparison animal milks would be good, e.g. camel, buffalo, etc…
A similar article on cheese versions would be good, thanks 😉
Hi Steve,
This is the composition regardless of if it is raw or pasteurized, though we do drink raw milk over here:) The cheese article would be a great idea!
DaNelle,
Thanks for the response 🙂
It is said that the nutritional values change after pasteurization, so interesting response, as I would expect some up/down value change ! another potential study article ?
Yes, I look forward to the cheese study article 🙂
Extending your milk comparisons to other milks, e.g. camel, buffalo, etc… would be interesting 🙂
Thanks
Hi Danelle,
Do you know if cold pasteurised milk still counts as raw? Does it lose anything?
Hi Raimond-
Great question! Cold Pasteurization can come in 2 forms, either Pascalization or Food Irradiation. Pascalization is a method of preserving and sterilizing food, using very high pressure. Food Irradiation is a method preserving and sterilizing food using ionizing radiation (this does not make food radioactive). Since both methods slow or stop the action of microorganisms (good or bad) and change they way some of the enzymes operate, they alter the milk. Therefore, while it isn’t as intense as heat or ultra-high temp pasteurization, it still in the end makes the raw milk, not raw anymore. Therefore, if you want to drink 100% raw milk, it needs to not be pasteurized in anyway.
I hope this information helps. Thanks for reading and posting! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
All of the factors on the list will vary according to how animals are fed- in the Weston Price studies of the 1930’s the cattle keeping tribes of Africa kept cattle sheep and goats and drank all their milk raw and were superbly beautiful tall and healthy people. Drinking milk from a goat that may be on a commercial feed or in a poor soil area, we ave to be very careful to ensure our girls get all their nutrients and it makes a huge difference in how the milk tastes. It makes a difference in the nutrients too- for example a cow in a barn not out in the sun, is not going to have good vitamin D levels- a cow on silage is not going to have good vitamin A levels , any animal not on live growing green feed will not have vitamin k2 which is a phenomenally important vitamin called Factor X by Weston Price, there was no distinction between K1 and K2 in the chart above. A deficiency of magnesium causes mastitis, and many other problems. This will affect the milk.
Milk is milk its always white and depend on individual how they take it. In India, people say sheep milk is much healthier but scarce many people in India take camel,s milk. Therefore I say it depend on individual and availability .
It’s NOT always white. If nyou compare my raw goat milk to store cow milk, my goat milk is yellowish. If you compare store cow milk to my raw Cow milk on green pasture , my raw cow milk is YELLLLLOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!. Very obviously so. There are differences. Read The Milk Book by William Douglass III MD. Also, look up free PDF Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price, you will be shown the differences. His Factor X is bright yellow raw cow butter we now know is vitamin K2, look up Chris Kesser’s articles on this. Price had special butter made from high mineral soil areas pastures, (high in Factor X AKA vitamin K2) and watched as he fed this to his patients and saw them physically improve.
Drinking raw camel milk puts you in danger of contracting MERS
Very informative and fun blog to read. Thank so much.
I am now 70. From infancy I suffered from nose bleeds (and bloat) every day and severe asthma. At about 6 years of age my father bought 3 goats. I hated the goats milk and continued to drink copious amounts of raw cows milk from our neighbors dairy. Even developing pimple like lumps on my chest and under my arms. Still drank a lot of cows milk, preferred milk to water.
At 9 years of age, one nose bleed required a blood transfusion
Medical cauterization (burning) the inside of my nose all through my teens only provided temporary relief until the scarring healed (4 to 6 weeks) and the bleeding started again. Nose bleeds became a way of life and stained clothes, particularly in hotter weather.
At 34 a bricklayer told me of his sister who had bad nose bleeds all her life, until an eccentric doctor told her to stop cows milk.
I stopped the cows milk and my nose bleeds stopped. As a cows milk/cheese junky, sure enough I would get a spotty nose and an occasional bleed.
Soy has never excited me. Just the thought of GMO oil and titanium oxide to whiten the soy-juice (E171) has always concerned me, but I drank it because it was there. Recently I discovered my cows milk allergy is bovine protein, a lot of arm-chair strategists insist its the lactose, (I tested pure cows whey protein) … after 70 years experience I know what my body likes and dislikes.
Two years ago at a local farmers market I sampled some raw goats milk. Now I am a convert and have given up the industrial Soy milk, since converting to goats products, no more nose-bleeds .nor bloated feeling.
The asthma stopped the day I left my very dysfunctional parents behind.
What I find frustrating is that no dietitians nor doctors want to know about my experience. I make no claims for “cures” with goats milk (and cheese), but the change has worked for me.
Your story is very interesting and some of it similar to mine. But I had other experiences as well. At 40 years now, woman and used pregnancy pill from 17 until 30.
Before 17 I had lots of nosebleed, acne, red skin. When on pregnancy pills those symptoms disappeared. When I tried to stop the prevention pill I had every time big skin trouble and started again. All this time drinking cows milk. At 30 I decided to stop the pill completely and examined the effect all foods and drinks had on my skin first of all. When I excluded diary products completely I finely got rid of the excessive acnes I had. Before I started to examine all food I ate I was also on antibiotics to control the skinproblem, but that was not an efficient or wanted treatment of my body, so I quitted.
When I stopped the diary products I also understood how my body really work. All my life I had stomach pains and digestion problems, but it was something I always had so I didn’t know I had a problem until I functioned good!
After some years without milk I started to try out sheep and goats milk.
For me the sheep milk is the one which is without problems to me. I can drink it fresh (pasteurized), goats milk I can consume in cheese and so on, but not so well fresh.
I had allergies and asthma but it’s much better without the cows milk. The pregnancy pill I think was the reason my body wasn’t able to give me the signs it should.
