[summermeadows]

I know there are dairy sheep in the UK and I am exploring ideas regarding keeping sheep. I currently farm a small flock (50) for meat and wool (don't laugh, the wool is currently nothing more than a by-product of course, being mainly Welsh sheep) but I would be interested to know of anyone's experience milking on a small scale.

[Moleskins]

It would be my guess that you should find an outlet for the milk by way of cheese production before you go any further with the idea.
Have you thought about goats, their milk is more saleable along with goats cheese so the market may be bigger for the produce, but obviously no wool or meat potential from goats. ( well not much I wouldn't have thought )
Either way I wouldn't expect to get rich, a farmer here tried goats and not nowhere.

[plumseverywhere]

I thought about milking my Lleyn Cross! I wanted to try making sheep's milk soap to complement my range of goats soap but I was told so many horror stories about how much hard work it is that I gave up on the idea  I think their teats make it really hard ?  Good luck though with whatever you decide!

[Fleecewife]

Hebrideans were apparently milked by the crofters and earlier.  Although they are described in some literature as a milk sheep I have heard of only one person who milks them, or was thinking of milking them.  I did think of it once but as lambs are our main product I didn't want to compromise their health by taking some of the milk.
We live near the Lanark cheese farm, which uses sheeps milk for some of their range, but Hebs are not suitable for them as they use machines to milk - apparently Heb teats are too small and at the wrong angle for the machinery. 
Whereabouts are you summermeadows? - they are very helpful at the cheese farm and always willing to share their extensive knowledge.
For hand milking - I think you would need to be very keen.  One big problem is that sheep only lactate for about 5 months each year, and apparently the grazing available over those months affects the quality of the product, so even if you persuade them to lamb out of season, the milk might not be suitable for cheese.
I have not tried this myself but am scratching my brain to remember what the sheeps cheese man told us 

I do think that if you could learn how to milk a native breed of breed of sheep (and cope with the enormous obstacles officialdom will put in your way) there would be a great niche to fill, far less usual than goats milk, which is freely available.

[Rosemary]

Contact the British Sheep Dairying Association www.sheepdairying.co.uk, if you can get any joy.

I wanted them to come and do something at the Smallholder Festival but despite numerous emails, pailed to even get a response.

[Bramblecot]

Hi, Try contacting Wootton Organic Dairy - Bartlett Brothers, Sunnyside Farm, North Wootton , Somerset, BA4 4AQ. 01749 890248.  They make wonderful sheep milk cheeses    :yum:and sell at Farmers Markets in the South West.  They are very helpful, have given my OH loads of practical advice (which meant we did not take up dairy sheep), and deserve every success.  I think they use a breed called Friesland - which are like milking machines, all bone and no meat.  It is quite intensive farming 

[summermeadows]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm in North Wales and some of my Welsh/Texel cross ewes have teats at least as big as the goats we used to have here! That's what gave me the idea, but I'm not really talking about anything commercial, just a pottering smallholder maybe being self-sufficient in milk for part of the year if I'm honest. Our land wouldn't be ideal for serious dairying of any kind I guess (hill farm) but it's interesting to see what other people think. I just really like sheep and I know many cultures have milked their ewes in times past (and maybe still do). I guess the first thing would be to try some sheeps milk if I can get hold of any - I might not even like it!!!

[HappyHippy]

I don't know about milking sheep (don't have any dairy animals myself  ) but I know they use sheeps milk to make Roquefort, Feta, Ricotta and Percorino cheeses  Deffo enough reason to try 
Good luck and do let us know how you get on please.
Karen 

[smithycraft]

I've had a go at milking our sheep (Suffolk and Cheviot crosses), I wanted to try making some cheese from it.  When we've had ewes that have lost their lambs it seemed like the perfect opportunity but I found that they were a lot less co-operative than my goats and also a lot muckier.  I may have another go one day.