Sheep milk facts for kids
Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk that comes from domestic sheep. It is often used to make special dairy products like cheese. Some popular cheeses made from sheep's milk include feta from Greece, ricotta from Italy, and Roquefort from France.
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Sheep Breeds for Milk
Some types of sheep are specially raised to produce more milk than others. These are called dairy breeds.
Here are some common dairy sheep breeds:
- East Friesian (from Germany)
- Sarda (from Italy)
- Lacaune (from France)
- British Milk Sheep (from the UK)
- Chios (from Greece)
- Awassi (from Syria)
- Assaf (from Israel)
- Zwartbles (from the Netherlands)
In the U.S., the East Friesian and Lacaune are the most common dairy breeds. Sheep raised for meat or wool do not make as much milk. However, they can still produce enough for small amounts of cheese or other products.
When Sheep Produce Milk
Female sheep, called ewes, do not make milk all the time. They produce milk for about 80 to 100 days after their lambs are born.
Sheep usually have their babies in the winter or early spring. This means most of their milk is produced during these times. Milk production slows down and stops when lambs are no longer drinking milk, or when the days get shorter. Because of this, farms cannot get milk from sheep all year round naturally.
However, farmers can use special methods to help ewes have lambs at different times. This helps farms have a steady supply of milk throughout the year.
Dairy sheep can produce much more milk than other sheep. Dairy breeds can give about 400–1,100 lb (180–500 kg) of milk each year. Other sheep might only produce 100–200 lb (45–91 kg) per year. Sheep that are a mix of different breeds can produce about 300–650 lb (140–290 kg) of milk annually.
Products Made from Sheep Milk
Many delicious cheeses are made from sheep's milk. These include:
- Feta from Greece
- Roquefort from France
- Manchego from Spain
- Serra da Estrela from Portugal
- Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Sardo from Italy (pecora means sheep in Italian)
- Ricotta from Italy
- Pag cheese from Croatia
- Ġbejna from Malta
- Gomolya from Hungary
- Bryndza from Slovakia, Romania, and Poland
In Greece, yogurt is also often made using sheep's milk.
How Sheep Milk Compares to Other Milks
Let's look at how sheep's milk compares to milk from other animals, based on 100 grams:
| Constituents | unit | Cow | Goat | Water buffalo | Sheep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | g | 87.8 | 88.9 | 81.1 | 83.0 |
| Protein | g | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| Fat | g | 3.9 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| Carbohydrate | g | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.1 |
| Energy | kcal | 66 | 60 | 110 | 95 |
| kJ | 275 | 253 | 463 | 396 | |
| Sugars (Lactose) | g | 4.8 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.9 |
| Saturated | g | 2.4 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Mono-unsaturated | g | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Polyunsaturated | g | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Cholesterol | mg | 14 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| Calcium | IU | 120 | 100 | 195 | 170 |
| Fatty Acids: |
Sheep milk has a lot of fat and a special type of fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). It also has a high level of "solids," which means it has more non-water parts compared to other milks. This makes it really good for making cheese. You can actually make much more cheese from the same amount of sheep's milk than from cow's milk!