Even tests wouldn’t give answers to my problems, but fortunately my doctor encouraged me to do my own study and trust the response of my body. That’s how I came to conclusion. No cows milk, as little as possible of processed foods. Avoiding E stuff. And now if I chew a bubblegum with artificial sweeting I get unwell. When I visit my parents who still uses ready sauces and other processed foods I am with stomach problems for some days. ….
( sorry my English , I don’t live in a englishspeaking country )
Sissel, it’s incredible, it’s like you’ve been describing my own personal story! 🙂 I’m still fighting with acne and digestive issues but feel better than 1 year ago, so I hope to be totally well one day. All the best to you!
We milk 4 sheep and just let them munch on wet beer grains while they milk. They seem to be ok with that! There’s some “dancing” if they run out of the grain. If we can’t give them more (it’s delicious, but fatty!), put an arm behind the front legs and apply a little pressure with it to the chest/stomach area.
Love this!
What a great article. We raise East Friesian and Icelandic Dairy Sheep. Both have excellent milk. My wife’s heart condition has been completely healed from drinking the raw milk. It really is a super-food. You were talking about the difficulty of milking sheep, but we have many sheep who are very easy to hand milk, and they want to be milked, in fact they run to the gate and wait in line – their milking order – and when let out of the gate they run up into the stantion on their own. They are great – which I believe would eliminate any of the “adrenal” effects that you had mentioned. The milk is fantastic. We have been privileged to share it with people who haven’t had a glass of milk in 20 years because of allergies – and guess what – no problems or adverse effects. We have given fresh ice-cream to a man who hadn’t been able to eat any dairy from cows or goats for 30 years- no harmful effects. America needs sheep milk! Europe has used it for millennia.
So true. As a European citizen I have lived in Scandinavia where I consumed lots of cows milk from supermarkets with bad effects(see my response to RusselE) When moving to a remote village in the Mediterranean I introduced my body to real diary products straight from farmers, and yes! Sheeps milk is the best solution also fo me. I started to consume diary products again, from sheep. i guess also that sheep shave an overall better life than the cows so it effects the quality as well as the differences in nutrition.
I’ve been trying to decide on sheep breeds. Icelandic sheep are one of the breeds I’ve been considering. Good information. Thanks
I’m going to have to share your infographic! I hope this year your ewe is friendlier. My sheep with PTSD (line survivor of coyotes attack) this year is so friendly and loves milking time. Seeing her run to the milk stand, hop up and wag her tail brings me so much joy. She seems to even enjoy the warm udder wash: when I skip that step she gets mad and kicks the whole time. I really love my girls. Wish more people were open to trying the milk!
This really warmed my heart, thank you :). I love sheep and their milk. I grew up with sheep and would love to own sheep someday when I can settle on some property.
I help with Border-Leicester sheep and when I saw sheep milk for sale in a store I bought in out of curiosity. It was delicious. My cat sniffed it for about 10 seconds then drank it up too. Thanks for the nutrition chart and info on all the milks, very helpful to have it all in one place. I will have to ask my favourite cheese store for some sheep cheese now.
thanks for the comparison chart. That is helpful. I like visuals 🙂
The author is truly gifted in the writing department. Its so rare to read this quality of written communication online. The information is great too and so well presented. I hope you write every day til your last breath. 🙂
DaNelle, thank you so much for your article. I grew up drinking cow’s milk, but as the years went by I started developing sensitivity to all cow’s dairy. I’m totally fine with sheep and goat cheese and recently tried goat whey protein as alternative to my plant based proteins. I totally loved it. I’ve never tried sheep’s milk, but after reading your article, can’t wait to try it. I live in Los Angeles, so hopefully a coop or farmer’s market will have it. Thanks again.
Have you ever tried water buffalo milk. Don’t know where they sit in comparison to sheep but they have 58% more calcium and 40% more protein and 43% less cholesterol than cows milk and it is easily digestaible for the same reasons as goat and sheep. WB are the second largest supply of milk in the world and are very easy to keep
Buffalo and cows. are both bovine. It took me 34 years to narrow down my dairy problem to bovine *protein* (I even tried Jersey milk, an old fashioned breed) and still had a negative reaction.
Buffalo ice-cream was delicious but I had an almost immediate reaction (about an hour or two).
Most calcium in “milk” is not absorbed by humans and in my case contributed to kidney stones. When I stopped “bovine milk” no stones, started milk again … stones (experimented over years)
Presently I am experimenting with extra hard cows cheese (Pecorino Romano), my theory, based on my allergy to the protein, the protein is in the whey, not the fat, and real cheese is made from the fat.
My theory is that the whey has been removed (greatly reduced) for the v.hard cheese to dry/hard, and to continue my theory soft cheeses contain more whey. How else would “they” make soft cheese other than industrial cheeses that are made by chemists.
58% more calcium: there is more usable calcium in some veges than in milk by weight
40% more protein: bad news for those of us who are allergic to bovine protein
43% less cholesterol: what type of cholesterol? Cholesterol is a huge subject in itself.
At present I am drinking raw goats milk, hard goats cheese (hard doesn’t get lost in a salad or on pasta), and my addiction to old style (cows) cheese with a kick. Taste-buds must be fed too. 😕
Russel E, Pecorino Romano is made from sheep. “Pecorino” means sheep. Did you mean to say hard “cow’s cheese”?
