Milking Sheep + My Daily Milking Routine 🐑 || How we Lamb Share for Easy Milking!

#milksheep #howtomilksheep #lambsharing
Hi friends!
Owning a dairy animal is no doubt a big responsibility, but I have found that it's also one of the most rewarding on the homestead.
Come hang out with me this morning as I take you along my morning routine of milking my Katahdin Ewe "Delilah."
As some of you may remember, we bought her just a few short months ago and when we brought her home, she was completely unruly, untamed & most definitely not willing to get in a milk stand! LOL.
Well, consistency and a whole lot of persistence paid off. Delilah hops up in that milk stand every morning now & shares a pint of her delicious, sweet & creamy milk with us...all the while her precious lil lambs stand by waiting for their turn!
Everyone milks their dairy animal a little differently, but here's how we do it on our lil homestead!
Here's my recipe for homemade udder balm that I make for Delilah:
1) 1/2 oz beeswax (You can buy here) geni.us/8iN9 (Amazon)
2) 1 oz shea butter (You can buy here) geni.us/u2db (Amazon)
3) 1TBS raw honey
4) 1 oz coconut oil (expeller pressed, the kind that doesn't smell like coconuts) (You can buy here) geni.us/2TDgO (Amazon)
5) 10 drops vitamin E oil (you can buy here) geni.us/XQN5p (Amazon)
6) 10 drops melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil
7) 10 drops lavender essential oil
***I buy my essential oils at wholesale price with Doterra. Click here to get yours too!
www.doterra.co...
Here's how to make it:
1) In a double boiler...fill a saucepan 1/2 way full with water & place a glass measuring cup inside.
2) Melt the beeswax in the double boiler over medium heat.
3) Once the beeswax is melted, add in the shea butter, vitamin E oil, coconut oil & raw honey.
4) Allow everything to melt together & then turn off the heat.
5) Add the essential oils.
6) Quickly poor your udder salve into a small glass jar. Allow it to cool & then put a lid on it. It will keep for up to 1 year!
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AMAZON LINKS FOR KZbin EQUIPMENT I USE:
Camera equipment: Canon rebel EOS SL2 camera & video recorder: geni.us/Mn3W (Amazon)
Rode microphone: geni.us/lZcAP (Amazon) Microphone wind buff: geni.us/jG1on0 (Amazon)
Mini tripod stand with flexible legs: geni.us/aZYD4h (Amazon)
Easy clip on lapel microphone: geni.us/H5AQfMX (Amazon)
60" tripod stand: geni.us/J8Q54fO (Amazon)
USB battery charger with 2 extra batteries: geni.us/FeRh9x (Amazon)
128GB SD card: geni.us/9gsIszq (Amazon)
Apple mac book air 13.3": geni.us/Z2ZIj (Amazon)
Macbook air USB adapter: geni.us/zAlBZHx (Amazon)
Hard drive 4TB: geni.us/APR0HAA (Amazon)
700W professional soft box lights (2): geni.us/REMCOc (Amazon)
Ruko F11Gim drone with camera: geni.us/8NLa (Amazon)
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases (at no additional cost to you). I ONLY endorse products that I personally use & love!

[@lorinash4772]

I can't believe I've never thought to do this have always said need a milking cow & be totally self efficient. All this time I've had our sheep so will try this next lambing season. Using the old milking shed that was on farm when we moved here.

[@Selahsmum]

so cute seeing the babies get in there. Their little tails wagging they looked like puppies! :) Thanks for sharing.

[@pauleaton6908]

Brilliant video thanks, hope my son grows up to be as good with our sheep as your lad is, it's a joy to whatch all you guys at work together.

[@MelissaBeesHomestead]

This is a GREAT video! Thank you. We are picking up our first dairy sheep this weekend!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Yay how exciting!!!👏🏻

[@jessicaduffield1899]

How's it going so far?

[@davebanman912]

I sure enjoyed watching this video. We just started milking our sheep a few weeks ago and it's a learning curve. 😊

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Absolutely! If you look at our most recent videos, we’ve moved to Alaska and JUST got a new flock of sheep yesterday…bringing them home video coming up this wk! Excited to start milking again. This time we got Icelandic/Shetland mix.

