SHEEP ON THE HOMESTEAD! (spoiler: they're the best)

[@nonyabznezz2263]

Just a note guys. Wool is a great nitrogen source and good at holding moisture. So it you put some at the bottom of your pots it'll help feed the plants and tamper down how often you'll need watering.

[@theelliotthomestead]

I used it as mulch in the garden, but this is a great idea! 😊

[@elizabethscott7660]

Sheep are the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing

[@georgiakeriazes6420]

You did a much better job than we did on our first shearing! It's back breaking and nerve wracking but such a wonderful experience. Whenever I need to calm myself, I think of my sheep's sweet faces.

[@theelliotthomestead]

That’s actually encouraging to hear.

[@tjjurake3506]

They do have sweet faces!

[@t_nels]

It gives some comfort to know that everyone and everything is on or has a learning curve. Happy Easter

[@theelliotthomestead]

Yes. We learned this early on.

[@girlmeetshomestead]

This video couldn’t have been more timely!! My husband and I have been talking about getting sheep and this is definitely pushing us in that direction. So excited!! 🤗

[@theelliotthomestead]

They are great! Especially if you need a manageable animals to get into the animal husbandry side of things.

[@Jamesjghome]

Sheep get a bad rap about smelling from old westerns. We have not experienced that, just heavenly bliss 🙏

[@dhawk766]

This is beautiful. We feel the same about our goats. We got them for milk but we found we love the meat too. I really don’t know why goat meat is not more popular. It’s delicious. I love lamb as well. We would get them in a minute if we had enough grass. We are always learning new things. It’s wonderful. 💛

[@pearlg6411]

I'm a city girl who's never cut anything more than calories, so no judgement here, but I enjoyed the sheep shearing waaayy too much! Those sheep are a meme!! If I believed in it, those sheep,post shearing, would be my spirit animal 😂🤣😂

[@theelliotthomestead]

Ha Ha!. You would be a great shepherdess then I think.

[@Jamesjghome]

We used to have sheep professionally sheered and started DIY, trust me there is a learning curve ‼️

[@theelliotthomestead]

Yes! We are at the beginning of that curve unfortunately.

[@Jamesjghome]

@@theelliotthomesteadshear on sister shear on, keep Blue Coat on hand to seal cuts and nicks, Oh! Keep fingers and any body parts you want to keep away from cutters, lol, been there done that haha ouch

[@elizabethmeekshornback758]

I love love it when Stuart is partnering up with you in these videos!

[@jenniferr2057]

Thank you! There is so much hate on sheep.... And we've enjoyed them. And they are yummy.....

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

That was precious when you asked your son if he thought he could take over. I have been training my daughters to take over chores for a bit so I can take a trip to see my mom. They have learned so quickly and have done a great job milking the goats. We use a hand milker, but that milker looks like it would work well for us. What brand is it? We have Nigerian goats. Small teats are the name of the game. LOL

[@re1100]

I laughed so hard at @13:40 when the camera kept shaking. Kids are awesome 😂

[@annacoulter2637]

Shaye, I would love to come show you and Stuart how to shear your sheep. I have been shearing for many farmer's for 11 years. I am so excited you guys got dairy sheep!!

[@theelliotthomestead]

We might take you up on this. We clearly need some help.

[@jenniferjanowicz4170]

I sheared my first sheep last spring. It was a learning experience, much harder than i thought it would be

[@Motherhubbard170]

it even looks hard unlike most things that 'look easy' but are anything but, sourdough being a prime example

[@theelliotthomestead]

I’m glad we aren’t the only ones.

[@sarahgrindlerart7757]

You are so incredible! I always go to your channel for inspiration, warmth and knowledge. :) Thank you!

[@theelliotthomestead]

thank you! That’s encouraging to hear.

[@sarahgrindlerart7757]

@@theelliotthomestead

[@jannier9766]

At first, I thought the title said “Sleep” on the homestead and I thought, that sounds nice! 😂

[@Motherhubbard170]

Love that :)

[@theelliotthomestead]

Maybe we should do a future video on this.