Great article 😀 I will share with you however that your experience with trying to milk your sheep is terribly unfortunate … I’ve been raising sheep for a number of years now and have found these things to be true:
1. I keep my flock small, I name each one of them and all my girls come to me eagerly to be milked.
2. Milking time is almost a love fest with the girls — they love the attention, they vie for being first in the stanchion and they often snuggle their head on my shoulder while I’m milking. Of course, they also love to be scratched and petted and to snuggle even when it isn’t milking time,
3. I raise Dorper sheep, they are hair sheep so no shearing and because they shed out each summer I do not cut (dock) their tails (not necessary because they don’t have the issues that wool sheep do),
4. They are easy keepers, gaining weight quickly on less graze (although I feed my flock Fodder which I grow over my bath tub in my “guest bath” in the hall all year round) so no expensive supplements, alfalfa or exotic hay or feeds,
5. Dorper sheep gain (on average for my flock) almost 18% faster by slaughter time and the meat is more tender and sweeter than any goat meat you can find, (although, again, I feed Fodder, which seems to make a difference),
6. Sheep (at least my Dorpers) are much more docile than goats, (although Barbadoes, another hair breed, LOL they are NOT docile, they are flighty and after 4 years of trying to get the 3 that I raised from babies to settle down, I finally gave up and gave them to a neighbor who just needed something to eat the poison ivy / poison oak out of their 130 acres), goats tend to climb, jump and mangle their way out of even the strongest fences, not sheep … they are usually quite contented to just munch,
7. My sheep don’t smell bad like goats (goats deliberately pee on each others heads 😛 especially the billys) — a friend of mine had goats and while her barn and paddocks were always clean, the goats smelled. Her goats also seemed to filter that “smell” into their milk … I was never able to enjoy goat milk because the flavor (for me) always tasted like goats smell.
8. Sheep will often have twin or triplet births, and will lamb 3 times in 2 years, so for me, keeping the little ewe lambs as either replacements as my ewes age or to sell and the little ram lambs for meat means a better return on my investment, more lambs more often just seems better to me.
Bottom line, I was just sorry to see you had such a hectic experience with trying to milk your sheep 🙂 especially since your family taste test seemed to really love the sheep milk. Best of luck to you and again, thank you for your article!
Wow Kelly, what a wealth of information!! I might contact you when it comes time to milk our (new) sheep!
Hi, I’m considering getting a few milking sheep. I was wondering if you could tell me how much milk you get per milking from you sheep? I understand dairy breeds give more than standard breeds.
Thank you!
You’ll get roughly the same per size of animal, so if you have a 150 lb. sheep, you’ll get about 1-1.5 gallons per day at the peak of milking. That’s if you’re milking twice a day:) If you milk once a day, it’ll be about half that. One thing to also remember is that sheep don’t stay in milk as long as goats. So, they may have milk for about 7 months after freshening (having their babies), while goats can stay for up to 10-12 months after freshening.
I disagree that small goats give less milk than larger ones. I keep a small breed which gives 6 pts of milk a day, Golden Guernsey goats, they are also inclined to be maiden milkers. Protein and fat content is excellent in GG’s, although i doubt it is so good in the similar breed of British Golden!
Whoa! How awesome! I’ve never even heard of Golden Guernsey goats! What does their milk taste like?
Check out this link on some other species. I was looking into using goat milk and goat milk based formula for my son. Fascinating stuff https://ansci.illinois.edu/static/ansc438/Milkcompsynth/milkcomp_table.html
I love the article and would like to add some info as far as sheep go. I have several milking ewes. Three are dairy bred (East Friesian/Lacaune cross) and four are crossbred. None of the crossbred ewes are bottle babies, but two of the dairy girls are. Milking them I know if I would judge them all by my experience with one I would likely have the same opinion expressed in this article – they can be a real pain! But as they get used to it all, the stand, feeling someone touching them, etc., they do very well. I have never had a ewe tense up and not let her milk down. Even the “wild” girls who won’t approach me in pasture stand very well to be milked. Sheep that are worked with are great to milk, just like a first time doe it will take a bit. The crossbred ewes were four and never been milked, within a week they were jumping up on the stand for machine and hand milking. Sheep aren’t the brightest, but they can be trained, and their milk is absolutely outstanding, I would reccommend it to everyone! And trust me I do!
Great advice!
🙂
🙂
Has anyone here ever tried dog, cat, porcupine, horse or chimpanzee milk? Just curious. No reason those wouldn’t be just as “drinkable” by humans compared to the baby-growth mammary secretions of a cow, sheep or goat. It’s obviously all meant for the babies of that particular species (certainly not for post-weened adult humans). Of course, you could just drink almond, rice, soy, cashew or other plant and nut milks, which are widely available, far more environmentally sustainable, nutritionally superior, don’t contain icky blood cells or pus, don’t require any animal use, and are simply less disgusting and, IMHO, taste way better. If you don’t believe me, then I can only assume you’re ready to try some scrumptious dog, cat, porcupine, horse or chimpanzee milk at your next, earliest convenience. Yummers! 🙂
Actually I have tried dog and horse milk, and I love it.
Bob, I don’t know about your family “tree” but my ancestors have been consuming dairy for several millennia and thrived and excelled on it quite “sustainably”. But I support your personal choice to live differently – in fact I encourage it. Eat soy until… well, just eat all the soy you want, Bob. I too once lived on soy milk. Near ten years. Almost killed me. Returning to the cow for me was like being reborn. You’re totally and globally wrong about “sustainability” though. But Big Agriculture loves that you’re so misinformed about mankind “saving the planet” by plowing up perfectly good pastures in favor of large monoculture plantations, GMO franken-foods and “Canola”. fields. Watch an interview on YouTube “The Vegetarian Myth” with Lierre Keith. She does a good job of explaining why you’re quite wrong about the “sustainability” of humans trying to live off planting and eating things that we did not evolve or live on for more than 99% of our existence on Planet Earth. I have milk-drinking in my DNA – for the last 6 or 7 thousand years: It’s called the lactase persistence gene. Should I rebel against my own genetic blueprint?
I eat meat and dairy products but don’t misconstrue that to mean that I “don’t care” about compassionately treating animals or the sustainability of the planet’s ecosystem. Grass-fed, humanely treated animals is the standard that I insist and stake my health on. Those are primary concerns for me – and should be for you. All the more reason why you need to open your eyes and mind and put your thinking cap on.
