Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation

The New Rural Industries
A handbook for Farmers and Investors

Sheep milking

Introduction

Australia has an established home market for sheep milk products in which the products traditionally sought are cheeses and yoghurt. There is also a large international market and a strong overseas demand for disease-free milking sheep, which eventually can be supplied from Australia.

The Australian sheep dairy industry is currently centred on Victoria, with seven dairies, and one each in South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.

Most sheep milk is produced in the Mediterranean Basin (Table 1). New producers are the US, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, but their levels of production are as yet insignificant globally. Australia is a world leader in the husbandry, breeding, and advanced technology of sheep production so it is well placed to be the most efficient producer of sheep milk in the world.

The skill required for sheep dairying are experience in sheep husbandry, pasture management and dairy management. Early venturers marketed and distributed their products directly, but this will probably change as the industry develops and a more efficient infrastructure emerges.

Markets and marketing issues

The Australian sheep dairy industry has had a difficult history. Many operators, both milkers and processors, have ceased, mainly because of difficulties in developing markets. This has generated inconsistency of supply on some markets so there is a need to restore confidence in the supply.

Sheep dairy farmers can sell the milk to dairy manufacturers, or establish a vertically integrated enterprise. Farm-gate returns for sheep milk are $1.20_1.50/litre. A vertically integrated enterprise generates higher returns, but there are higher capital costs and inevitable problems when establishing a sheep-milk processing factory.

There is a limited market for pasteurised sheep milk, mainly to health-food outlets. Of all the milks, it has the highest retail price (up to $5/litre). High returns are also achieved when processing the milk into yoghurt: with a yield of 100%, pot-set yoghurt fetches retail prices of up to $6/litre. The demand for sheep milk yoghurt typically peaks in summer, when sheep milk is scarce. Some sheep dairy farmers produce yoghurt from frozen milk, which is suitable for the production of dairy products.

Liquid milk and yoghurt provide the cash flow for sheep dairies as most cheeses need to be stored because they vary in their maturation times.

A strong local market is essential for the success of sheep dairies: sheep milk products are generally of high quality and the public readily accepts them, but it is important to let the public know that these products are available. Promotions at shopping centres are probably the best way to achieve this. The fact that gourmet products and boutique cheeses are in high demand is an advantage.

There are also potential export markets for sheep milk and its products. Several outlets are possible for frozen sheep milk in large quantities, and for cheeses and yoghurts. However, the quantities required by these markets are generally too large for the small Australian sheep dairies.

Production requirements

Sheep dairying can be conducted in any region of Australia that is suited to prime lamb production. Location should take into account the proximity to markets and the ability to produce feed for the periods of joining, late pregnancy and lactation that are desired for the operation.

Feeding during lactation can be provided by good quality, legume-based pasture or by prepared lot-feed rations. An elevated, well-drained area is ideal for the milking facility. There must be adequate clean water, and at least 10 KVA power, preferably with 3-phase. There are also regulations which specify how close the dairy can be to other buildings (poultry sheds, pig houses, shearing sheds, machinery sheds), to reduce the risks of contamination and assure highest quality milk. However, these regulations may vary from state to state.

If sheep are being milked off pasture, the maximum distance they should walk is 500 metres.

The dairy should therefore be located centrally to milking paddocks. Shade trees and fresh water should be available in these paddocks.

Varieties/Breeds

Until recently Australia did not have a specialised breed of dairy sheep. Table 2 shows milk productions and lactation lengths of several overseas breeds.

The sheep which stand out as dairy animals are the East Friesian and the improved Awassi. Both breeds have been imported into Australia and farmers could purchase semen from Friesian or Awassi rams to inseminate ewes of local breeds. Friesian semen is readily available, but limitations apply to the purchase of Awassi sheep.

Within the local breeds none excels for dairy production, even though any breed can have individuals with exceptionally high dairy yields. The Poll Dorset is very tame and some ewes have high milk yields. The Border Leicester has high peak yields but is famous for its bad temperament. The Merino is very shy and difficult to train; it has low daily yields and short lactations making it a good breed to produce wool, but not milk.

The Hyfer Sheep was developed by NSW Agriculture for specialist lamb production from Dorset, Merino Booroola and Trangie Fertility. About 10% of Hyfers milked in the NSW Agriculture research dairy at Leeton from 1985 to 1990 had yields of 150 litres or more per lactation.

Table 2. Milk yields and length of lactation of overseas dairy sheep

Sheep husbandry

A sheep dairying operation should be planned carefully. Some of the points to be considered are:

• Where to sell the milk and at what price

• How many sheep and what breeds to milk

• What feeding system to adopt (e.g. shed/feedlot or pasture)

• Whether milk is to be produced year round or seasonally

• What breeding program to adopt

• Management of the lambs

• Type of dairy and labour requirements.

There should be a secure outlet for milk, offering at least $1.20/L, and close enough to minimise transport costs.

The number of sheep will depend on several factors, e.g. if it is a sideline or main enterprise; on the size of farm or shed; and on capital and skills resources.

The choice of shedding or grazing depends on capital, personal preferences, and existing resources. Shedding is capital-intensive but offers easier operation of milking, and simplified worm and fly control, and feet care.

Milking year round requires a careful reproductive program for lambing at regular intervals. The longer the lactation, the less intensive the breeding program could be. Some breeds are lambed every 8 months, with groups staggered to give a lambing every 1 or 2 months on the property.

