northern lad 2,292 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Try not to get obsessed with numbers when ferreting,yes its nice to do the 50,60 etc etc but its not the norm ! Some of my best days ferreting have been 10/12 rabbitts.If you can come home all in good order(ferrets as well) no digging nice bolts and you have a nice day,well thats what its all about imo. My advice would be spend the summer looking at your land watch the rabbits and bond with your ferret,when the season starts find some smaller warrens (that u have observed through the summer) purse net up and let the ferrets work dont be in a rush once they have bolted or blocked a couple up there soon get the knack! imo there is no such thing as a bad ferret,yes some are better than others but providing you can handle him etc sooner or later he will cotton on........and so will you lol eventually you will be able to read your ferrets behavour and he/she will tell you if theres anyone home! Buy quality purse nets it makes life so much easier.Good luck Quote Link to post
ruggers13 268 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 where do i get rabbit from to feed him through the summer if kits are only fed rabbit or shall i jutst keep feeding him what i am till september then start with rabbit and also get chicks into his diet You need too ferret in the winter, and have a freezer, not every one does this, but this is my method, i skin the rabbits and carve a pound of meat off them, this is for the dog the remainder is bagged and goes to the ferrets. Anything you want to know about feeding, hutches etc, do a search on here and tons of info will come up. where do i get rabbit from to feed him through the summer if kits are only fed rabbit or shall i jutst keep feeding him what i am till september then start with rabbit and also get chicks into his diet You need too ferret in the winter, and have a freezer, not every one does this, but this is my method, i skin the rabbits and carve a pound of meat off them, this is for the dog the remainder is bagged and goes to the ferrets. Anything you want to know about feeding, hutches etc, do a search on here and tons of info will come up. i do that with the liver i cut it into pieces about size of a 2 £ coin and give it as a treat and giving him pinkg mice and i buy adult mice for training i put it into a tube and put him close to it and when he finds it i scruff him and try getting it off him without much damage and he does well wit that cheers appreciate all your comments Quote Link to post
ruggers13 268 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Try not to get obsessed with numbers when ferreting,yes its nice to do the 50,60 etc etc but its not the norm ! Some of my best days ferreting have been 10/12 rabbitts.If you can come home all in good order(ferrets as well) no digging nice bolts and you have a nice day,well thats what its all about imo. My advice would be spend the summer looking at your land watch the rabbits and bond with your ferret,when the season starts find some smaller warrens (that u have observed through the summer) purse net up and let the ferrets work dont be in a rush once they have bolted or blocked a couple up there soon get the knack! imo there is no such thing as a bad ferret,yes some are better than others but providing you can handle him etc sooner or later he will cotton on........and so will you lol eventually you will be able to read your ferrets behavour and he/she will tell you if theres anyone home! Buy quality purse nets it makes life so much easier.Good luck thanks for the advise pal but i aint infor big numbers im trying to learn id be happy with one or two to start with when the season starts back up i was going to observe the warrens through the summer my nets are 6oz 3 1/2 ft nylon i been told to get 10 oz Quote Link to post
Nick3439 83 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I use spun poly nets by AndyKelly I feed James Wellbeloved with no dramas a big handful morning and night.... Unless there is still food in the bowl. Quote Link to post
vanman1 411 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I use spun poly nets by AndyKelly I feed James Wellbeloved with no dramas a big handful morning and night.... Unless there is still food in the bowl. Eye spun poly for me 2 mate ,heard good things of Andy kelly although have not used him personaly. Ruggers net type will depend on the type of land your ferreting myself i use spun poly but in genral the higher the 0z the less they will tangle up.Alot of my land is thick hedge,brambles etc so i try and use 10 0z wherever possible.I two feed a quality dry food especially in summer however i do have a freezer so normaly i have a steady supply of rabbits pigeons etc.I also try and give mine fish once a week especialy during breeding season ,sardines,mackeral etc they love it!A raw egg once in a while is a nice treat , but dont over do it again once a week is enough! If you feed . dry food make sure they have plenty of fresh water mine drink 3-4 times the amount on the days they have dry food compared to a carcass. Quote Link to post