In answer to your question about dogs, cats, porcupines and chimpanzees, let’s look at each: All are indeed mammals. But dogs and cats are meat-eating predators – not ruminants. And dairying cultures evolved on the milk of the ruminants. Did you not know what a ruminant is? Need I explain evolution? Perhaps I must explain the evolutionary advantage of lactose-tolerance and the earliest dairying cultures and communities? Let me know how much history, anthropology, science and biology you are weak in. But back to porcupines…they are not ruminants either, and damn hard to get a milking bucket under much less willing to stand still for milking. Darn my early ancestors for giving up on porcupines and settling for cow, goat and sheep-herding. Besides which not too many porcupines north of the Alps where my lazy ancestors ended up so the choice of small prickly milking machines never presented itself. Not too many chimps, gorillas, orangutans, etc. up there either. Perhaps your family was closer to the habitats of the chimpanzees and that’s why you mentioned them as a possible source of milk? Otherwise the answer is quite simple: None available and chimps are neither ruminants nor are they vegan – they eat meat. Did you not know that?
LOL, I just glanced up and re-read your line about “nutritionally superior” soy “milk”. I think you should call it what it is: Soy JUICE. Soy “milk” is an insult to cows (and pretty much all mammals). But as I said I support your personal freedom to consume soy, nut, canola juice, whatever you want… Grant others others the same freedom. Really, please know I support you eating soybeans and washing them down with soy juice every day. Good luck with that.
Sorry, Bob – I plum left out the horse…
Not a ruminant… so, you know the deal.
Nevertheless, the Mongolians like mare’s milk, fermented I understand. Speaking of whom, it always cracks me up to hear someone opine how “unhealthy” and “nutritionally inferior” a diet based on saturated animal fat and dairy is. Yes, it practically destroys the health and vitality of a people. Now what feeble and sickly people was it that established the LARGEST contiguous empire in the history of the World?
The Mongols. Food for thought, Bob.
*Slow clap* You’re my favorite person today, Alan.
🙂
Alan, most excellent response. Thank you!
What research shows (contrary to Ancel Keys’ contrived studies which is where all the anti-saturated fat and cholesterol baloney comes from) is that the more saturated fat one consumes, the less likely they are to die from ANY cause.
You can try my nut milk if you’d like Bob.
Hey, very much so out of time, but just stumbled across this when I was looking for the differences between sheep and goat cheeses (did a on-the-fly recipe substitution cause I don’t tend to have sheep cheese laying about, and it worked, but was curious if my “they’re closer in size than a sheep and a cow, ergo the cheese is note similar” logic had any basis in science!). Aaanyway…just wanted to say that I loved the post, very informative and funny, and I hope you get your non-demon sheep some day. 🙂
Great info! I love your website I am getting my first goats in the next couple weeks 🙂
Tooth decay, is goat milk making tooth strong, building and develop with no decay?
Forget to.mention sheep milk makes great ice cream because of fat content and its rich sweet ect. We have local place that makes it in small batches. Its good. Mu son for the past 6 months has been only drinking goat milk. Yes expensive but pays for less gi issues gas, feeling sick, and strange rashes. i was also raised on goat milk as baby as could not have soy, cow, or even breast milk. I can only have sips of goat milk now but do not drink cow. I spend 40 a month on 2 gallons of goat milk. Its $5.50 a quart. I have to say like flavor of goat over cow. I prefer sheep milk ice cream over coconut milk, cow milk, soy, or almond milk based ones. Now i want to try sheep milk and see flavor profile.
Goat milk, sheep milk, and cow milk are all great. Based on chinese dietary therapy, it all depends on your body type. Yin or yang.
I work on a sheep dairy milking a few hundred head of East Friesian/Lacaune ewes and this year we had one lone Suffolk cross ewe as well. Holy crap on the devil spawn thing. We called her Killer! It normally takes the first timers about a week to settle in to the routine and not kick when we hook them up, but Killer never calmed down! She lasted a month, and several good kicks to our stomachs, before we kicked her out and let her dry up.
But the actual dairy breeds are super laid back and calm, easy to work with. We dam-raise, so it’s not from being bottle babies. That’s just the way they are. Just walk on in to the parlor, eat, let us milk no problem, and walk on out.
So I’d have to say the drawback to sheep is not that they are hard to milk, because actual dairy sheep aren’t hard at all, but that their lactation only lasts 180 days on average, as opposed to a goat’s 305. But it does mean you have time to relax in the “off” season!
Found your blog while looking for recipes, very entertaining! We do have a Friesian/Icelandic dairy sheep that my 12 year old daughter milks 2x day. As a family we have raised meat sheep for 50 years but have never officially “milked” anything. As you pointed out sheep are so skittish, but in just a couple days my daughter had this sheep eager to jump on the milk stand and eat her grain while milked. We have never milked our Nigerians because their teats are extra tiny (lawn ornaments anyone?) but I have just purchase a mechanical milker and maybe it will do the job. Now back to finding recipes for this awesome sheep milk!
Love this! I want milking sheep!
Danelle, if you want to milk, but still want meat sheep, maybe consider California Reds. They are a super tri-purpose breed. They are SO much calmer tha.com our other multi purpose sheep! I loved my Finns, but they didn’t need me & they knew it. My reds want to follow me around & live in my pockets. Lean, mild, tender meat, good milky mothers, calm sweet nature, and cream colored fleece with shimmery red-gold guard hairs thru it.
Thanks, Julie! Great advice!
I just wanted to say how I loved your blog post. Especially the photos. We are just about to launch bottled sheep milk in our area and are super excited to find people wh love it!! It’s an amazing milk.
Agree with you! Epic point-of view
I am just about to embark on a week of a “detox” program which includes eliminating all cow’s milk products, but not goat or sheep. However, the book gave no explanation as to why. This definitely sheds some more light on why that is. I have been so hesitant to give up dairy completely because I love cheese, but I was lucky enough to find goat’s milk brie and cheddar. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for the very realistic comparison!