[@CorneliaBoot]

You can use the wool in the garden. Perfect isolation!

[@Jamesjghome]

Yes yes yes, we also cover plants in greenhouse

[@Marion51268]

Or for the sheep!

[@theelliotthomestead]

Great ideas!

[@Jamesjghome]

Can you imagine a city office girl cooking in your kitchen? I’m sure you’d see burns and cuts so sheer on sis sheer on ‼️

[@genietillery878]

Good to settle in on s Saturday afternoon to one of your videos

[@theelliotthomestead]

We are glad you did!

[@emummy2]

Great ideas for spoiled wool that I will be using in my garden this year!

[@carebearb2007]

I love watching you cook 🥰🥰🥰🥰 I learn so many cool things! xoxoxo

[@theelliotthomestead]

Thanks!

[@patty7804]

Thank you for the knife referral code I have been looking for this!

[@abundantacre9]

Good morning and Happy Easter! He is Risen!

[@Jamesjghome]

Abundantly risen❣️ Amen ‼️

[@Jamesjghome]

Stew is a good feller, makes for a great sheep holder

[@becky4321]

I'm curious why you didn't keep the wool? It could be washed and used to make so many things. It can also be used as insulation for bee hives.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Those are great ideas. I think repurposing the wool will be in our future.

[@jenniferr2057]

My dog looked just like your sheep first time she got groomed..... Like an angry badger chewed the hair off! ❤

[@Motherhubbard170]

perfect description

[@gailday7566]

😂 word picture for a good laugh

[@theelliotthomestead]

Ha! That made me laugh out loud!

[@jenniferr2057]

@@theelliotthomestead You're welcome. Laughter is good. 😊

[@Jamesjghome]

@@theelliotthomesteadmay your laugh be Stews delight and thank you for being a light in a dark world

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

We have hair sheep. We use them for meat, but the idea of dual purpose is awesome. I have goats for milk, but will be raising them for meat too. Our zebu are for meat, but I would love to get the cow friendly enough I could milk her.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Sounds like you have big farm plans. Happy homesteading!

[@marilynmiller5083]

Where did you get the milking machine? That's for sharing

[@theelliotthomestead]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BM49ZVCV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@RobinwoodFarmLLC]

I’m milking 5 ewes right now and I’m with you. I tried hand milking and immediately bought a milking machine 😂 I do not have the patience not the time!

[@theelliotthomestead]

The machine really helps!

[@thenaturalhenhouse7413]

I would love more lamb recipes!! This looked wonderful

[@theelliotthomestead]

Good to know! If you haven’t already, check out our cooking community. We have done several lamb recipes there. cook.theelliotthomestead.com

[@abbycole7485]

Could you do a video like a “beginners guide” to sheep, or sheep fencing? My favorite pickling spice, especially for corned beef & dill pickles, is from Curio spice. It has mace in it! Mace is a spice that is part of the nutmeg, it’s actually wrapped around the “nut” of nutmeg.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Thanks for the recommendation. We will have to try that out next time!

[@heidivanzee3242]

We love our Katahdin sheep they have been the best homestead livestock!

[@theelliotthomestead]

Agreed!

[@amylocke531]

I would love for you guys to explain how the sheeps milk tastes in an upcoming video and also can it be used as a cows milk replacer THANKS

[@theelliotthomestead]

That’s a great idea! We may just do this.

[@Elizabeth-fh9qe]

If you use milk replacer (designed for lambs) to feed young goats, the fat content will cause the kids to die. Not sure if there is an overlap to feeding calves, but I would definitely be very careful.

[@Jamesjghome]

God bless you and keep you for trying and staying authentically positive ❣️

[@OurGeorgiaFarm]

Where did you get the milk machine from?

[@GoshenHideaway]

We are interested in dual purpose sheep, thanks for this content! What milker is that- do you have a link? Curious how much.

