Many milk their cows and some have found goat milk to be a good alternative if they have issues digesting. Much of digestion issues comes from the type of cow (A2 being easiest to digest) and what they eat. You have to ask, “Are they eating what the Creator intended for them to eat or a bunch of GMO heavily sprayed Monstano grains?”
Why sheep milk?
Sheep milk is more acceptable to the human digestive system.
It has a creamy sweet taste.
People who develop intolerances find that sheep milk products are the only dairy products they can safely eat.
Sheep milk is naturally an A2-type milk, free from A1 beta-casein protein found in most cow milk.
Sheep milk is what is known as a ‘complete protein’ source, this means it contains all 10 essential amino acids. They are essential because the body cannot make them itself and must be consumed in one’s diet.
Nutritional content of sheep milk
- protein
- calcium
- iron
- magnesium
- zinc
- thiamin
- riboflavin
- Vit. B6 and B12
- Vit. D
- the medium chain amino acids
- linoleic acids
- all 10 of the essential amino acids.
Enhance immunity, Promotes growth, Prevent cancer, Reproductive health, Maintains blood pressure
That’s pretty fantastic. I think any milk that is raw and has the natural enzymes still in tact can be highly beneficial. I’m all for biodiversity in the gut and using different sources. Another major factor for us was breeds, hardiness, and what land they thrive on. For us, we live on 4 acres of wooded hills. We do not have pasture to raise a cow on the grass content it needs or enough land. We don’t have good fencing to keep goats contained. We needed sheep that could be contained and thrive on what our forest had to provide. This chart for me doesn’t necessarily show that one is better than the other, but the benefits of all 3 animals.
There are many different breeds but here is a quick breakdown from Milking Sheep on dairy breeds for the US.
East Friesian Sheep – The East Friesian is THE dairy sheep in the US. They have the highest milk production and longest lactation. Dual purpose with wool and also can breed for meat. They average around 2 lambs per lambing and can produce 500 to 700 kg of milk per lactation period.
The Lacaune is a French bread that is probably the second most common dairy sheep in the US. Lacaune ewes produce milk with higher total solids than the East Friesians, but in slightly less volume. They are great for cheese making. They will naturally shed their wool from the chest down.
In the US the East Friesian and Lacaune are often crossed to produce mixed breed that generally produces less milk the the East Friesian Sheep but of higher quality, with higher fat and solids like the Lacaune Sheep milk.
Awassi It is the predominant breed of dairy sheep in this region. it is a wool breed, that is horned and comes in a variety of colors. They tend to be hardy.
The Assaf is a dual-purpose breed of sheep, raised for both its milk and meat. The Israel breed is actually a cross between East Friesian and Awassi. It’s superior milk production makes them capable of producing 1/2 a gallon (1.9 liters) a day with a lactation period of 173 days.
Resources:
Does & Divas
Woodlands Dairy
Spring Sheep NZ
Health Benefits Times
Milking Sheep
