Finally, after many months of planning and searching, we got our very first Awassi Sheep! They were very difficult to find as pure-bred Awassi are quite rare here in Texas, but I managed to located a sheep breeder in Hubbard,TX (2 hours drive away). He had a small herd of about 40 sheep, but only a handful of pure bred Awassi.

After much deliberation, we bought an Awassi Ewe with two ewe lambs. We named them Sheba(mom), Cottontail (white lamb), and S’mores (brown & white lamb).

Sheba has milk since she gave birth to the twin lambs on February 18th, 2021. However, it was difficult to milk her at first due to my inexperience and lack of preparation. We have yet to make a proper milking station where to tie the sheep so she will not be able to move around so much while I am trying to milk her.

But I manage to squeeze out about 5-6 ounces of milk every time so I think I’m getting better at it. Trust me, it looks so easy when the pros do it but when you have to do it it’s a whole another story!

The sheep graze our 1/3 acre pasture and have plenty of hay, pellet feed and mineral supplements for their daily feed. We got them a large water trough and a hay feeder as well so they seem pretty content. Although they are still very skittish and will not let us come near them unless cornered in their sheep shelter.

We lock the sheep up in their shelter every night and barricade the door so no coyotes can get in. So far there have been no predator problems.

I rather enjoy the whole milking process, despite the uncomfortable circumstances because it is actually kind of therapeutic. If I can get enough milk to make some cheese I will definitely try to make some pecorino romano or feta. That will also take some time to learn so I don’t expect that to be soon. I am looking forward to it though!