We hope you are all well. The new year kind of just started and there happened a lot on Big Bear Ranch already.  I am totally behind my office work!

Most important and best news first: My first grandson, Finnegan Arthur Krumsiek, was born on 08.02.2017. The whole family is totally happy, although the young parents (Florian and Stefanie) are missing out on some sleep because Finnegan wants to drink every hour.

Steffi worked at the vet clinic until 3 days before giving birth and – despite being heavily pregnant – spent much of the rest of her remaining spare time on the ranch and with the animals.

Now the rest of the February News:

Pigs: Last Tuesday I brought this 13 nice finished pigs to our butcher in Kamloops for our March Delivery:

We will bring two more loads of pigs to the butcher, on March 21st and on April 11th. Then all 54 pigs from last spring will be butchered and we have to wait until the newborns of our latest litters (January 2017) will be ready. That will probably not be until December. 

So far we had three pig litters this year:

• 10 piglets on January 19th,
• 8 on February 7th (in the coldest night with -30°C) and the last one with
• 13 on February 24th (after it warmed up to 0°C).

 

That leaves 3 more sows to go!

Cattle: All beef from the first butcher dates are already sold. Now we are looking at an August or September delivery if you order some right now.

Two days ago we heard the first geese, and the woodpeckers are drumming like crazy. The weather is uncommonly mild for February right now. The Dogs and the cats enjoyed the sunshine already – as we all did.

Maybe we have an early spring like last year!?
Now I have to visit Finnegan, bye bye
Rainer