I learned a year ago that I cannot tolerate cow’s milk or any of the cheeses, which I already knew that they made me really gassy and I am allergic to it. A blood test revealed sensitivity (that is what they call it now~) to certain foods. Two things are confusing me. I am allergic to cow’s products and I cannot eat eggs or egg whites or whey. I know that whey is in cow’s milk and I cannot have anything with that without having a reaction, but I am wondering about the goat cheese.
I can drink Goat milk! I was so thrilled! I have not been able to eat cereal with milk, have a soup made with cream or sour cream, etc. wiithout paying for it.
Is there anyone out there that can’t drink cow’s milk or eggs or anything with the whey protein in it and CAN eat the cheese made with goat’s milk? My test did not specify whether I had to stay away from ALLl WHEY or just that made from cow’s milk.
It is funny because lactose was not my biggest problem in the milk. It was the Whey. Also, egg whites and eggs in general put me close to the dangerous side of the chart.
I too cannot eat/ drink anything from a cow or consume egg. I have never tried goat’s milk because I think the cheese tastes like dirty socks…BUT! I did just buy a wonderful large chunk of Sheep feta housed in a wood barrel straight from Greece that is wonderful. I had some today with no problems. I’m now on the hunt for milk ‘of the satan’ aka, sheep 😉
Goat milk is rich benefit
goat milk is similar to human milk contains, does not cause allergies and can help cure various diseases.
https://newgoat.co.id/index.php/site/page/view/about
I like the article and shared it with others. However, I am living proof that meat sheep can be milked and are very docile. I prefer sheep milk over goat and though everyone said it can’t be done (including your article) I milk sheep just fine – they even come to me, when called, to the milking stand. I milk them in order so they anticipate their turn. They do get an all natural herbal treat for coming and this is all it takes. They don’t eat at the stand or get any other coaxing. One clip tie at the neck (no leg ties) and they stand calm and still the whole time. Yes, it can be done! : )
Sheep milk is by far my favorite. I think I made the mistake of not training her first and just jumping in and milking. I should have trained her prior to her freshening.
Your Blog has helped me understand what I want to study in school, thank you DaNelle! I have decided to major in Animal Livestock care. The program I am looking at does not have any classes on goats though… Would you know if it would be better to take a class on sheep or cows? Will also continue to visit, there have been helpful answers to questions here, thanks!
Awesome! I’d probably be more interested in sheep, but that’s just me:)
Ooops, so sorry I got your name wrong. DaNelle that is … 🙂
Thanks Danielle! I’ve been hoping to find this comparison!! Any idea which of the three is best for healing the gut and clearing a chronic skin condition like PSORIASIS?
Hi Kirk,
Sheep & goat’s milk are pretty equal in their digestibility, so I’d go with one of those:)
I’ve recently been adding back in grassfed dairy. I’m tolerating low-temp vat pasteurization cow milk & raw butter very very well. However, I’m shocked I tried raw goat cheese and pasteurized Sheep yogurt this week and they do not agree with me at all. I’m getting raw milk this weekend but I’m not sure if I can drink it out of fear
Where are you getting your data for the fat/protein/etc for sheep? I’ve been researching and am not finding numbers anywhere near those…
Nevermind! Everywhere else I’m finding is doing theirs by percentage or based on 100 grams. Conversion is necessary to compare the numbers. Sorry, I get it now! 🙂
OH my gosh, it took me forever to find that data. It was on a University Agriculture website somewhere.
I really enjoyed this article. Entertaining and informative. I have found good statistics on sheep milk nutrition at https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/97/2?print=true. You may want to check out MayfellFamilyFarms.com as well.
Thank you for this post. It is exactly what I was looking for. To my understanding the A1 – A2 issue is unique to cows and of no concern for sheep or goats. Is that true?
Yes, the A1-A2 mutation is in cows only.
Oh I would love to try any of those! The best I can get here is UHT grain-fed organic cow’s milk or something that’s supposed to be goat’s milk but tastes like carton. Raw milk is illegal in Ohio and it’s tearing me up! I think it should be an undeniable right.
I agree!
Raw milk via herd shares is legal in Ohio. Finding it may not be so easy but worth the effort. Where in Ohio do you live? I know of both cow and goat herd share options within an hour drive of Canton.
Agree Laws against raw Milk Now are Fascist they are Nanny stat ism or are Bought by BIG COW DAIRY hating Competition! the truth is Pasteurized dairy has killed way more people than Raw as ONLY PATHOGENIC Bacteria can survive in It!
Lol- you just need to raise your sheep from bummer lambs. You know the nursery rhyme, everywhere that Mary went? My daily life!! Lizzie won’t even eat her grain unless a family’s member stands next to her for company while she eats!! My Nubian goats aren’t big enough to milk yet, but I can’t wait for raw milk!! Thanks for the charts and graphs, good stuff 🙂
I never eat or drink cow’s milk products, but here in London, UK, I buy Spanish Manchego cheese “made from ewes grazed on the rugged plains of La Mancha” (delicious eaten with a ripe pear) and wonderful Organic Sheep Milk Natural Yoghourt made by Woodlands Dairy Co Ltd in Dorset. I buy both of these in well-known supermarkets as well as a local health shop. I’m very impressed by the comments of all of you who grow your own!
None of the above. I think we should have evolved far enough to see that dairy farming is cruel and to take the milk that is only meant for other’s babies is wrong. There are plenty of alternatives out there. Soya, rice, oat and various nuts. No need for the rape, misery and infanticide of dairy.
BULL ____ God gave us these ANimals to Feed US! there’s no reason for them to exist (certain Species such as Goats Cattle Sheep to do other than become meat and or Be Milked! 😛 you Militant Vegans are out of line here!
I think you’re a little confused about the realities of dairy production. Your ideas obviously come from negative Vegan propaganda and are not in concert with reality. Having been around, and in, dairy farms all my life, i can only say my life should be such a pampered affair as a dairy animal’s is.
