[Jacob-list] milking Jacob

[Hettick, Heather]

I doubt it would be very economical, although I think there are Jacob individuals who can be milked easier than others.  I have one  who was a bottle ewe, Moonstruck Lavender, who will stand to be milked, but it is harder and slower compared to some of my Icelandic ewes mainly because of her teat size.  I know a lady who milked a Jacob ewe who had been separated from her lambs and was still lactating and she kept producing for a month or so.

That said, I probably wouldn't milk a Jacob ewe if I didn't have to.  I've had to milk sheep for reasons of feeding a lamb, collecting colostrum, emptying a too hard udder and treating mastitis and it was not pleasant for either of us or very productive with Jacob ewes.  On the other hand, I have Icelandic ewes who are easy and fast to milk and generally have a more cooperative attitude about it.  Different breeds came about for different purposes and are better at different things, but individuals still vary.  

I think in most sheep dairy situations they either separate the lambs right away and raise them separately or wait until the lambs are a month old or so and then start to separate them at night and milk in the morning.  When I have milked sheep for my own use, I've generally only taken it from a big ewe with a single or one who lost her lamb(s).  Sometimes without a lamb to feed, they get really overweight so that can help them in the long run, and they also seem to bond with me better when I've milked them.  

Sheep milk tastes a lot better than goat milk and makes excellent cheese!

Heather Hettick
Moonstruck Farm
Creston, OH
www.moonstruckfarm.wordpress.com