Neal
-
Content Count
2,566 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Articles
Gun Dealer's and Fieldsports Shop's
Reloading Room
Blogs
Calendar
Store
Classifieds
Everything posted by Neal
-
Sorry mate, too big for my little hobbit feet but I'd highly recomment them to anyone else! I've been wearing supalites for the last eight years and as well as being as comfortable as slippers, as you said, they're also extremely light,as the name would suggest! I've still got my first pair which are now relegated to gardening boots. Can't compliment them highly enough!
-
I read somewhere that the original tumbler worked in a similar way to that described above ie encouraging prey to come closer, but the prey mentioned was ducks. Apparently it was similar in working style to a Nove Scotia Duck Toller. I may have got the breed name wrong there or may have got the earlier bit mixed up but I'm fairly sure it was something along those lines. There was something about encouraging ducks to follow it along a river bank until they swam staight into a net spread across the river.
-
Lots of people in the south were reporting it last year but I was lucky and didn't see any on the farm where I do the ferreting. Unfortunately, I've already seen several myxy rabbits this year and caught one this morning; at least he won't be able to pass it on.
-
I came back with one from my walk this morning with the dogs. I gave the head to the ferrets then chopped the rest in half for the dogs. In may not look very appetising to a human but dogs and ferrets don't have our sensitivities and they can't get anything from it so, "waste not: want not" I say.
-
Thanks for the advice D.S. After reading that I found an antique horse comb which I bought mainly because it looked so curious. When I got it home I tried it on one of my kelpies (for some reason he looses enough hair each week to stuff a pillow although the other one only looses hair when she's moulting) and it worked really well! I wonder if I'll get as much use out of the bilberry picker.
-
I'm definitely 100% in favour of feeding raw. I read an article about a book by an Australian vet, I think his name's Ian Billinghurst and he has a website for more information. It sounded so convincing that I decided to swap over; that was over eight years ago and I wouldn't dream of going back to complete dry food. Mine get stuff like chicken wings, whole chicken carcasses, trays of odds and ends of raw bones most nights with the occasional day of "blended" fruit and vegetables with some additives. They also get rabbits etc too of course! In the book it even mentioned, among a myriad of
-
When I first got my bushing dog (kelpie) over seven years ago the other dog (lurcher) had been used to doing all the work himself so carried on bushing. As a result the kelpie stayed on the outside waiting for bolts It took a while for each of them to realise that things worked a lot better the other way round.
-
I've never had mine insured in the past but after a massive internal bleed for the bitch earlier this year I've decided to change my opinion. I was presuming that NFU would be more accepting of possible working injuries too. Hoping to sort it out next week so will post when I find out more.
-
One of mine's the same but I assumed it was his age as he's about seven. He has however been castrated so maybe it is hormonal.
-
Thanks for the advise Bosun . I need to get a new spade before the season starts as my previous border spade has a plastic handle (see above re blisters) and it has a D handle and I'm hoping a T handle will make it easier to carry the rabbits.
-
I'm still an ambling armadillo : even after a pint of fursty ferret!
-
Thanks for putting that up Darren, I was about to ask the same myself. I've always used a border spade in the past (otherwise known as a lady spade: oo er missus!) but was considering whether a longer narrower blade would be better. I've heard bulldog are particularly good.
-
Ironically, the size could possibly be a benefit if you were digging above ground level, if that makes sense, eg into a bank. The only thing that puts me off is the plastic handle as I find I blister more easily with that than with wood. Ahhh, diddums!
-
How do I stop them using corners as a toilet?
Neal replied to Madcowz's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
No offence, but I'm really pleased to read about your problem as for the last seven years I thought it was only me who had dirty ferrets who crap everywhere. I tried putting a brick in one particular corner once as they seemed to prefer going on a higher area; it sort of worked but I kept getting it all over my hand every time I tried to lift it out to clean it . Other than that I've found the best way to avoid it slightly is as somebody said above ie keep shifting it all on to your preffered site(s). It works to some extent but still not perfect. -
Lurchers catching Pheasants and Feather?
Neal replied to cúagusgiorraí's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Typical: after saying that yesterday about wood pigeon, I go out this morning and nearly come back with a green woodpecker! It was searching for ants next to the undergrowth around the base of an oak tree and the bitch stalked it. I thought its "laughing" as it made off would put her off but as they fly quite low she kept going after it occasionaly jumping up at it. I had a beardie cross once who tried it on with a heron and a canada goose -
Lurchers catching Pheasants and Feather?
Neal replied to cúagusgiorraí's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Both my kelpies point, and sometimes flush, pheasant but, like Molly, they were broken to them as the farm where I have permission is next to a large estate. They've both caught wood pigeons in cover though -
Well I believe in them 100%! In fact I will go so far as to say that I do, in fact, own several tumblers: I keep them in the same cupboard as my pint mugs and wine glasses!
-
I've heard that restricting the height in the kennel can help as they need to stand up to shit; a bit like putting a cockerel in a box with a low roof to stop it crowing. It may of course just produce a dog which shits lying down
-
I've never owned a pure collie so couldn't comment on the difference in stamina but would agree that kelpies certainly have plenty. The tricky thing would be getting the right kind of kelpie. Don't want to blow my own trumpet ;honest; but I've been told by several other people I've met who know of others with kelpies who were surprised at how calm and relaxed mine are. I was surprised at this as I'd been lead to believe that this ability to switch off when not working was one of the beneficial traits of kelpies. I presume it's possibly either that the lines concerned were more hyper or maybe
-
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
-
I own two pure kelpies but I wouldn't necessarily say that they are better than collies. I hasten to add at this point that I'm not trying to use reverse psychology here. The problem lies in the fact that many mistakenly believe that a kelpie is simply a prick-eared smooth-coated collie which is possibly a bit tougher due to added dingo blood. They are a different breed which work differently to border collies. The only reason I work kelpies as opposed to collies is because I personally gel better with them. Both mine have particular faults but I get on so well with them that FOR ME the benefi
-
You could argue that due to history we no longer need a smithfield and although it may be possible to breed a lookalike replacement, that doesn't mean it will act or think like one. Last week I met a dog which was the spitting image of my kelpie but solid black; he turned out to be a staff x alsation, and I wouldn't want to let that round up a huge mog of merinos. Sorry to drift from the point, but surely the important thing is to breed a dog which acts like a smithfield if that's your thing rather than just looks like one. I was only trying to make a point but with every sentence I feel I'm
-
I know some will say that it is possible to have both but I always find that whenever I see an ugly dog I always assume the best as you tend to think, "well it's got nothing else going for it, it must be good."