[@davebanman912]

@@HomeFreeAlaska Are you familiar with the East Friesian breed?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@davebanman912 I am. But they’re very hard to get here in Alaska.☺️

[@davebanman912]

@Home Free Alaska Okay, well that is what we have, and now I was just wondering if the breed you have would be better. But that makes sense.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@davebanman912 well to be honest, I’d prefer the Friesian as they’re a true dairy breed. But I figure if I successfully milked Katahdins, I could milk anything haha! We chose wool sheep this time due to our cold weather in the winters.

[@WomenLivingTorah]

Thank you for showing the step by step! We have a small herd of Katahdin ewes (3 adults, 2 yearlings, and 3 lambs), and we’re hoping to begin milking them this next lambing season. (So far, we’ve just used our sheep for meat.) 😃 Your video was very well done and informational! Thank you! 😊

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

You're so welcome! I couldn't find anything on KZbin about milking Katahdins, especially untamed ones lol. I thought well, since I'm going to be working with her anyway, might as well share with others what's working for us. :) Thank you so much for joining me! :)

[@arnljot9030]

The East Friesian is a better option if you want sheepmilk. A dairy goat could also be an option :)

[@HollysHobbyHomestead]

I am thinking of getting sheep and found your video searching information on sheep milk. The main reason was for wool but was wondering on using sheep milk. Thank you for posting this video. Very helpful!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Wonderful, glad it was helpful! Sheep milk is delicious, you'll love it. Thanks for watching my video!

[@inertproductionsalternate9114]

The lambs are sure talkative. I've been trying to get my Dad to get sheep instead of goats but he has his mind set on goats. I don't have land of my own but I hope to get sheep in the future. Thanks for the video.

[@leonardomendoza9910]

Greetings from Peru i have never seen so beautiful rutine in your farm of sheep and another kind of animal greetings for you

[@leonidas0242]

Why not get both?

[@LeoTheYuty]

@@leonidas0242 Literally have the same purpose but different needs.

[@ForeverandAwaysLiv]

i used to have a ton of goats but we moved they were great had a really good dairy production we also showed them at goat shows

[@muzooraanthony6069]

Wish u well ...

[@Maracachafo-ln7ws]

Great !!! I want to do it too. Thank you for sharing. Nothing better than having little helpers !!!!

[@annekendziora9114]

im really wanting a dairy sheep so this was really helpful!

[@jayjeriweaver891]

there is so little info on milking sheep on youtube. I'm hoping to get some Icelandic sheep for fibre and milk in the near future, it'll be hard to find some in my area. sheep's are underappreciated.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

I totally agree with you! And the sheep milk, in my opinion taste the best! :) I had a hard time finding my Katahdin sheep as well!

[@entrepreneurialadventures760]

You don't really have to worry about training the Icelandics... I had them for years and I bought them from someone who did nothing with them and then bred them back and I milked from the first lambing on... Even the yearlings were naturals at it...the oldest one (she was 5 years old when I bought her and had never been milked or even messed with as they were pasture sheep only) was by far the best I had she'd see me walk into the barn with a bucket and would automatically start squatting no grain or stantion needed... She would get kinda Moody somedays though and try to convince you that she needed milking in between sessions in the pasture during the day and hop the fence back into the barn again... That's really the only bad thing that I can say about Icelandics... They are major jumpers I would suggest either a 6 foot fence or tether grazing during the day

[@Root_and_Fleurish_Farm]

I’m so glad to find this! We have goats but I’ve been wanting to get into sheep for their milk to make cheese! I was wondering if they were similar to handle on the stand. New subscriber! I’ll have to watch more of your videos :)

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Hi! So glad you're here. They're just like handling goats in the stand! Nothing to it! Thanks so much for subscribing :)

[@alittlemorefour5512]

Same here! Love my goats and am wanting to try sheep! I would even like to try camel, if I had enough acreage:)

[@mnoi6788]

​@@alittlemorefour5512believe me camel milk is the best in the world

[@wendykruk1288]

So glad I found this!