You mean the murder that is veganism and vegetarianism. Former deluded vegan here.
Finally living healthily, after twelve years of starvation on plants that never returned enough nutrition to me.
We had dairy goats for many years. Sometimes milking 13 twice a day. I liked the Nubian and the Alpine the best. We had a table top cream separator which we used all the time. That way you have cream to use. We also made cheese. I used a stand for milking and I gave them calf mania while milking. They had a lot of pasture plus alfalfa hay. They are a wonderful animal to have. Never had any problems with taste in the breeds we owned.
If you are looking for a goat dairy herd in your area (USA) look up the American Dairy Goat Association, and go to a dairy goat show. While there talk to the dairy owners and see who is selling the milk. Or you can search for local dairy goat clubs and go to one of their monthly meetings. One thing that I have noticed from raising dairy goats is that each breed’s milk has it’s own flavor profile similar to Holsteins vs Jersey. So if you can, try to taste milk from each of the different breeds for what you like. The Nubians and Lamancha’s seem to have the highest levels of butterfat content. One of the major factors to the palatablity of the milk is what the goats are being fed, ie if you feed them good alfalfa and cob with molasses vs grass. You can make the milk sweeter by putting additional molasses in the drinking water. As an experiment, we fed a couple of goats garlic, and the milk did have a garlic flavor. The other factor in the palatablity of the milk, is how close the females are kept to the billy goats,if they are kept too close to the does, the odor from the billies will be absorbed into the milk. The last thing I would suggest is when looking at the dairies to choose whom you are going to buy from, is where the billies are in relation to the does. The farther away, the better.
I have just managed to get to this post. Excellent stuff. We live on a small (100 acre) farm in NSW Australia and have all three animals -cows, goats, sheep. i have tried my hand at milking the goats and even built a milking stall. Providing they are given pellets, no trouble. The milk is great and again, PROVIDING one milks very cleanly, it stays that way. Contamination from the goat hair (and hence, residual bacteria) produces milk that tastes like an old Billy Goat smells. I intend to get a pair of Anglo-Nubians. Lovely looking, good temperament and good milkers.
Great post. I wish there were more products made with goat and sheep milk here in the US but unfortunately our dairy industry is pretty much all about cows which my doctor has said to stay away from all cow byproducts due to the industry’s corruption of it through GMOs, antibiotics, corn grain, etc that they feed these animals. Dairy wise, the choices are few and far between. It’s virtually impossible to get sour cream made with goat or sheep milk, unless you buy it online from CANADA. Why do other countries do such a better job of providing their citizens with healthier food than us? That’s a rhetorical question, no need to answer. I am on a low carb, and grainless diet and dairy is forbidden unless it’s goat or sheep dairy, like they eat in the Mediterranean. Thank God for at least Greek yogurt. I wish there was Greek sour cream. Drinking milk is way overrated. Always has been due to the milk industry. You can get all the nutrition listed above in other food products that won’t give you the ill effects of milk. The only milk humans really need is their mother’s milk. After that, you just don’t need to drink milk to be healthy as countless people who’ve quit dairy found that their chronic congestion, digestive problems, ear infections, or acne vanished within a few weeks. Almost half of the calories in whole milk come from fat, and nearly all of its carbohydrates come from sugar. Worse yet, the fat in dairy products is every bit as saturated as the fat in beef. On the ethical side, you should know that many dairy cows today are kept in factory farms in cramped stalls. Many of these cows are never allowed to graze outdoors. Although a cow can live twenty years, nearly all commercial dairy cows are sent to slaughter before they turn five, as their milk production can no longer match that of a younger cow. Also modern dairy cows are impregnated each year in order to maximize their milk yields. Unfortunately in the US the dairy industry has very cruel farming practices.
Milk is a very interesting substance in fact I can’t live without it. To be honest though it is probably a crazy obsession I’ve developed with milk. As my romance with my ever so perfect milk develops the more I can’t stand the thought of a day without my oh so precious milk. I used to dislike milk back when I was you my mom would always make me drink it whether I liked it or not. Yet somehow 20 years later I’ve grown madly attached to milk. I liked milk so much I’ve decided to experiment with milk from other species other than the traditional and more widely available cow milk. After a bit of research I believe these are the species of milk that I shall begin with before I move on. As it seems sheep milk appears to be the champion and shall be the one to remain on my table for the days to come. Although it isn’t the only type to exist in the world I am more than grateful it shall be enough till the obsession kicks in and requires that I take a more fowl or different type of milk. I think this obsession has become an addiction. Sort of like the way a drug addict needs stronger drugs every time time to fill their need I believe I need more milk every time.
Goats Milk!!! I raise goats milk and it’s the only milk I can drink (I can use cows for cereal but I don’t like the taste) Goats is the winner and definitley raw!!! Have my own!
I smile when I read posts, sometimes I will even giggle. This time a guffaw (loud, large, and exuberant) was in order. I have the same satan spawn that you do, except Pearl. Pearl actually likes to be milked. I’ve never been able to touch the udder of the other 7 without landing on the ground…..hard.
Now the goats are a different story. They will knock me down in their haste to leap from as far away as they can to the milk stand, skidding into the head stall with mouth open, ready to take the first bite of grain. We have full size Nubians, Alpines, and large mixed breeds. I let my friends raise the vertically challenged with itty-bitty tatas.
Thank you for your post. I agree with you completely and loved the laugh!
Katahdin sheep are not a dairy breed, so if you really wanted to milk sheep, you might have better luck with a Lacaune oe East Friesian. They are bred to be slightly less flightly. Katahdins are bred to be meat producers. Great blog. I loved my goats’ milk and never had any of the “pungent” flavor you discussed. Could just be the individual goat.