Lambs can be removed at 1-3 days of age and reared artificially. Ewe lambs are grown out for replacements, while males are usually sold to others for rearing or euthanased. Alternatively, lambs can be left on the ewes until 4-6 weeks and then weaned, but this involves losing some milk. Systems of share-milking, consisting of allowing the milking ewes to nurse their lambs, are under study at the University of Western Australia.

Year-round feed can be supplied by pasture in the higher rainfall areas, irrigated pasture, or by lot-feeding. It is important to have sufficient feed supplies for sheep outside the milking flock such as pregnant ewes, weaners, replacements, and dry ewes.

The type of dairy will depend on the numbers to be milked and the capital outlay. While large rotaries are capable of milking 400 ewes hourly, they are costly and difficult to maintain. Herringbone parlours can be as efficient as rotaries, have fewer maintenance problems and need less capital investment.

Pest and disease control

A disease that can affect dairy sheep is mastitis, an inflammation of the udder caused by infection of the mammary tissue. Mastitis reduces milk production and mastitic milk is unsuitable for processing.

Mastitis should be prevented, rather than cured, by ensuring that the milking machine is operating properly and by disinfecting the teats after each milking. Vacuum fluctuations, excessive levels of vacuum or leaving the milking cups on too long can cause over-milking which can lead to mastitis. Disinfection after milking prevents the entry of mastitis-causing bacteria in the teat canal, which is naturally enlarged after milking.

If mastitis occurs the sheep must be treated with antibiotics either locally (with products that are infused into the mammary gland) or systemically (intramuscular injections) and the milk must be kept separate from the processing milk.

Foot problems frequently occur in high rainfall areas (footrot, foot scald, foot abscess) and can seriously affect milk production.

Worms and other parasites are a problem because milking sheep should not be treated with chemicals that could be translocated into the milk. Captec extender 100 is suitable for use in a dairy because the drench is released in small doses, and levels in milk do not exceed the EEC recommended limits.

Ideally, parasite control should be done when the ewes are dry, and translocation of any residues into the milk cannot occur. If chemicals have to be used, withholding periods prescribed for dairy animals should be adopted.

Milking, handling and processing

Sheep are milked twice a day, but in some cases one milking per week can be skipped without affecting production, or milking can be reduced to once daily towards the end of lactation, when yields are low.

The sheep must be trained to walk on the milking platform, generally by rewarding them with feed. Feeding on the platform also keeps the sheep occupied and quiet during milking and it allows the administration of concentrates, which are an integral part of the diet if the sheep are grazed on pasture.

In the dairy, it is important to follow a routine at every milking and to be gentle with the animals. Fear and stress cause the production of adrenalin, which blocks the action of the let-down hormone (oxytocin) so that the milk is not let down and yields are low. Therefore dogs, strangers, loud noises and other stresses should be avoided in the dairy.

Health regulations vary from state to state, and farmers should contact the relevant dairy authorities before getting started. In some states sheep are not classified as a dairy animals, and following dairy industry regulations is not strictly required. However, our advice is to follow the rules regardless. Milk is an exceptional food source not only for us, but also for harmful bacteria that can cause serious human diseases. To avoid high bacterial counts, hygiene is essential in every aspect of the operation. Hygiene of the milking plant involves disinfection of milk cups and milk lines after each milking, following the recommendations of the supplier of the milking plant.

The milk should be cooled to <5°C soon after milking and pasteurised before processing. Some people maintain that pasteurisation alters the beneficial properties of the milk, but there is no scientific evidence for this.

Sheep milk can be processed into any dairy product. Most dairy products are made by adding selected starter cultures to the milk and most cheeses are made by curding the milk with rennet. There are hundreds of different cheeses and the main factor that produces variation is the technology: cheese-makers will vary the outcome of the cheese by changing the amount of rennet added, the type of starter culture, the temperature of coagulation, the time of maturation, and so on. It is difficult to give advice on what products will be most popular. In general the fresher the product the higher its yield from each litre of milk, the faster its turnover and the cash flow to the manufacturer.

Economics of production and processing

Getting started can cost anything from $50,000 to $500,000. For a hobby-farm operation it could cost as little as $50,000 to build a small herringbone parlour to milk 100-250 ewes. At the other end of the scale, half a million can be easily spent to build a large rotary dairy to milk up to 3,000 ewes and an attached cheese factory to process the milk. It is difficult to give advice on what will work as it will depend on target markets, type of enterprise, etc.

For a family enterprise already producing prime lambs, each ewe milked could generate an extra income of $80-150/year, assuming the ewes are local crossbred sheep, producing only 80-120 litres of milk per lactation. This extra income would rapidly offset establishment costs, so long as the family provides the labour.

Key contacts

Key references

Proceedings of the International Dairy Federation Seminar on Production and Utilization of Ewes' and Goats' Milk, Athens, Greece 23_25 September 1985. Bulletin of the International Dairy Federation No 202/1986 42_53

Bencini, R. 1993 `The sheep as a dairy animal: lactation, production of milk and it suitability for cheese making. PhD thesis, University of Western Australia

Dawes, S. T. 1992 `New Animal Enterprises: Merinos as Milking Sheep' In Farming on the edge of the 21st century Proceedings Australian Farm Management Society Ltd

Dawe S. T. et al 1992 Sheep Dairying: the Manual NSW Agriculture

Kervina F. et al 1981 System solutions for dairy sheep Alfa Laval AB, Tumba, Sweden

Mills, O. 1989 Practical sheep dairying: the care and milking of the dairy ewe Thorsons Publishing Group, Wellingborough, England

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