[@FulbrightFarmstead]

We just recently brought home dairy ewes. I'm not new to dairy animals but milking sheep will be a new adventure!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Awesome!!! Their milk is fabulous!

[@FulbrightFarmstead]

@@HomeFreeAlaska I can't wait to try it!

[@allengordon6929]

Your sheep are adorable and friendly :)

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Thanks so much Allen! Cheers! 😊

[@zapzpzee]

Thanks for posting the balm recipe!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

My pleasure 😊

[@vickiotmani]

This is so wonderful!!! Thank you for this info! We’re looking to get milk sheep and finding good info is tough. Thanks again!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Glad it was helpful!☺️

[@micheymi5949]

Thank you so much for this video! Will be getting sheep soon and this was super helpful :)

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Yay! You’re very welcome! I LOVE a sheep milk & if we get another dairy animal once we get to Alaska, it will be another sheep! 😊

[@itsoktoberight4431]

So cute, when she nudges their bums they wag their tales 😄

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Aren't they precious? She's a good mama! :)

[@JIMBO8472]

Is good bonding between owner and animal.

[@CameronBW2000]

Your sheep Delilah is gorgeous

[@catherinemann3378]

I would give lambs warmed formula in buckets before milking. Water and hay nice overnight...but for sense of regular day access buckets with some formula...to me ... could help their fasted "milk" needs from the day before. I am a milk drinker, so understand craving milk. Lambs could feed from mother after having some formula already. Love idea of the higher nutrition in sheeps milk. Nice for aged cheese. Also grazers help create humus, good soil health...stimulates root tips dropping carbon into ground. Helps keep green grass and carbon capture to reduce pressure on atmosphere.

[@chanwittwer4925]

What breed of sheep is Delilah? How much milk do you get from each milking? Do you plan to train her lambs to be milkers if they are ewes? I know this is alot of questions but I've never milked sheep, just 🐐 Thanks for your patience and making this video.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Hi! Delilah was a Katahdin sheep. I got a pint of milk a day from her. We have since sold our farm in VA & moved to our forever homestead in Alaska. We now have a flock of Icelandic/Shetland sheep for dairy & meat. Follow along as our ewes are due to lamb this coming spring & we’ll start milking!☺️

[@YoursTrulyKarissa]

thank you for all this awesome info!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

You are so welcome!

[@ncmountainmama7350]

I love the stanchion & your milking set up...getting a milk cow soon! 😊

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Thank you! That is awesome! LOVE fresh milk, nothin’ like it. 😉

[@vooligan9499]

No such thing as a milk cow, only a mother cow. Drink oat milk, you're a human, not a calf.

[@rebeccazody1278]

I really like you milking into cheese cloth. Great video

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@NATOSucks-lv4zj]

Sheep's milk and meat is rich in healthy easily digestible fat, perfect for those in cold weather and also suffer from heart disease.

[@imaslowlerner]

Really nice milking stand. Do you have a video on how you made it? Thanks.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Hi there! Check this video out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2K2f52catGCprM We filmed making the stand, I don’t think we showed measurements etc., but it’ll give you the basics of how we did it! 😊

[@NATOSucks-lv4zj]

Castile soap is the best and only soap/cleaning product you need.

[@suzannebaxter5629]

Never had sheep's milk. Thank you for sharing.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

You’re welcome! It’s fabulous! 😊 I’m considering getting a dairy sheep for the Alaska homestead once we get settled. They’re so easy to manage!

[@mamaolakitchen2726]

Thank you for a nice lesson on how to milk your sheep. I have similar kind and I am wondering for how many months you were able to milk her?

[@mamaolakitchen2726]

like Katahdin cross Dorper

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

We milk for about 5-6 months out of the year.

[@mamaolakitchen2726]

Thank you!

