When the lambs no longer need mother's milk, that milk can be used to make sheep cheese and butter. Milking sheep and making cheese and butter used to be a task for the farmer's wife.

Milking sheep

It was not until the 19th century that Texel farmers started milking sheep themselves. Dairy preparation remained the domain of the farmer's wife until around 1980, when the sheep were milked mechanically and dairy preparation also became a task for the farmer.