Hello Porkpal, Each ewe on the average yields slightly more than a quart a day. Some great producers reach up to two. However I'm only milking them once a day around mid day, so that if I were to split it into twice a day ( normal procedure) I would be collecting perhaps 50% more. That requires reorganizing my time schedule. Eventually we'll move towards mechanical milking, then definitely I will milk them twice. Our small scale operation is mainly focused on providing the household needs and only ocasionally selling surplus in the form of yoghurt, mozarella, ricotta or harder cheeses. I play with the milk trying out new cheese making recipes ( true Rocquefort is made from sheep's milk). My buisiness developmental strategy has been first produce on a self reliance scale; get the bugs out of the system and then find out what our customers care for, then scale up. Once I settle onto a set of manufacturing procedures in relation of what our customer's might want then I can focus in improving efficiency and expand the flock. The economy of the farm is based on organic vegetable production and the milch sheep operation is part of the overall operation. They feed on the post harvest leftovers, as well as the bedding litter is transformed into a very valuable compost that we generate in a part of a greenhouse trench where everything organic is left for a year under a layer of topsoil. We use anaerobic composting. This will provide natural bottom heating to the plants grown on top. This method of composting is called the hot bed system and was developed by french vegetable gardeners around Paris using horse manure and litter that was collected in large quantities from the city stables . After all our sheep is just part of our lifestyle and they are very amicable and easy to care.
The greenhouse next to the concrete building is the hot bed trench; the concrete building is the barn where we keep our laying chickens and our flock of sheep. In the distance is the N.Huapi lake and part of the southern Andes. ( my little patch of paradise)
The greenhouse next to the concrete building is the hot bed trench; the concrete building is the barn where we keep our laying chickens and our flock of sheep. In the distance is the N.Huapi lake and part of the southern Andes. ( my little patch of paradise)