[@drakerichardson3162]

If you don’t mind me asking, how much land do you have for your sheep/chickens? Love what you have going there!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

A year ago we moved to a 15 acre parcel in Alaska. But this video was filmed when we lived on a 1 acre homestead in Virginia.☺️

[@UBoobTube]

Great video thank you 🙏 What feed mix do you use during milking?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

It’s just an oats & barley mix. Sometimes I’ll throw some alfalfa pellets in there.😊

[@critter4662]

As a 3 person family (all adults) who can easily put down 2-3 gallons of milk in a week and a half do you recommend a dairy sheep or should I stick with a cow? The 2 gallons is just drinking alone and the 3rd gallon is for cooking usually.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Depending on the cow, she will give you 10-14 gallons per week. That's a lot of milk. When I had a jersey cow, I couldn't keep up & I was doing all the things; yogurt, cheeses, butter etc. I get a pint to a quart a day from my sheep. Maybe get a couple milking sheep. Two sheep, you double the milk you'll get. It's totally personal preference, I just know for our family...we couldn't keep up with the milk from a cow. But then again, you don't necessarily have to milk EVERY day. If she's got a calf, leave the calf in 24 hours with her on the days you don't feel like or don't need milk. That way the calf will take care of the milk for you. If you aren't familiar, look up "calf sharing." The concept is brilliant and we started doing this at the end with our cow before we sold her & this is now what we do with our sheep. Best wishes!

[@paolacheong]

Our sheep rejected babies, so we are bottle feeding lambs as well as trying to get them together by holding her and do she lets the babies feed. So while doing that we milked the sheep. She was fine!

[@amyyourkvitch9136]

Very nice video

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Thank you Amy! Lovin' these sweet sheep!

[@rrbb36]

Oh how I WISH we only went through a pint a day 😘

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Haha. I understand. We have a very small family! 😊

[@rrbb36]

@@HomeFreeAlaska So do we… we ( I ) just really LOVE milk and cheese! LOL

[@rrbb36]

@@HomeFreeAlaska btw I’ve never trained or milked sheep before, but I have done a lot of horse and dog training.. .so, thanks to your wonderful example combined with my current skill set, I’m sure I’ll manage just fine. ty. Grace and peace.

[@davidharrison9975]

A beautiful video. How long after the lambs are born before you start milking?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

I give them about 1-2 wks with mama before we start.😊

[@davidharrison9975]

@@HomeFreeAlaska thanks. Mine are almost a week old so I had better get building my milking stand.

[@user-wq2ws8lt1y]

I would love to hear more about the taste of the milk! Do different breed sheep have different flavor milk? Ive had goats milk and wasnt a fan of the goaty taste :/ When looking at meat sheep kathadin look like a great option but are they known for milk also? Thank you for the info!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Hello! Katahdins are a great meat breed they also have delicious milk. That is the breed I’m milking in this video. We’ve since moved to Alaska & we have a new flock of Icelandic/Shetland cross sheep that we plan to milk just like this and also raise up the lambs for meat. None of these breeds are “milk breeds,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t milk them and that their milk isn’t delicious because it is! Creamy and sweet, better than cows milk. I’m not sure about other breeds as these are the only ones we’ve ever owned.😊

[@braxenaeurasiers]

Thank you for this! May I ask why you used cheesecloth over the pint jar that the milk was being squeezed into? Thank you!!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Just to keep debris from falling into the milk.☺️ That way when I take it inside, I can take that clothe off & put a lid on the jar & stick it straight into the fridge. No need to filter the milk at all.😉

[@braxenaeurasiers]

@@HomeFreeAlaska Brilliant, thank you!! I am researching sheep now for our farmstead we want to start in Hawaii big island! ;-)

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@braxenaeurasiers yay! Best wishes!❤️

[@jenniferfoley3248]

Thanks for sharing. How much time to do you spend milking to obtain a pint?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Altogether the whole evolution, getting her into the stand etc…I spend about 30-45 minutes. But the actual milking takes about 15 minutes or so. 😊

[@stepho9999]

Do you process your sheep for the freezer

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

That's the plan. We haven't yet as these we were keeping for milkers :)

[@HowToDIYRc]

Question what sheep breads are good for milking and meat? That doesn't need shaving the coat / wol

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Well the standard dairy breed is an East Friesian, but they grow wool. We like Katahdins & Barbados breed. They are hair sheep, which means they do not need to be sheared. They’re great for meat & in this video I’m milking our Katahdin. Their teats aren’t as big as a Friesian, but their milk is delicious! I would get about a pint a day which was great for our small family!