[@victoriayirka6408]

As a nursing/pumping momma with a 2 year old and another one on the way, I’m curious how you clean the milking pump and it’s tubing? Do you milk them once a day? Do you have a backup pump in case on of the sheep gets an infection like mastitis and they can’t share a pump? Sorry for the ignorant questions I’m just so curious how that works!

[@theelliotthomestead]

We do Milk them once a day. Cleaning is actually not that bad as the unit comes with scrub brushes made for cleaning out each section. And only one set of tubes comes in contact with the milk. Things seems to stay nice and clean.

[@PrincestonTheFrenchBulldog]

We used sheers that where big metal scissors non electric on are lamb farm growing up.

[@theelliotthomestead]

I would love to get that point.

[@jackiegawronski9988]

I just found your page. We have cattle but are conidering changing to sheep. Do you have recipes you teach on how to cook the meat?

[@theelliotthomestead]

Yes. We've been raising sheep for many years and have found great ways to cook the meat. I share many of my recipes within my cooking community. If you're interested in learning more, check out cook.theelliotthomestead.com

[@GoshenHideaway]

Also, how long are sheep in milk for? I see this video is c 2 months old, curious how it’s going along now.

[@TRuth.T]

Thanks, for sharing. Happy Easter :) We raised wool sheep bred(Romney's) in the past I would like to try raising Katahdin . I heard that their meat taste less gamey/strong.

[@theelliotthomestead]

I would absolutely say that Katahdin meat is mild.

[@unabellavita6541]

Sheep were one of our first animals and they spoiled us! They are my favorite, very sweet and easy! Pigs on the other hand….🙄

[@laughingdovefarm3311]

Are you leaving the lambs with her at night, or keeping them separate until after milking? If so, how do you have it set up ? I will be milking my FinnSheep after they lamb and last year they'd bust down a wall and one jumped a 5 foot solid wall (almost damaging herself) to get to her lambs, I milked a herd of Nubian goats for years, but always took the kids off the mama, now I want to "milk share". BTW~ LOVE all your videos, thank-you.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Right now we separate during the day and milk in the evening. They stay with lambs until morning when I separate. We have trained our milkers to leashes so they stay manageable until we bright them back to the lambs. Our ewes seem more interested in their grain than getting back to the lambs so it hasn’t been much of an issue for us.

[@laughingdovefarm3311]

@@theelliotthomestead Thank-you.

[@gwenewing6837]

You should watch the Thornbirds😭 Sheep shearing is the main character❤

[@theelliotthomestead]

Thanks for the recommendation. We will check them out.

[@kristynsmith6326]

I was taught to “punch up” on goats to get their milk to let down. Are sheep the same? It seems awful but after watching goats suckle they’re far more violent with their mother’s teats than I was willing to be. 😂

[@theelliotthomestead]

We aren’t nearly as violent as their lambs are. But sometimes we do have to encourage them to let their milk down. It doesn’t seem to take much though.

[@oliviaadkins8246]

What's the name of the milk machine and can it be used for cows? I've got a cow with the teats of a sheep lol

[@theelliotthomestead]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BM49ZVCV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 But this is not big enough for cows.

[@michaelhogan9053]

I never milked sheep, but I do notice that the lambs will really 'punch' the udders to get milk. May be something ewes need to keep flowing??

[@theelliotthomestead]

They do! When the flow slows down we do the same thing to get it going again. Though I must say I think we aren’t quite as aggressive as the lamb!

[@katherinehannah8721]

What breed did you get for dairy?

[@theelliotthomestead]

East Fresian x Rideau Arcott x Border Leicester x Finn

[@tammykaltreider]

Lovely video! New to your channel. I’m familiar with the hair sheep breed but I don’t think I caught what breed your milk ewe’s are. May I ask the breed?

[@theelliotthomestead]

Thanks for checking us out! Our milking ewes are a crossbreed of four different breeds. I’ll get back to you with what each of them are.

[@tammykaltreider]

@@theelliotthomestead thank you!

[@Jamesjghome]

What is that milker?

