Breeds of Milking Sheep
All ewes that have lambed should give milk, but some breeds give more than others. Almost all ewes that have successfully reared twins or triplets in the past should have enough milk to warrant becoming dairy animals. Therefore, it can be said that a "dairy ewe" is a sheep of any breed that has the capacity to give a sustained yield of milk over and above that to rear her lambs.
The dairy ewe, like the dairy cow, must be able to milk rather than put on fat. The difference between meat and dairy sheep is identical to that between beef and dairy cows. There are extremes like the Friesland ewe and the Holstein cow, while at the opposite end of the scale is the Southdown ewe and the Hereford cow.
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Friesland - The only pure dairy breed in the UK. Often called the "Holstein of sheep breeds". The Friesland is a large framed animal with rams weighing up to 120kg. In common with all dairy animals it possesses extremely good length, a large roomy pelvis, narrow head and fine boned limbs. The breed is naturally polled and has a long bald tail. The fleece is pure white and of high quality, medium staple fine wool, yielding up to 5kg, usually graded by the British Wool Board as Bradford Count 48-52. Average mature ewe weighs 50-55kg, rams above 75kg. |
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British Milksheep - The British Milk Sheep is a medium-large, polled sheep, with white face and legs. It has added new dimension to the sheep industry by producing large crops of lambs and rearing them on one ewe. High performance per ewe is the major factor affecting profitability. The combination of high prolificacy and high milk yield, in both the British Milk Sheep and its crossbred daughters, enables high levels of production to be achieved without the problems of high capital investment associated with large numbers of ewes, and without the need to rear triplets artificially. |
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Dorset Horn/Poll Dorset - A very useful breed for out of season milk production and the high fat content makes it ideal for ice cream making. The exact history of the Dorset sheep is found wanting for some positive record of origin. History does tell us that centuries ago, Spain wished to conquer England, and possibly during this time, the Merino sheep were brought into Southwest England and were crossed with the Horned Sheep of Wales, which produced a desirable all-purpose sheep which met the needs of that time. Thus began a breed of sheep which spread over Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and most of Wales and were called Horned Dorsets. |
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Lacaune - The Lacaune represent an excellent and robust dual purpose breed characterized by good milk performance with high butter fat and milk protein – high daily gains in lambs with a good carcass quality, producing mild tasting, nicely coloured meat. The Lacaune is a Southern French breed of milking sheep. They are famous as the breed which produces the milk for Roquefort Cheese
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