[@HowToDIYRc]

@@HomeFreeAlaska thank you this helps me a lot in trying to find the best sheep for me

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@HowToDIYRc sure anytime! I’m used to milking a cow so it was an adjustment to milk a sheep with such small teats. lol. But your fingers get used to it after a while. I found that Friesian sheep were hard to come by in our area and I didn’t want to deal with shearing wool. 😊 Katahdin & Barbados are awesome breeds! Get the milk & then the lambs for meat! 👏

[@HowToDIYRc]

@@HomeFreeAlaska I have worked on a milk farm for 6 months and got addicted to milk since but a cow is just too big to keep at home but 2 or 3 sheep are much easier to keep in my backyard and try to use animals that only eat grass... do you know any birds for eggs that eat grass?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@HowToDIYRc oh I totally agree! I told Joe if I ever do a dairy animal again, it’ll be sheep! Much smaller, eat so much less. Well all birds pretty much eat grass. I mean we raise chickens and turkey. We free range them so they eat grass, bugs, flowers etc. But we do have to supplement their diet in the winter because nothing grows and most bugs are dead.

[@Angelic2023]

💗💗💗💗

[@catherinelindelof6630]

Where is your dish drying rack from?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Hello! From Amazon!☺️

[@avfeland]

Fun! What breed are your sheep?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

These are Katahdins but we’ve since sold & moved to our forever homestead in Alaska where we’re raising Icelandic/Shetland cross sheep for meat & dairy.☺️

[@alexanderbielski9327]

I wonder if you put a piece of plywood behind her like a wall and had a hole in the middle for you to reach through if that wouldn't be easier and maybe even more comfortable for the sheep. Not that she looked super uncomfortable.

[@alexie832]

I wonder how sheep milk taste. I've tasted goat milk so is it similar?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

It’s delicious! For me personally, I wouldn’t compare it to goats milk at all. I think sheep milk is creamer & sweeter & it has NO after taste at all to it. It’s devine. It’s my absolute favorite out of cows, goats and sheep! 😍

[@williampatrickfurey]

Not sure about the honey in the balm, I think a cocoa butter soap might be better.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Honey is fantastic! It has a lot of beneficial properties that are great not only for nourishing the skin but aiding in preventing infection!😉

[@williampatrickfurey]

@@HomeFreeAlaska I've never heard of women using honey topically on breasts after breastfeeding and I don't think it'll help as much as harm a sheep that would lay the substrate glazed portion of their teats on the ground. Consider that limonene in orange peels can be mixed with vinegar for a natural cleaner but it might not be the best option(although orange peels can be healthy when consumed, possibly due to digestive enzymes and bodily processes); but if you just took the whole orange and used it in the same manner you'd likely be making things dirtier soon after applying. It'll be a good experiment once microscopes are household items and children are able to safely study their food and it's reactions with the environment.

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

@@williampatrickfurey ok lol. You do you!☺️ I’ve been milking for quite a few yrs and I even used this on my cow’s udder. Never ever has honey harmed one of my farm animals. Do you milk & work with udders on a daily basis? To each their own friend. It works great for me & for my dairy animals.☺️

[@williampatrickfurey]

@@HomeFreeAlaska I re-wrote my response to better explain. Also, even if adding it to their feed I'm not sure of it's immediate effect of their teeth due to the same substrate for microbial growth possibility. They would likely need to roam and forage something like a low acidic citrus fruit afterwards for the limonene in it's teeth cleaning peel. I've been eating orange with peels on from the to time for good reasons; if you try it be mindful that farm production standards vary and some natural ones are much better than others.

[@williampatrickfurey]

@@HomeFreeAlaska also, there are more than 600 known carotenoids currently, lycopene for example; and different ones occur in all living photosynthetic plant life, meaning the animals need a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Milk used to have a naturally orange color to it for this reason, they colored cheeses with annatto after a point in time to mimic proper production but I'm assuming the families and their children were shortchanged. They could've just fed the annatto to the cows, increasing their lifespans and production. If living creatures don't get fresh antioxidants from their diets, their bodies have to spend energy in excess trying to produce the antioxidants which they can; some like L-ascorbic acid, they might not be able to.

