East Friesian Dairy Sheep
The East Friesian is a breed of dairy sheep and is the second most milk productive sheep in the world, producing in average 300-600 litres per 200 to 300 day lactation. The tail is thin and free of wool. High fertility produces litters of lambs-usually 3 or 4-each season.
Most of their energy goes into producing milk to feed their lambs so they have a lean carcass.
Fleece production ranges from 4-5 kilograms and is used for weaving with an average 35-37 microns and a staple length of 120-160mm.
So far, the East Friesians have proven a challenge to establish in our extreme climate, and milk production has been limited to feeding the lamb drop this spring. While the ewes are happy enough, it looks like it will take a few seasons for milk production and our infrastructure to develop enough to allow sheep’s milk cheese making to reach a commercial level.