[@theelliotthomestead]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BM49ZVCV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@Jamesjghome]

@@theelliotthomestead thanks so very much, from north northern michigan WE LOVE YOU AND STEW❣️

[@maxinedurling3425]

Have you looked at the Whiltshire horn they are not known as a milk breed but they are known as milky mothers and they naturally shred

[@theelliotthomestead]

Good to know. Thanks for the tip.

[@jackiegawronski9988]

Do you milk yours?

[@maxinedurling3425]

@@jackiegawronski9988 I don't own sheep maybe in the future, but have always wanted Wiltshire horns and want to milk them. I have also read that the shredding ability will be passed on if you cross a Wiltshire with other breeds

[@Julia29853]

@@maxinedurling3425what is shredding?

[@ark6831]

Weve been considering sheep after hearing their milk has 2x protein and is actually anti inflammatory. Would love to hear if this is true 👍

[@margaretmiles9204]

I am wondering why you don't use the wool, or sell it?

[@theelliotthomestead]

We are pretty new with wooling sheep so we are dipping our toes in with the milk. Perhaps as we get better at sheering and such, we will figure out the wool side of things.

[@auntiesam8489]

Sheep ❤

[@supriyasarkar4328]

How much milk sheeo gives

[@theelliotthomestead]

Good question. Our black one ,Pepper, gives us a little more than Fanny, the white one. But together we get about a quart and half.

[@bassmanjr100]

Lamb is delish!!! How do people say they don't like it. Tastes like tender beef to me.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Yes!

[@Julia29853]

What is the best cut for someone who’s never cooked or eaten lamb?

[@sarahrickman6609]

Your poor finger. Dishes and just everything to do with fingers would be tough. I prayed for swift healing.

[@janenoland2624]

Sheep milk makes the best feta!

[@theelliotthomestead]

That’s good to know!

[@lindakrieger6667]

Maybe you can go to a local farm and learn from a seasoned farmer.

[@theelliotthomestead]

We had the same thought. I think we will do this.

[@delinayoungs3988]

All this sounds great but I couldn’t kill the animals to be honest. I would get to attached to them. Do you guys have them killed for you or do you do it ?

[@theelliotthomestead]

We do some ourselves and sometimes we have them done. It really depends on our own work load during that season. You’re right though. It is a challenge and it hasn’t necessarily gotten emotionally easier for us either. But I think this is a feature, not a bug, of the whole process if you get what I mean.

[@Marion51268]

Isn't too cold for shaving? Just a question, not to offence.

[@bassmanjr100]

Doubtful. Especially if they are in a dry climate. Probably is the perfect time to do it. End of March, early April. My hair sheep are losing or have lost their heavy coats.

[@theelliotthomestead]

Not anymore! Full spring here ❤

[@sharonhouser6215]

is your family related to the missionary James Elliott

[@theelliotthomestead]

It’s possible but we haven’t officially traced the mine too far back.

[@rhondadean5455]

I know you love your sheep. BUT, you eat them. It's the ways of farm life which I lived amidst as a child. I just can't deal. Sheep are so sweet and gentle. If I ever have chickens it will be for eggs and their sweet company only.

[@bassmanjr100]

Do you eat meat from the store? Those animals are treated far, far worse. What could be better for an animal than to be personally care for on a beautiful small farm. They have one bad day or few minutes which is over quickly.

[@rhondadean5455]

@bassmanjr100 that's a problem I have. I cook chicken for my 4 rescue digs. It breaks me. . No words. I see the bruises in odd places on the chickens. It's damn if I do damned if I don't. It's a huge issue in my heart. I run a hospice in my home for unwanted seniors with health issues. Out of my own food money. I get no help but our vets are kind..its a grievous situation. After these 4 dogs' are gone I will not go further. They are 10 dogs in 16 years til last breath.

[@PrincestonTheFrenchBulldog]

Milking is so easy why not just do it bye hand.

[@Julia29853]

You didn’t watch the video did you? Try it! It’s an amazing concept.