When can I start milking my ewe?
The answer to that is… It depends
I know, I know, that’s the worst kind of answer but it’s true! it really depends on so many factors. It depends on you, it depends on your lifestyle, your set up, your sheep, everything!
Have you ever heard the saying there’s more than one way to skin a cat? Well it’s the same way with milking your sheep. There are many, many ways to go about it and really you just have to find what works best for you… but let’s dive into some of the popular methods that people use.
Check the table of contents to jump to what you section you are interested in!
Method #1: Start milking immediately
There is nothing wrong with starting to milk your ewe right away after freshening (lambing). Most people will milk for the first time 12 hours or so after the lamb(s) are born. For example, if your ewe lambs in the morning, go ahead and milk her for the first time that evening. If she lambs in the evening, go ahead and milk her the following morning. Keep in mind, the milk is colostrum at first, and probably won’t be great to consume. Not that it is bad for you, quite the opposite, most people just aren’t particularly crazy about the taste. Check this post out here on what to do with colostrum if you end up with lots of extra. Whether you milk once a day or twice a day is up to you, how ambitious you are, how much milk you need, how much extra milk the ewe has, how many lambs she has, and so on.
I use this method just for the first day or two if my ewes have more milk than the lambs can handle, or if she only has one lamb. Once her lambs are taking all of the milk, I stop milking.
If your ewe is a heavy producer, it is a good idea to make sure she is milked out so she doesn’t get mastitis.
On the other hand, if she isn’t a heavy producer and only has a single lamb, you may want to employ this method to encourage her milk supply to stay up versus adapting to only what the lamb needs. Supply = demand. The more milk you demand, the more she will supply (within her physical abilities).
Pros:
You get milk right away without waiting
You don’t have the extra work of raising lambs
You don’t have the noise of separated lambs
You have the flexibility to just let lambs nurse if you need to miss a milking (dependent on your ewes production)
Cons:
You might not get any milk if the lambs are taking it all
Method #2: Pull lambs after 24 hours
This next method is mostly employed by those in a commercial dairy setting. However, if your goal is to harvest as much milk as possible, and you don’t mind hand rearing lambs, this may be the method for you. To employ this method, remove the lambs from their dams (24-48) after birth. This allows the lambs to get all of the colostrum and get the best start to life.
Milking twice a day will be necessary for a certain period, depending on your ewes particular production.
Lambs will need to be fed their dam’s milk or milk replacer for at least 4 weeks, if not longer.
Pros:
You get all of the milk your ewes can produce
You don’t have the hassle of milk sharing
You don’t have the hassle of separating lambs everyday to get milk
You don’t have ewes holding back milk or cream for their lambs
Cons:
You are committed to milking twice a day or your ewes will likely dry up on you
You are committed to raising the lambs (momma usually does a better job)
It is a lot of work!
You have to have a separate area to keep and raise your lambs
Method 3: Separate lambs & milk share
This is the method I am currently using and am happy with it. Here is how you do it: at about two weeks of age (or when lambs have doubled their birth weights) begin separating the lambs from their dams for 12 hours at a time. At the end of the 12 hours, milk the ewes then reunite the ewes with their lambs.
This is what it looks like on my farm: in the evenings we round all of the sheep up and bring them into the corral. We do not have a livestock guardian dog and we have a lot of coyotes around, so our sheep spend the night in the corral / barn. The ewes I am milking go into one pen in the barn, and their lambs go into another pen.
Approximately 12 hours later – morning, I go out and milk each ewe. After I am finished, I turn the lambs and their dams out together on pasture where they spend all day together grazing and frolicking!
Pros:
The lambs have a great start with their mommas
The lambs are eating hay, so I can feed them while they are separated
They are still being raised by momma; yet you also get milk so it is a win-win
Cons:
Some ewes can be stubborn about holding their milk back for their lambs and won’t “let their milk down”
It can be a little emotionally draining listening to the little ones crying for their mommas when you first start separating them. It does get better…
They are LOUD in the mornings while you are milking the ewes
You have to have a separate place to keep the lambs while separated, and it has to be LAMB TIGHT or they will escape!
Here is how I *somewhat* combat the noise issue. When I go out to the barn in the morning I kick the lambs outside the barn & shut the door while I am milking. Since they can’t see their mommas, they quiet down quite a bit. Not COMPLETELY, but it is definitely much more peaceful than leaving them in the barn. Ask me how I know.
Method #4: Wean
The final method I want to discuss is weaning. This is a great method if you are not needing milk right away. You go ahead and let the ewes raise their lambs full time until either you, or the ewes wean the lambs, then you can move to milking the ewes full time.
So when do I wean them then?
Well again, that depends on you, your sheep, your management style, blah blah blah, you’ve already heard my spiel…but it is true. I will say most people can agree that lambs should be at least 6 weeks old or 25-30lbs before weaning them completely off of milk.
It is recommended by Rachel Hester; who wrote “The Guide to Homestead Dairy Sheep” that you milk your ewes twice a day for about a week to ease the transition of weaning before dropping to once a day milking if that is what you choose to do. Check out her book here. (PS This is affiliate link, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase – at no extra cost to you! Thanks for supporting us!)
Keep in mind, that sheep dry up easier than cows, so the less “demand” there is for their milk, the sooner they are likely to dry up.
Watch your ewes; some will wean the lambs themselves, and if you see this happening you will want to start milking so they don’t dry up.
From my research and my own experience, lambs start nibbling solid food right away, but don’t actually start eating enough to make up a steady part of their diet until about a month old. They also benefit from having milking until at least three months old.
Pros:
Very little work for you until the lambs are weaned
Lambs should grow very fast being raised on their dams; plus they learn how to be a proper sheep vs being hand raised
You get all of the milk after lambs are weaned
Cons:
You have to wait to get any milk!
My Management style:
I milk as needed after lambing for the ewes comfort if she is overly full. Once the lambs can manage the ewes milk supply, I stop milking and just let the ewes raise her lambs until the lambs have doubled their birth weight or are 2-4 weeks of age. At that point I separate the lambs for 12 hours at night, milk the ewes in the morning, and then reunite ewes and lambs for the remainder of the day. Full weaning will likely be in the late summer or early fall, as I enjoy the flexibility I am afforded by leaving my lambs with my ewes if I would like to go do fun things this summer such as camping!
Four methods, summarized:
Start milking immediately: You get milk right away, the ewe does all the work of raising the lambs, but you *may* not get much or any milk
2. Pull lambs after 24 hours: You get milk right away, you get all of the milk, but you are committed to full time milking and lamb rearing.
3. Separate lambs & milk share: The lambs get off to a great start with their dams and grow extremely fast; yet you are also getting milk without being 100% tied down to milking or raising lambs (My favorite method!)
4. Weaning & Milking Full time: The lambs have been raised by their dams so they grow great; you get all of the milk after weaning; however, you have to wait until weaning before you have milk
Again this is not an end all be all of the only ways you can milk your ewe. Take one of these ideas and adapt it for what works best for you and your sheep! That being said, what method do you, or will you use on your farm? Be sure to tell me below, I’d love to hear about it!