When My Awassi Sheep Gave Birth To A Triplets

This is my other sheep.

Awassi sheep are hardy, indigenous species that is the main breed of sheep in Syria. They can deal with the harsh environmental conditions we regularly have: Drought, dust, heat, cold, hunger and lack of optimum conditions for animal husbandry. But people are found of them. They are part of their day-to-day culture. They provide them with milk, cheese, yogurt(with their probiotics that runs in their bodies God knows since when), meat, wool and everything in between. I can hardly ever think of any part that is not used. Total recycling you may call it. Even their dung the all natural fertilizer that have(after proper fermentation) so earthy a smell that produces the lively, healthy vegetables you can think off. You fellow growers know what I mean when the aroma of these tomatoes and cucumbers hits you hard in the face and pushes you to eat them upfront in the garden all safe, no herbicides or pesticides whatsoever.

Awassi sheep grazing in my pistachio field.

So when I decided to introduce sheep to my farm I had many concerns to deal with. As I will tell you elsewhere my main aim is to a have a sustainable, diversified farm with every element embedded in it capable of living in coherence with the other, but how can sheep cop with my pistachios, olives and other trees?

I finally solved that dilemma by taking special means to protect the trees and hire extra shepherds to look around when sheep are around them. But sheep love greeneries and would adore those succulent olive, pistachios and grape shoots but we had sheep.

The flock was mediocre in size (300)ewes, rams, and lambs.

Here they are grazing the olives field.

I tried to give them additional feed(barley) plus letting them roaming the farm picking grass and depositing their manure in the way.

I knew that when you improve the nutritional conditions of ewes before ovulation you increase the lively hood of twining which is not very common in Awassi sheep, maybe their DNA taught them thousands of years over that there won`t be much pasture and feed for singlet rather than a twin.

As time went buy we have the ewes giving birth mainly to singlet, rather healthy ones with few twins which I was fond of just to prove my theory that better care pays. But those poor sheep had no choice. Suffering had made their DNA to work its way, not mine.

One day I called on a Vet from the city to go with me to the farm(40 km up north) to check on the sheep and hoping for suggestions.

The doctor did his chores when he noticed a ewe laying around.

• I think she is in labor.
• you think so? she didn`t seem to me pregnant at all. Her middle frame and not so healthy look.
• Let me give her a helping hand. What else would you expect from a young enthusiastic vet.

In no time he had his gloves on and in 5 minutes pulled a little baby lamb.

WOW. This little lady, I exclaimed in joy.

• Wait a minute. He said with gust of pearl shiny drops on his forefront.
• What is wrong. Is she O.K.?
• There is another one.
• Another what? I yelled.
• ANOTHER FETUS.
• OMG. This little lady.
• I stood near by watching him trying to help her. This time took him maybe 10 minutes and behold .Really another one.

I took my phone and started filming him( I eventually uploaded it on Youtube. link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ4mZcXTaAM)

Now those sweat drops on his forehead started to connect. In a minute he turned back.

• You know?
• WHAT?
• I think there is a third.
• Now I froze still. I never thought this will happen at my farm.

He went back and here he holds THE third one. 3 little female baby lambs laying side by side on a hemp sack. What a joy.

The mother was so weak she couldn`t nurse any of them. We manage to foster each one of them with a healthy mother who had a singlet.

I looked at him sweat turning into stream. Now you made my day.

On our way back to the city all we talked about: What else. The mother of the triplets.

• Genetically speaking this is a rare condition but proves you did a good job. Improving circumstances helps a lot. Those Awassi sheep are real heroes.
• But she became so weak. Couldn`t stand up. What is wrong. Doc?
• This is natural. It was hard on her middle frame. Those babies absorbed her calcium supply. That is the reason. But she will be alright.

All night long I was thinking about her. It is an accomplishment.

But I was worried.

Next morning I was a the farm early asking the shepherd about the baby lambs and their mother.

• Look there. They are fine each one with her surrogate mother they are doing fine. Look how happy they are but….
• But?
• You know it was hard on her. She didn`t make . I tended her all night but few minutes ago she …..died.

Now I was sweating hard. Slowly walking to the shed by my self trying to conceal my face.

Here she was motionless. I put my hand on her when a drop of tear touched her wool. Sorry baby . Your DNA knew better.