Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

a little special attention every day) and the kickers, a little time gets lost that I try to make up in
the cleaning process. An over-the-sink washer unit, which is attached to the vacuum system,
eliminates much of the manual cleaning.
Initially, the milk was collected in buckets, cooled in coolers of ice water and frozen in a
chest freezer. With changing customer requirements and higher milk volume, the system became
outdated and was this year replaced with a small bulk tank and commercial freezer. The bulk
tank also made it possible for me to be included in some fresh milk shipments this past summer,
which saved on freezer space needs.
For the first two years, I operated under a system of milking once per day. Lambs were left
with their moms overnight and separated from them in the morning. Milking was done at 6 PM.
Two hours after the last ewe was milked, moms and lambs were reunited. The delay in reuniting
allowed ewes to accumulate a milk supply before the lambs nursed, avoiding mastitis problems.
It was always an amazing sight to put moms and lambs back together – the noise level would go
from a roar to utter silence as they all found each other. This system offered a number of advantages
for me. The lambs grew well, the time commitment was less than would have been required
for twice/day milking, and I had the option of skipping a day if I had a work commitment
or simply needed a day off. The downside was lower butterfat, as ewes held the butterfat for the
lambs. My butterfat rose from 4% to over 9% on the first test I took after lambs were taken off
for the season.
In my third season, I took the year off to work on the many farm and fencing projects that
had accumulated while the dairy operation was getting up and running. This past summer, it was
back to business. For the first time, the sheep were milked twice per day. Fortunately, my
daughter was willing to step in and help out in a big way this year.
Other Adventures
Over the last seven years, the farm has branched off in a number of unexpected directions
that have cemented it as a way of life and helped to support the operation. The first was Denny,
the border collie, who has been a lifesaver in time and energy. Sue was later added and the first
litter of puppies arrived in 2000. Sue’s next batch is due on the same day as the Symposium
tour (bad timing!). In 1996, I married a folk singer who vowed never to become a sheep farmer.
And I vowed never to become a musician. We have since found the middle ground and have
termed EwePhoria Farm as Home of Happy Sheep and Sweet Music. We have combined the
music and sheep raising and are now performing music together, taking Denny on the road doing
demonstrations, giving spinning demonstrations, and selling sheep related crafts at festivals and
other events. Spare time has become something of a luxury, to say the least. Although the farm
at its current size doesn’t support the family, it does provide supplemental income and a great
existence.