# Milking sheep: anyone ever use a breast pump?



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

So maybe this is nuts, I know. However ... if anyone would know you guys would so I'm asking!

Sheep are a pain to milk as they are so short and you can't get a good grip on the teat to get a handful like you do with a cow. You can milk, sure, and the milk is great for bottle babies and all.

I have some good milky mommas who would have enough to donate and share, but I can't convince myself to either get down there and bend over to milk, nor to build a raised stanchion for the few weeks of the year I'd use it.

I'm thinking that a regular human breast pump (say, the medela battery operated one like I used waaay long ago when my kid was born) would probably work on a sheep. The teats on a sheep aren't all that long (well, maybe 3 cm?), and the pumps come with different sizes of shields.

So has anyone tried this? Would I be nuts?


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## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

I've actually wondered the same thing...glad you asked!


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

mmm. I'm a certified lactation educator and medela retail account. I've wondered about modifying breastpumps for goat milking but goat teats are shaped so differently.

Human milk release goes like this: stimulation at the nipple causes the pituatary glad to release a hormone, the hormone causes the muscle band surrounding the grape-like milk-producing tissue clusters in the breast to contract, which in turn forces milk to ooze/flow out of the clusters and into the ducts. Milk is actually transferred (moved) from the ducts into the baby's mouth by a) initial suction; b) baby pulls mom's nipple deeply into baby's throat, to the soft palate area; c) stroking of the baby's tongue on the underside of the nipple; and d) formation of a vacuum by the seal of baby's mouth around the areola and release of the vacuum by baby swallowing.

A breast pump mimics only part of this process: 1) stimulation from the pump to induce release of hormone from the pituatary; 2) rythymical creation and release of a vacuum.

Breastpumps have been highly researched to find the right pressure wave to occur during the vacuum build/release to induce maximum results on a human breast. Each woman is unique and so most decent quality breastpumps allow for adjustment of the speed and of the strength of the vacuum formation.

A newly understood part of the breastpump success is the relationship between the breastshield (cup) and the nipple - the diameter of the tube part of the breastshield has to be wide enough to allow the nipple to dialate as milk is released/flows - but narrow enough to maintain vacuum pressure/stimulation. How the breast shield fits during a non-milking time doesn't indicate what size breast shield is needed.

So - it might work but I think it's going to require you just about laying under the ewe to watch and see how her nipples are dialating/fitting the cups. 

And the big question - are you going to bump her udder to get more milk? Human babies do this all the time, btw, pushing with their hands as they nurse. (I was just kidding about bumping, lol)

I bet that didn't help at all. Just try! and let us know if you had any success.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Woohooo a lacatation consultant is answering our questions!

So ... tell me this, if the end of the teat on a sheep is oh, say .8 cm (maybe 1 cm) and about ... hmmm ... 3 cm from the rounded udder (the 'breast'), then which nipple shield size do I need? 

I have a friend who is pumping and nursing but I really doubt she'll let me borrow the pump and then give it BACK for her to use.  Maybe when she's done breastfeeding! I could buy one locally for about $50 but I'm not quite motivated enough to try that yet.

Maybe I will post a wanted ad on Kijiji and see if anyone will donate one to the cause of science. 

I'll let ya know!


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

Frazzlehead, not only a lactation educator but a lactation educator with milking sheep! lol.

Eyeballing my east friesian x ewe - I think I'd start with the 24mm shield and see how that works.

mmm.... I think I might try setting up to give this a whirl myself. Curiousity might kill me otherwise....


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Hey Cathleen, go for it! You've got the equipment handy, right? 

Just THINK of the marketing possibilities ... you could start up an 'off label use' consultancy.


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## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

There should be fairly easy access to used breast pumps for this, since they're not _really suposed to be reused (hygiene issue). Of course, I know plenty of moms who will sterilize and reuse, but there are lots of used pumps at garage sales that don't go too. I have one that I was going to donate to good will, but my DH stopped me so I could use it to milk one of our future animals. I couldn't believe he would even think of such a thing - I just love him! Anyways, I just got 3 pg Shetlands today, but I don't know that they'll know me well enough to let me hook them up to a machine after giving birth. If they do, y'all will be the first to hear about it!!!_


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

mommahen2four said:


> There should be fairly easy access to used breast pumps for this, since they're not _really suposed to be reused (hygiene issue). Of course, I know plenty of moms who will sterilize and reuse, but there are lots of used pumps at garage sales that don't go too. I have one that I was going to donate to good will, but my DH stopped me so I could use it to milk one of our future animals. I couldn't believe he would even think of such a thing - I just love him! Anyways, I just got 3 pg Shetlands today, but I don't know that they'll know me well enough to let me hook them up to a machine after giving birth. If they do, y'all will be the first to hear about it!!!_


_


hospital grade breastpumps can be reused - they can be sterilized. The parts that connect to them should not be 'shared' though technically they can be sterilized also._


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## Shoupie (Mar 21, 2009)

You can use a drenching gun the kind that is usually attached to a drenching backpack. I just have a replacement gun with a piece of clear vinyl hose attached to the end so i don't have to worry about getting medicine residue out every time i switch. Then according to how large your ewes nipples are you get a catheter tipped syringe and put the tip into the other end of the vinyl hose. The larger opening in the syringe then goes over the ewes nipple and you point the drenching end of the gun into a soda bottle, pail whatever your using to collect the milk and then pump. You have to play around with it a little at first to figure out how much of a vacuum, you need to create to get the milk to flow the most efficiently.








btw all mammals go through the same hormone stimulation that human moms do, i always massage the ewe's udder to get her milk to flow better, lambs bump to i've sure you've seen two big twin lambs rush up to their mama and lift her hind end off the ground as they bump her udder to get the milk to flow


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## FairviewFarm (Sep 16, 2003)

Hand held pumps for livestock are available.

http://www.udderlyezllc.com/


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

According to experienced sheep dairy producers, the hand held milkers are ok for occasional use, but may cause teat and udder damage if used regularly.
This is due to not having a consistant vacuum rate and no pulsation.

Deb


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Good to know! I only milk occasionally (to get extra for bottle lambs) so it's good to know to watch carefully for signs of damage.

Lots to think about!


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## redgrizzly69 (Jun 21, 2006)

Check out the UDDERLY E Z MILKER. I bought one this year after looking at them for a couple years, wish I would have bought one years ago. They now have a 1 quart bottle that fits on it. They are expensive but really worked slick. The ewe just stood there and her milk just seemed to drain out.


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

I did NOT like my hand held pump with the ewes; it was far too hard on their udders and nearly impossible to adjust to get the right amount of suction to both stay on and not draw blood. And I wasn't alone in that problem, either.

In the long run, if you can't afford to buy a milking machine, you're probably better off culling the ewes who's udders don't conform.

Have you got a milking stand for them so you're not needing to get down so low?


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