[@loganlin6109]

Can I milk a dorper sheep the same as you are doing here?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

If it has teats, it can be milked! But it really comes down to how big the teats are (for ease of milking) and also the quantity of milk that breed gives off, to determine if it’s worth milking.☺️

[@michellehousein247]

what are you feeding your sheep ? mine just lambed 2 and i’m trying to feed her right ! Not sure what to feed her other than hay !

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

We just fed our girl hay & alfalfa. She loved the alfalfa, it was a treat for her! When I milked her, I’d give her a “sheep pellet” feed from tractor supply in her milk stand bucket. It was a treat for her during milking. Other than that, she grazed what little grass we had left. 😊 Congrats on your new lambs!

[@michellehousein247]

@@HomeFreeAlaska thank you !! Merry Christmas 🎄

[@Ekaterinamail]

Hello, how many sheep do you have? Are they are very noisy?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

We have 5. Not too noisy at all.☺️

[@Ekaterinamail]

Ok, but she is so noisy through all the video ☺️

[@savagegamer1602]

Where can I buy this milk at because I really want to try it so bad I've tried goat milk but sheep milk I need to try it

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

I would say Google your local farmers & see if anyone has it! 😊 It’s delicious!

[@bestcity0979]

What does the milk taste like? Is it meaty like goats?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

No not at all. I personally don’t like the taste of goats milk. Sheep milk is similar in taste to cows milk, but a bit sweeter & more creamy. Sheep milk has a higher fat content. Great for yogurt, butter etc.!☺️

[@bestcity0979]

ooh delicious !@@HomeFreeAlaska

[@brentonpickens1872]

Do u milk in rain?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Sometimes.😊

[@gbfarm]

Amazing, what kind of this sheep?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Katahdins. 😊

[@AshersAesera]

Is it okay for you to be milking her when she has calves? o.O Are they like bees and cows and over-produce?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Yes, you have to milk her when she’s “in milk” which only happens when they lamb. Their bodies produce milk as needed, “supply on demand.” So she’ll produce enough for the lambs and for us. Dairy animals are wonderful that way!☺️

[@AshersAesera]

@@HomeFreeAlaska Ah! I see, thank you ^^

[@shineyrocks390]

I've got about 10 Nigeria dwarf dairy goats you can have come get them. I'm switching to Nubians. Here something else do, just another idea though. I used to take my kids off the nanny at birth. I had a ton more chores to do. Bottle babies are fun, after about 10. After 35 kids bottles and sippy cups hay grain and an occasional head but to the nose @4am I had about enough. So milk production peak usually doesn't go in its peak until around the ends of about 45 days varies but my records show me in my personal files on each animal. I got this brain storm pipe dream idea. I'll leave the kids on the nanny/doe until her own personal milk peak production time. Then I take the kids off and start milking that nanny at her peak milk production time Depending the kids body condition feed intake. I'll either full bottle feed it for a while longer or slowly ween it off the bottle and creep feed it. I also don't have to worry about buying milk replacer lol. This works for me but may not work for you or anyone else but worth sharing. That milking table is amazing and simple I like it especially the entrance and the way that whole system worked. I'm slowly watching every video playing catch up. It's better than Blue's clues 👍

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

I think it’s a great idea! Ya have to find what works best for you! Before I sold our dairy cow, we were only milking her twice a week, just what we needed for our family. But we could do that because we left the calf on her. It was perfect for us! 😊 Thanks for watching & commenting! 😉

[@syarifidrus]

can sheep produce milk after weaning ??????

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Yes absolutely! As long as you continue to milk them daily, they will continue to produce for as long as that breed is normally in milk.

