shepherdswatch 0 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 This topic has been brought about as a result of the greyhound ferret thread and has developed another tangent as a result of Romany52's recollection of the Abbot Bros ferret breeders.Does anyone remember visiting these breeders,do you have any photo's from your visits there and more importantly what happened to them since they have stopped advertising in Exchange and Mart,are they still breeding ferrets on a smaller scale or have they stopped altogether?Does anyone personally know these brothers? Higgins. Have had much fun reading your thread on Abbot Bros. I am Helen Abbot, great grand daughter of one of the original Abbot Bros.My father ran the establishment at Thuxton for many years and he lives in the farm house there. The business became unviable really when the railways stopped taking livestock. You wouldn't recognise the place now, although the pig stys still remain, though sadly empty. I would love to hear any more about the old boy 'Charlie' who worked for my grandfather and father.....he certainly was a character. Quote Link to post
shepherdswatch 0 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 FELLAS , I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP THE PHOTOS TO MYSELF FOR THE MOMENT FOR A FUTURE PROJECT ALL THE BEST DUCKWING Fairplay Duckwing i'm sure there's a good few fella's on here would be interested in your project Higgins Have had much fun reading your thread on Abbot Bros. I am Helen Abbot, great grand daughter of one of the original Abbot Bros.My father ran the establishment at Thuxton for many years and he lives in the farm house there. The business became unviable really when the railways stopped taking livestock. You wouldn't recognise the place now, although the pig stys still remain, though sadly empty. I would love to hear any more about the old boy 'Charlie' who worked for my grandfather and father.....he certainly was a character. I would love to see your photos regards Quote Link to post
shepherdswatch 0 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Have had much fun reading your thread on Abbot Bros. I am Helen Abbot, great grand daughter of one of the original Abbot Bros.My father ran the establishment at Thuxton for many years and he lives in the farm house there. The business became unviable really when the railways stopped taking livestock. You wouldn't recognise the place now, although the pig stys still remain, though sadly empty. I would love to hear any more about the old boy 'Charlie' who worked for my grandfather and father.....he certainly was a character. 0 Quote Link to post
DottyDoo 500 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 FELLAS , I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP THE PHOTOS TO MYSELF FOR THE MOMENT FOR A FUTURE PROJECT ALL THE BEST DUCKWING Fairplay Duckwing i'm sure there's a good few fella's on here would be interested in your project Higgins Have had much fun reading your thread on Abbot Bros. I am Helen Abbot, great grand daughter of one of the original Abbot Bros.My father ran the establishment at Thuxton for many years and he lives in the farm house there. The business became unviable really when the railways stopped taking livestock. You wouldn't recognise the place now, although the pig stys still remain, though sadly empty. I would love to hear any more about the old boy 'Charlie' who worked for my grandfather and father.....he certainly was a character. I would love to see your photos regards hi helen, welcome to the site.......... did you keep the line of ferrets going ??? Quote Link to post
Jamie m 668 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 Yes any ferrets still about ? Or know of anyone with the greyhound ferrets ? Quote Link to post
