Sheep farming has been one of the important and profitable branches of agriculture since ancient times. A sheep is a calm and docile animal that provides humans with many products - wool, meat, fat tail fat, sheepskin and milk. Despite low productivity, dairy sheep breeds have development prospects. Their milk is used to make high-quality and expensive cheeses - soft feta cheese, ricotta and feta, aged pecorino, spicy Roquefort with mold.
Popular dairy sheep breeds and their main characteristics
Before considering dairy breeds, it should be noted that highly specialized varieties of these animals do not exist. All sheep give milk after lambing, the only question is its quantity. There are breeds that are able to produce a little more of this valuable product than others. Therefore, they all belong to mixed varieties: meat-dairy, meat-skin, producing meat and high-quality wool, and so on.
East Frisian
This is a versatile breed bred in Germany. East Frisian milk is used to make ricotta and Roquefort cheese.
Tsigaiskaya
The oldest breed has the following characteristics:
Askaniyskaya
This Ukrainian breed produces the largest Merinos with a fine fleece and the following differences:
Romanovskaya
An old Russian universal breed, often used as a meat breed, as well as for the production of high-quality sheepskins.
Balbasskaya
These are large mountain animals, often found in the Caucasus.
Each of the dairy breeds of these farm animals has its own advantages and disadvantages, so there is a wide range of choices when forming a herd. Dairy females can be selected according to various characteristics, ranging from milk yield to nutritional requirements and living conditions.
Content Features
Sheep are herd animals, so some people may have the impression that it is enough to turn them out to pasture for food. However, this is not enough. Of course, succulent feed is the basis of the sheep’s diet, so grazing and preparing large quantities of high-quality hay for the winter is indispensable. However, dairy sheep need to be provided with more nutritious feed, as well as mineral supplements and clean drinking water.
At the same time, feed produced by enterprises for goats or horses is not suitable for sheep. They contain copper, which accumulates in the liver and gradually becomes a cause of poisoning.Therefore, for dairy sheep and other breeds of these animals, it is necessary to purchase specialized feed produced by experienced producers.
Sheep are driven out to pasture only after the dew has disappeared or the grass has dried out after rain, since wet grass causes fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract. However, animals should always have free access to water. In winter, root vegetables are added to the feed, and the hay should be legumes, since for a constant supply of milk, nutrition must be plentiful and balanced.
Milking rules
Sheep are milked both in the pasture and in the stall, but it is better to do this in a special cage, so the animal behaves calmer. It is better to take a deep container for collecting milk, because sheep can turn it over by raising and lowering their hind legs. It is also necessary to drain the milk more often because dirt from the fur may get into it. Manure contamination is not uncommon because sheep may have bowel movements at inopportune times. Sheep have small udders, so you need to adapt to milking by choosing a position that is suitable for yourself and for each animal. You can milk in the following way:
- Behind the female.
- On the side.
- Riding the animal. This makes it easier to limit his movements when milking in pastures and walks.
Sheep produce a modest amount of milk, but do not try to empty the udder to the last drop. During milking, it is necessary to act quickly, but carefully and accurately, without unnecessary fuss, so as not to irritate the female. This way she will be more willing to give away the milk.
How much milk does a sheep produce per day?
The productivity of ewes is determined by measuring the milk sucked by the lambs. To do this, the offspring is weighed before and after feeding at equal intervals for 48 hours.
Each breed of sheep produces a different amount of milk, so only the average figure can be given. Each lactating animal is capable of producing 1200 milliliters of milk within 24 hours. During the lactation period, a dairy sheep can produce up to 140 liters of fatty and healthy milk. The fat content reaches 9%, and the composition contains dozens of vitamins and minerals.
Dairy sheep farming in Russia
For Mediterranean countries and some other countries, breeding dairy sheep is a centuries-old practice. At the same time, dairy sheep farming does not exist as an independent industry in the Russian Federation. Only in mountainous regions is there a practice of making cheeses from sheep's milk, and throughout the country sheep farming is used exclusively for the purpose of obtaining meat, fat, wool and sheepskin, smushki.
The reason for the insufficient use of dairy sheep farming is the lack of tradition, as well as climatic and geographical features. Ideally, flocks of sheep graze in mountainous and steppe areas, and part of Russia is forests and forest-steppes with a humid and cold climate.
However, breeding dairy sheep is an extremely promising industry, if we take into account the sanctions that have blocked the flow of expensive cheeses such as Roquefort and Pecorino into the country. Professional Russian cheese makers and amateurs have a chance to energetically fill the vacated niche, so dairy sheep farming is a rational way of developing agriculture and a way to create your own competitive products.