We have Katahdin sheep, and have been milking them. We get about 3 cups of milk daily from each sheep, and they are easy milkers. One of them tries to kick the bucket a time or two each milking, but the other is perfectly calm. I think I might put a hobble on the ‘kicker’ to keep her standing still. Other than that, though, we’ve had no problems. Probably the reason why they are so calm is because we’ve interacted with them so much since they were lambs. They are almost like pets! So yes, Katahdins are meat sheep, but they can be milked fairly well. My sheep have never hurt me or anyone else (including my 6yo who helps with the milking).
Have you considered Dexter Cow milk most of it is A2/A2 and natural homogenized just like goat milk.. high in butter fat like jersey milk and produce 11/2 to 3 gallons a day depending on grasses available,they no grain need. They area small family size cow and come in short legged mini, med legged and the tall leg check them out the milk is pure white. https://www.dextercattle.org/
Thank you so much for the post. So informative and entertaining! Elizabeth Davis, thank you very much for you reply and the link to your blog. As a knitter, I am very interested!
Thanks for this post! The hubs and I had this conversation just last week. We seriously want to invest in milk producers, and we weren’t sure which way to go.
so i tried ape milk once and it was the worst type of milk ever!!!
dont ever try ape milk if you go on a vacation they just do that to laugh at you and take you 100 dollars for a sip of milk also to mention it was rather thick
I have raised cows all my life and let me tell you cow milk is the best. If you drink any other milk besides cow milk you are wrong. Cow milk has been proven to provide all the nutritional needs to children. In fact milk is so nutritious and delicious you could survive on it alone. It also tastes better than any other milk in the market period. This whole debate about what milk is better is a pure marketing scheme. They tell you it tastes better and everything then they get you to taste it and you will be like “WOW” until you find out the real deal tastes nothing like it and the milk you tried has a ton of artificial flavorings. Seriously if you can’t afford to own a cow for the milk industry don’t bother. Cow milk is clearly superior no matter what your argument is. I also have to say drinking cow milk straight from the source is one of the best ways to enjoy it. Otherwise the traditional glass of milk with something else is also a good choice. Anyways drink cow milk because it is the best type around.
What type of sheep?
We raise Katahdin Sheep.
we have East Friesian and British Milk Sheep breeds of sheep bred to give lots of milk and very calm and easy to milk !
Thanks for this informative post! I just switched my daughter over to goats milk because she was having digestive issues with cows milk. I’m allergic to cows milk but I still eat butter (I don’t get much of a reaction from it) I do love me some goat cheese and goat yogurt! (homemade)
My infant drinks goat milk & he has grown 6.5 inches in 15 weeks.
-Heather
Goats Milk for me any day thank you very much!! They really are sweet intelligent critters and their milk is delishious!! Have you made yogourt with it yet? I have, it’s easy.
Jacqueline ;—}*
Do you have any data pertaining the amount of casein in each of the milks? I have an allergy to dairy, specifically the casein protein and am having a tough time finding the info I need.
I’ve eliminated dairy and would like to try and introduce sheep or goat cheese, and think I should start with whatever has the least amount of casein first.
I don’t, sorry. I’ll have to do a post on that!
then clearly this article isn’t for you.
Great stance on your part, IMHO. People with self-righteous claims to “truth” can’t really dialogue or learn. That said, this was the most helpful AND humorous post I’ve read on dairy sheep in several years of planning to raise a few. Thanks so much!
I haven’t personally tried sheep, but I would choose goat’s milk over cow’s milk any day! We just picked up a Nubian/Alpine cross mamma and her two 3/4 Nubian doe kids this afternoon. They’re our first dairy goats. I cannot wait to start making our own fresh goat cheeses every week!
We raise Niggies too. And while it takes more of them to get the same amount of milk – the feed to milk ratio is still very good. Generally speaking two Niggies will produce as much as a Nubian. If you have 4 Niggies and one dies you have lost 1/4 of your herd. If you have 2 Nubians and one dies you have lost 1/2 of your herd. So by having Niggies you have spread your risk.
In addtion, their small size means they are easier and safer to handle and transport then larger goats or cows. And that includes the bucks as well.
And when it comes to breeding they come into season year round so you can stagger your breedings so you are never without milk. And their penchant for having multiple kids (twins & triplets are normal) means they readily reproduce themselves, unlike a cow who usually has just a single.
Never tried sheep, but I just might have to consider adding a few to our herd in the future.
sheep, goat then nut mylk..never cow. bleh!
We switched over from dairy goats to dairy sheep last year and my experience has shown me that Eastern Friesian/Lacaune dairy sheep that are reasonably well socialized are as calm as any dairy goat equally socialized. There are plenty of flighty breeds of sheep. But this characteristic has been bred out of dairy sheep. It was easier for me to train our first year freshener dairy sheep on the milk stand than it has been with first year freshener goats. The superior multi-purpose characteristics of dairy sheep (incredible weight gain and better tasting lamb than anything store bought, beautiful wool and great milk) had made dairy sheep the clear winner on our homestead. Plus they are much easier to contain. ShepherdsGlenFarm.com
This is really interesting! Thanks so much for the info, now I shall go stalk your website;)
Me too! 🙂
Elizabeth, we are just now planning to get some dairy sheep, but it’s so hard to find information on milking them as so few people do it in the U.S. DaNelle scared me for a minute with the description of her sheep milking experience… but it has worked well for you??? I’m excited about the super nutritious milk and docile nature of sheep (goats are trouble makers by nature, are they not?). Any advice for me as I begin on this adventure of keeping dairy sheep? How many sheep would you say we need for about 3 gallons of milk/ week? And (I know this is a naïve question..) is it not possible to separate any of that wonderful cream for butter? Thanks for letting me pick your brain!