shepherdswatch 0 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 FELLAS , I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP THE PHOTOS TO MYSELF FOR THE MOMENT FOR A FUTURE PROJECT ALL THE BEST DUCKWING Fairplay Duckwing i'm sure there's a good few fella's on here would be interested in your project Higgins Have had much fun reading your thread on Abbot Bros. I am Helen Abbot, great grand daughter of one of the original Abbot Bros.My father ran the establishment at Thuxton for many years and he lives in the farm house there. The business became unviable really when the railways stopped taking livestock. You wouldn't recognise the place now, although the pig stys still remain, though sadly empty. I would love to hear any more about the old boy 'Charlie' who worked for my grandfather and father.....he certainly was a character. I would love to see your photos regards hi helen, welcome to the site.......... did you keep the line of ferrets going ??? Sadly no,I am 1 of 4 daughters and have never actually owned a ferret! (p.s am i doing this right I have never posted on a sitebefore) Quote Link to post
Davidh 5 Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 I first had a polecat hob delivered by road courier, AMTRAK I think (the driver said it had stunk out his van). I then visited them and the ferrets were either in a long shed about 30' x 10' with cages floor to ceiling on both sides and if you couldn't find one in there then there were about 200 housed in old pig stys. I brought a albino and polecat jill and a white hob. The albino turned out to be pregnant (she had 10). The polecat was the best tempered ferret I have ever owned and she was a fine worker. She lived until she was about 13 years old. I went there in the early mid eighties. Wish they were still trading. Quote Link to post
kitch 1 Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Thats a name from the past was it in norfolk some were i remember an older lad who we knocked about with sending for one and it arrived at the train station in a 3 foot long narrow box with air holes in and the big hob ferret that came out was nearly as long as the box i believe they bred different types big one's for the use of line ferrets and smaller typs for ratting.We were fortunate that we had doncaster market the pet shop their years ago was the main source of a lot of lads getting their first ferret Quote Link to post
kitch 1 Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 core doncaster market going back some time can remember buying 2 ferrits from there as a kid years ago gettin um home and none would go to ground a proper gutter . Quote Link to post
lksopener 105 Posted April 27, 2011 Report Share Posted April 27, 2011 Amazing to hear your stories Duckwing about times long since past. I am to yound (23) to remember the adverts but it's great to see a thread reliving the dayss of old. Keep us up to date with your project Duckwing. I for one would be very interested to read/see more! Quote Link to post
newclo 0 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 WELL FELLAS , I TRAVELLED 5 HOURS WITH MY OLD FELLA AND AN UNCLE .....DOWN TO THRUXTON AND BOUGHT SOME FERRETS FROM THE ABBOTTS IT WAS ABOUT 1974 / 75 AS MY UNCLE WAS WORKING ON THE THAMES BARRIER AS A DIVER , WE WENT FOR HIS GEAR AS HE WAS JUST GOING TO WORK DIVING ON THE OIL RIGS IN THE FAR NORTH ......... DANGEROUS BUT WELL PAID AT THE TIME ..... BEING A BIRD MAN AS WELL ........... THE PLACE WAS LIKE AN ALADDINS CAVE TO ME AND I WAS THERE HOURS , THERE WAS JUST ABOUT EVERY BREED OF POULTRY , PIGEON , RABBIT IMAGINABLE ......... !!! MOST I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE ........................ THERE WAS FIELDS FULL OF POULTRY RUNS , BARNS FULL OF RABBIT AND PIGEON PENS ....... AND ............ A HUGE PIGSTY ........ IN EACH PIGSTY THERE WAS A WALLED TILED AREA ABOUT 12 X 6 WITH A SALT GLAZED PIPE SET IN THE SIDE FOR THE SWILL TO BE FED ........ THIS WAS FULL OF STRAW AND THE BOTTOM HAD A LAYER OF 3 INCHES OF SHAVINGS ........ IN EACH OF THE TEN OR SO STYS WAS AROUND 60 JILL FERRETS OF DIFFERING TYPES IN EACH STY .............. THEY WERE ALL VERY HEALTHY AND WELL FED ........... I REMEMBER SEEING FULL STILL BORN CALF CARCASES IN EACH STY .!! .. THEY SLEPT IN THE FEED TROUGH ................ AROUND THE SIDES OF THE WALLS WERE HUNDREDS OF CAGES WHICH HELD THE HOBS ................ SOME REAL BEAUTYS AMONGST THEM ...................... I WAS EVENTUALLY TORN AWAY BY THE OLD FELLA AFTER BUYING 6 GREYHOUND FEERRETS , 6 NORMAL FERRETS AND TWO PAIR OF NORWICH CROPPER PIGEONS ......... THE GREYHOUNDS WERE MAINLY WHITE OR SANDY AND THE NORMALS WERE A MIX OF POLECAT / SANDYS AND WHITES WHICH I PICKED , AND ....... THOUGH I DO SAY IT MYSELF , EVEN AS A KID I HAD A GOOD EYE AND PICKED WHAT I THOUGHT WERE HIS BEST STOCK ............. MY LINES ALL GO BACK STILL TO THEM ORIGINALS THEY ALSO HAD WHAT THEY TERMED TO BE THE MINI FERRETS , THEY WERE NEARLY DOUBLE THE PRICE AND TO MY EYES TOO SMALL AND WEAK TO DEAL WITH A HEAVY DAYS FERRETING OF GETTING KICKED AROUND ..................... ABOUT 1982 / 83 A MATE AND I WENT BACK DOWN TO PICK UP MY UNCLE AGAIN FROM WORKING ON THE BARRIER ................ WE ONCE AGAIN MADE THE PILGRIMAGE TO ABBOTS ............ NOW MY MATE IS A BIRD MAN AS WELL AS A DYED IN THE WOOL HUNTING MAN .......SO WATCHING HIS FACE AS WE TOURED THE POULTRY PENS AND CAGES WITH THE LIVESTOCK IN WAS A PICTURE !!! I BROUGHT HOME ANOTHER PAIR OF CROPPERS AND TWO GREYHOUND HOBS , ONE JILL AND 2 POLECAT NORMAL JILLS ........... TO MY EYES THERE HAD BEEN A DROP IN THE GENERAL STANDARD OF THE FERRET STOCK ........ AND AGAIN I THINK I PICKED THE BEST THEY HAD ON THE PLACE , MY MATE BROUGHT HOME A TRIO OF MINIS .......... BEAUTIFUL LITTLE THINGS HOWEVER ..... AS I SUSPECTED ............ THEY WERE FINE ON SMALL WARRENS ................. BUT .............. OFTEN CAME AWAY FROM LARGE OLD WARRENS WHEN THE OLD BUCKS WERE DISHING OUT THE PUNISHMENT , KICKING THEM AROUND THE BIG TUBES EVENTUALLY MY FRIEND GAVE UP ON THEM AND I ASKED AND RECIEVED A TINY POLECAT BITCH WHICH I ADDED INTO ONE LINE OF THE NORMALS , WHICH AT THE TIME I FELT WERE GETTING A LITTLE LARGE ON THE HOBS ........ THE MINIS WERE FINE FOR SMALL WARRENS OR SPADE SHY FERRETERS ! I HAVE QUITE A FEW OLD PHOTOS OF THE PLACE AND MIGHT SEE IF I GET DIG A FEW OUT .............. ALL THE BEST DUCKWING Quote Link to post
Jamie m 668 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Yes duckwing any luck locating the pics ? Quote Link to post
MickyB 327 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Amazing to hear your stories Duckwing about times long since past. I am to yound (23) to remember the adverts but it's great to see a thread reliving the dayss of old. Keep us up to date with your project Duckwing. I for one would be very interested to read/see more! Ha ha im the same mate 22 to YOUNG to remember any of this but would love to learn more about it might google it later Quote Link to post
whin 463 Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 got pics of ferrets from abbotsford last ferrets i saw from them were 1989 d write form suffolk bought a few i got young of him they were the greyhound type good workers they worked the deep sand warrens and holes and the shingle beaches and clay pits of suffolk , was down there shuttering concrete sizwell power station , Quote Link to post
stroller 341 Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Great post thankyou for bringing back a whole host of memories, That name would make a young lad at the time dream of working in such a place amongst the stock he loved. My dad wouldnt have took me that far for a ferret he didnt approve of my "Wild ways" and used to call me a throw back (Irish travellers). but i used to read the exchange & Mart until it wore out. I had forgotten all about Abbott Bros. Thanks again Quote Link to post
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