norseman 424 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 you can also make your own purse nets, can get all the gear from ebay or agouti. you have loads of time from now to nest season. after 2 nets you'll be flying. Quote Link to post
ruggers13 268 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 i dont think id get the hang of making nets nets but never know though might give it a go i got a few from properferrets and i got a ferret box from there not bad but i may aswel start buying 10 oz whats the difference between the materials ? do i have to breed my hob ? or is that just gills what need to get bred thanks for all comments its really helping cheers Quote Link to post
norseman 424 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 hobs wont "die" if not mated, I think that's what your getting at, you should get a friend for that ferret though making nets is piss easy, plenty of tutorial videos on youtube to keep you right most people go with spun poly when knitting purse nets. and you have a choice of colours. Quote Link to post
vanman1 411 Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 Spun poly imo is the best ive used,hemp is good but you must hang them out to dry properly otherwise they rott. You do not need to breed your hobb or jill,however with jills if you do not have 100% hygine they can get potental fatal infections.You can have your jills jabbed to take them out of season,you can use a vasectomised hobb to bring her out,or just keep her and the hutch spotless and she will be fine.I would advise against breeding until you have a good knowledge of ferrets and you are sure you can house the kits which can be anything from 1-14 in number! If you have 1 hobb and one jill you will need to seperate them if you are going to let her come out of season naturally otherwise the old hobb will shag her silly and pester her relentless and unless he or she is a jaffer you will have young! Quote Link to post
ruggers13 268 Posted March 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 yeah i was thinking that norseman cheers i wasnt planning on breeding my thoughts were if i or when i get a gill to keep him company how would i stop them breeding it would be too much of a handful for me as im just starting to learn, how much would it cost to get my hob done ? then i wouldnt have a problem ill give net making a go and ill keep it posted do colours matter ? and would it be best to gett a gill whilst my hobis still young ? ceers and thanks for all comments Quote Link to post
vanman1 411 Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 yeah i was thinking that norseman cheers i wasnt planning on breeding my thoughts were if i or when i get a gill to keep him company how would i stop them breeding it would be too much of a handful for me as im just starting to learn, how much would it cost to get my hob done ? then i wouldnt have a problem ill give net making a go and ill keep it posted do colours matter ? and would it be best to gett a gill whilst my hobis still young ? ceers and thanks for all comments Vasectomised hobb where iam is about £60-70 , yes get jill asap ferrets genrally do not do well on there own mate.There will be loads of kits available in the next couple of months ,you do not have to get a jill ,hobbs will live fine together especially if they are simular age,i have 3 hobbs together 24/7 never had a problem.Some people prefer hobbs for working and i wouldnt part with mine for the world! 1 Quote Link to post
ruggers13 268 Posted March 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 cheers pal i got told that when hobs get to adults they gt too big to go down the holes but then ive seen jack russels down rabbit holes when i get another ferret will they bothlearn together next season Quote Link to post
pie-eater 377 Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 yeah i was thinking that norseman cheers i wasnt planning on breeding my thoughts were if i or when i get a gill to keep him company how would i stop them breeding it would be too much of a handful for me as im just starting to learn, how much would it cost to get my hob done ? then i wouldnt have a problem ill give net making a go and ill keep it posted do colours matter ? and would it be best to gett a gill whilst my hobis still young ? ceers and thanks for all comments Bright coloured nets are easier to see when it comes time to pick them up. The spun poly is realy nice to knit with and handles well in the field. Quote Link to post
pie-eater 377 Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 cheers pal i got told that when hobs get to adults they gt too big to go down the holes but then ive seen jack russels down rabbit holes when i get another ferret will they bothlearn together next season I prefer hobs personaly but I also keep a couple of jills. The hobs certainly have more stamina and they can take a bit more punishment underground. Quote Link to post
Nick3439 83 Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Jill's are more skittish and jumpy too Quote Link to post
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