Thanks DaNelle for your timely post! 🙂
I get my goat’s milk from a lady who METICULOUS about her milking methods and her goats in general. It’s the best tasting milk I’ve ever had. She sells it frozen. The milk goes from the goat, to a stainless steel bucket, through a new filter, to a second stainless steel bucket that is sitting on ice, through a second new filter, to a new milk carton and into the freezer in just a few minutes (she keeps the freezer in the barn next to the milking stand.) The milk is so fresh that after I thaw it, we can drink it for 3-4 weeks and it’s not until the end of the 4th week that it starts to taste just slightly goaty.
Wow, that’s pretty meticulous. With my Nigerians I can just milk into a SS bucket, filter it, and throw it in the fridge.
That’s how I do my Goat milk too, I have some Hair Sheep & Silky Fainting Goats, but I only have one goat (mix breed) that I milk, she’s the best for giving lots of milk, I get about almost 2 cottage cheese containers full from her, I wash off her teats, milk her, filter the milk through coffee filters into a clean container and put directly into the fridge. Though I can’t get my family to try the milk so I’m the only one drinking it along with my cats & dogs once in a while :o) I’m thinking of trying to milk one of my hair sheep, though I know sheep hate it. We are on Facebook at “Heavenly Heart Farm & Mini Petting Zoo”
This post has a lot of good information and I enjoyed your humorous presentation, but it was not as well-written as it could have been if you had just spent some time proofreading it and correcting your mistakes before posting it. That said, I do appreciate the time you took to do all the research. I have a LaMancha goat and love her milk, but we also buy raw cow’s milk ($5.00 a gal.)from a local dairy, because we love that, too. I have experienced the “goaty” taste of others’ raw goat’s milk and my investigative nature led me to conclude that it was caused by either: 1) less than thoroughly clean milking methods and/or equipment 2) breaking the “chain of cold” from milking to final destination 3)having a buck too close to the milking doe 4)the milk is not fresh (a goaty taste develops as the milk ages even if it was sweet and delicious when fresh).
Dear Tricia,
Speaking of proofreading, your response to DaNelle’s blog post is rife with punctuation errors such as missing commas, missing spaces, a lack of a coordinating conjunction to tie the four final phrases of your last sentence together, and a comma placed where none is needed such as before the start of a dependent clause. Luke 6:41 comes to mind.
DaNelle, this is a terrific post and you write well with a good sense of humor and authenticity. Keep on keepin’ on with your writing and your raw milk drinking!
Thanks for sticking up for me Rooni!
Tricia, Sometimes after I write a post and even after proofreading the article, I still have some spelling and punctuation errors. I can’ t be perfect in everything I guess;)
Love this post! You sound like you have a great sense of humor! 🙂 Just today, I was telling my husband you can milk sheep and how good it is for you. Now I can show him this! Thanks!
I am a fan of goats milk to drink and yoghurt, cow’s milk for butter, sheep’s milk is my favorite cheese. But what to do with skimmed cow’s milk – I want to know what people like to do with that? I bake with it and drink it, but any other creative ideas?
we just leave enough cream to keep it drinkable. Everyone loves it.
A feeder hog could consume it.
What to do…? Wha??!!?? I make mozzarella cheese. The advantage of mozzarella, besides being really easy and quick to make, is that is can be eaten immediately – unlike a hard type cheese which must be pressed and aged. But don’t stop there. Save the whey from that mozzarella cheese you just made, reheat it gently, and skim off the best tasting ricotta cheese you have ever had. Then, the leftover whey can be given to the pigs or chickens. If you are looking for milk sheep, you can’t go wrong with the East Freesian. They have a high enough butterfat content, I can skim off some cream for butter and make awesome cheese with the rest.
I don’t think I like that your spawn of satan shares my name… but I forgive you since we agree on goat milk 🙂 Great post! This is my first “visit” to your blog and I enjoyed it immensely!
Sheep! It scored the highest… and your son has the most agreeable face for advertising it.
If your goat milk is bucky tasting there is something wrong. The goat’s diet is deficient in minerals, there is a subclinical case of mastitis or the milk has been improperly handled, which causes breakdown of the fatty acid chains which release caprylic acid. A healthy goat will produce a milk sweeter than a cow every day of the week.
Yes, those could be causes as well. But I’ve tasted clean Nubian milk and it always tastes a bit pungent.
I have nubian goats. The only reason I think you may be getting bucky-tasting milk is because the buck is too close to the does that are in milk. They have to be separated after breeding, because we all know how bad a buck smells, even tho the does love it. We don’t! If they are sharing the same living quarters, or even yards, the milk will be tainted with that awful bucky taste.
This is such a great post! I love the humor and the information! Well researched.
This may very well be one of the greatest blog posts in the history of the Internet. Thank you so much – Educational – and funny – thus I will remember it. Getting printed and going in the binder!
We have had a Jersey cow and now a Nubian goat and I think both milks are delicious! The cow milk is definitely higher in fat and the cream separates nicely for making butter, but my goat is so economic! I can afford to feed her the very best feed!
I like your post overall, but PLEASE stop propagating this nonsense about the “newness” of the Holstein breed potentially being the cause of allergies. The science behind “A1” vs “A2” is incomplete. Read through this excellent slideshow presentation here: https://windsordairy.com/casomorphine.html
I am not “propagating” the theory, I am merely presenting it as just that, a theory. Even the slideshow you linked to says BCM7 is harmful in those with neurological or leaky gut disorders. I want my readers to have all the theories and let them make a judgement based on their personal experiences.
Love goat milk! Unfortunately, it’s so expensive (and pasteurized, boo) that I don’t buy it much. We have access to raw cow milk, but I can’t handle the casein. I need a farm for all of the goats I want! Thanks for the great, informative, and witty post!
There are several small scale goat farms in our area where we get milk, and the price is excellent. They are not listed anywhere, it is sort of word of mouth, but if you find a “listed” goat farm, ask them if they know of others in the area… One in our area specializes in cheese, but they happily refer you to their neighbors for fluid milk.
This is a great post! Thank you!