Sheep milk. That oh so delicious, creamy, white liquid. Ubiquitous, unendingly versatile, and good for you too. Where would we be without bowls of cereal, ice cream, cheese, and Alfredo sauce?
Now when I say dairy, you probably immediately think of cows. And you would be correct. Most dairy products in this country are made from cows milk.
This time though, I’m not referring to cow milk, but rather sheep milk.
Well, now you probably think I’m crazy. Its true nonetheless. In 2023 we decided to try milking some of our Katahdin Sheep. Needless to say we were hooked.
Sheep milk is amazing!
Now our Katahdins aren’t bred for milk production, and they have low milk volume and a short lactation length. Nonetheless, in the 4 months that I milked three of them, I made a whole bunch of fantastic low fat ice cream, and filled a whole shelf of my freezer with cheese.
Most people don’t realize it, but in other countries sheep milking isn’t so strange. There is a long history of milking sheep in places like Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Sheep were milked before cows. Some famous cheeses such as Roquefort and Pecorino Romano were traditionally made from sheep milk. There are even some sheep dairies in this country.
Though milking sheep is still considered something of an oddity in this country, the number of sheep dairies is growing. Unfortunately due to import restrictions, breed options are pretty limited in the United States. You can get East Friesian, Lacaune, and Awassi dairy sheep. Additionally because Finn sheep make enough milk to feed their litters of lambs, they are often used. Dairy sheep aren’t nearly as easy to find as dairy goats, nor are their lactations as long, but they are definitely worth seeking out.
So what makes sheep milk special?
Why should I bother to put in the effort to find dairy sheep?
Here are three reasons. Sheep milk is highly nutritious. It has higher nutrient values than either cow or goat milk. It is better tolerated by many people with milk sensitivities, and it has a wonderful rich, sweet taste. As an added bonus, sheep are typically much less intent on getting themselves into trouble than goats.
Sheep milk has a much higher solids content than either goat or cow milk. That means that it has more nutrients and less water in it. It has both a high protein and mineral content. It contains up to 2x the protein in goat or cow milk and 36% more calcium than cows milk. Sheep milk is a better source of all 10 essential amino acids. It contains more healthy short and medium chain fatty acids, and is much richer in healthy mono and poly unsaturated acids than cows milk. Additionally, many biopeptides found in sheep milk have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.
Like goat milk, sheep milk is A2/A2 milk, so if you have an allergy to A1 casein you may be able to consume sheep dairy products. On top of that, sheep milk is often better tolerated by people with milk sensitivities. Research done in Australia has shown that sheep milk proteins are more easily digested than those found in cows milk. They also found that because sheep milk contains more good fats, those fats are readily converted to energy. Sheep milk does not spike blood triglyceride levels. It has also been shown that sheep milk may be better tolerated by those with lactose intolerance as well.
Best of all, sheep milk doesn’t contain any capric acid. Goat milk contains capric acid. This is what gives goat milk its distinct flavor. Sheep milk does not have and will not produce that tangy ‘goaty’ flavor that turns many people off to goat milk. Additionally, there is no list of things you have to do to prevent off flavors with sheep milk. It doesn’t matter what they graze, or if a ram is on your farm. The milk will still taste sweet.
If you’re still not sold on sheep milk
Did I mention fancy cheeses? Ice cream? Soap?
Sheep milk is hands down THE BEST kind of milk for making cheese. Because the solid content is so high, you will get up to 50% more cheese from each gallon of milk than you will with cows milk. Because its so rich in fats in proteins, you will get rich cheeses. For the same reason, you can also make low fat ‘ice cream’ that still has a rich, creamy texture. Because the proteins and fat molecules are much smaller and more concentrated in sheep milk, even home made low fat ice cream will freeze to a creamy texture. You won’t get the unpleasant icy texture you get from cow’s milk.
This same concentration of nutrients that makes fantastic cheese and ice cream also makes wonderful soap. Because there is such a concentration of vitamins and fatty acids, it makes a luxurious moisturizing soap. You can learn more about the benfits of sheep milk soap here.
Yeah, people are going to look at you weird when you tell them you milk sheep.
But who cares. You have one of the best kept backyard secrets. Best of all, you will never have to apologize to your neighbors because your goat is on their roof!
If you are looking for a dairy sheep to add to your family, we typically have some lambs available for sale in the spring. While we don’t have true dairy sheep, we offer Katahdin lambs from our flock that we are working on selecting towards dairy characteristics. We are in the early stages, but are working towards a flock of easy care dairy sheep. You can read more about that endeavor here.