[@vooligan9499]

Can I ask a genuine question? How do you keep her producing milk (or to begin producing milk in the first place, since she of course needs to have been pregnant to do so) And what is your reasoning behind taking milk from an animal rather than drinking oat milk for example? It's always seemed awfully odd to me that humans want to drink milk from another species, ever since I was a child. She obviously wants her legs to be freed from those bindings, even if she's submissive to it, it's not pleasant to be bound and unable to move, if she wanted and allowed you to take her milk she wouldn't move while you were milking her, surely?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

1st in order for a dairy animal to produce milk, they must give birth. Once the lamb is weaned the mother’s milk will eventually dry up until next lambing season at which time we begin to milk her again. I’m not even addressing your question about why we choose to drink animal milk. That’s our choice, if you choose to drink “oat milk,” good for you! 😉 When working with any animal for any reason, riding a horse, milking a cow, etc., it requires hours of training. They don’t just hop up in a milk stand to be milked without being taught how to do that, just like you can’t just throw a saddle on a horse and expect them to ride well. They need to be trained. The restraints are loose and don’t hurt her at all. They learn quickly. They’re only used in the beginning to teach them not to kick. She loves being milked. She gets brushed out and gets treats in her grain bowl. Don’t turn something beautiful into something negative especially when you clearly don’t know anything about it.

[@vooligan9499]

@@HomeFreeAlaska I'm aware, I stated that myself, I was asking what you do to ensure her pregnancy, do you use A.I. like the larger industries or mate her? As I said, it was a genuine question. I know, they require being broken and/OR trained, you need to persuade her and get her used to submitting for you to grab her teats and extract her milk, so that you can drink it (which I would argue is not beautiful, as you're a human, not a kid) It's great that you treat her so well, will she be staying with you until old age? Or do you raise other goats to be killed for their flesh? I'm not judging from a vegan standpoint or anything, I'm just curious as to what your processes are in your home farm is all, as it's interesting to see it on a small scale rather than how the industry does things on a mass scale to appear to the majority is all, I'm just curious about your personal practices. 🙂 (I'm being very genuine, I have no interest in an argument, discussion or to attempt to change your way of life through any debate) I would ask though, in response to your final point, in what way do you find it "beautiful"? Of course it absolutely is when she has become pregnant naturally and is feeding her newborn, but I don't personally see the beauty in restraining an animal and milking her by hand to drink her milk as a human, but I'd genuinely like to hear your point of view. Yes, as I'm sure you've gathered, I'm vegan. But it's not often that we see these things on such a small scale and I enjoy being educated on others points of view and ways of life when they choose to abstain from contributing to the larger animal agriculture industry. 🙂

[@Tmate4444]

@@vooligan9499 be gone, vegan!

[@RG-xo5id]

It's easier to milk a Katahdin sheep than milk a bushel of oats & to get a bushel of oats everyday or two can definitely be more expensive.

[@ismailtaybi4251]

Is this finnsheep?

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

No, these are Katahdin sheep.😊

[@marihasites7706]

Hi I don’t know if u can help me but I’m looking for sheep milk raw or colostrum I can’t find it anywhere can u plz help or point me in the rite direction plz and thank you much

[@retiquefarms8210]

If your feeding a baby lamb the milk and cant find sheep milk you can usually find raw goat milk on Craigslist. It works good to help give baby lambs a good start.

[@marihasites7706]

@@retiquefarms8210 thank u much

[@krayziejerry]

Sheep milk osnthe besssst

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

Yesssss Mike, so creamy & delicious!

[@babyshopplanet6884]

😅😅😅😊

[@Priapos93]

In Depth

[@user-px4wx3ei1p]

Better a daily goat, it's not so complicated at all

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

My sheep wasn’t complicated at all. She came from a herd of 300, had never been handled at all. I trained her myself. This video shows a ton of progress. She’s wonderful & her milk is delightful. Sheep milk is higher in fat content than goats & cows milk. Makes for amazing butter, cheeses, etc. I’ll stick with my sheep!🥳

[@sergiodicamillo2945]

Se per mungere una pecora occorrono tutti questi preparativi ,per mungere un gregge occorre un anno? Un kl di formaggio costerebbe 1000 euro… Mandatela a lavare i piatti!!!

[@HomeFreeAlaska]

What preparations lol?? Super simple, I’m done milking in 20 minutes! These preparations are essential to a sanitary milking environment so that no one gets sick from drinking contaminated milk. Ever milked a dairy animal before?