The Working Ferrets Future.

[Guest vin]

Its that time of year again where all the young ferret kits are being advertised for sale through various outlets etc etc.

 

It amazes me every time i see the adverts and the descriptions of all the different types of ferrets there is for sale..Don't even get me started on the prices they are selling at in adverts...Micro's,Angoras,Greyhound,EU Polecat crosses, and Ive even heard of Mink being used in hybrids,. Prices have me amazed and intrigued to see who would be buying these kits and for what reason ?

 

Its a crying shame for the poor old Working ferret....Generations of badly bred stock has ruined what was once a great a noble hunting partner.

 

I really do think that all the top working lines from the whole of the country need to be conserved between the owners and fellow hunters..We need to start a breeding programme and preserve what is left of old lines and genuine working bred stock.

 

I know many individuals who have been trying to do this for themselves for many years.... but if these people don't come out of the woodwork and start sharing and allowing other fellow hunters/workers of these critters to have access to each others best stock etc etc...I really do think the future of true working ferrets is completely doomed.

 

I would like to see in the future a " WFA " WORKING FERRET ASSOCIATION .

[peterhunter86 8,627]

I know nothing as about ferrets vin but I heard a fella saying that they don't really need to be out of working parents because there natural born killers

[runem 533]

I know nothing as about ferrets vin but I heard a fella saying that they don't really need to be out of working parents because there natural born killers

Most ferrets if worked from a very young age will work to a lesser or greater degree,however i feel if you constantly breed from a bad line of ferrets ,ie slow lazy workers,bad biters,skulkers and ferrets that wont go deep your just asking

for trouble,ferrets should be bred for purpose intended ie working,

The big question now is are we on the brink of a distinct show v working lines with ferrets,i think so

As with our hunting dogs we need to safe guard their working abilities.

[Phil Lloyd 10,736]

Never subscribed to the notion that 'All ferrets will work, if given the chance'.. .

Edited June 18, 2015 by Phil Lloyd

[david jones 97]

I think this would do the working ferrets a lot of good to open up the gene pool of good working animals around the country to each other. But in my oppion me included,most of us ferreters are a secretive bunch and have to be what with story's especially on here of ferrets going missing here there and every where. Generations of good working stock gone in how ever long it takes to empty a hutch which people have dedicated there lives to.

But the concept is a great idea.

[tjones3862 3,423]

i think every one see,s ferrets in diffrent ways,,, when it comes to a trip out.. to me when a ferret bolts half a dozen bunny,s it dont tell me they are working ok they have put bunny,s in the net or HAVE THEY,,,,, they class that has a worker,,i think different to that,,, iff i dig half dozen,, and no dowt they will be nowt left in the sets with ferrets like this,,, and i agree with the above there,s ferrets and there good ferrets,,,, ive all ways said iff iff you can dig and bolt on the day 40 rabbits with one ferret it worth a weight in gold,,,,, i have one here for stud,,lol

Edited June 16, 2015 by tjones3862

[James ed 58]

I think it's a brilliant idea it would get rid of a lot off Pad stock/lines people say is good.

But like has been said there is a lot of thieves about, so those with good lines don't really want any one else knowing!

But I do agree with you vin, if it can happen I will back it 100%

[Guest vin]

Maybe if people shared the good stuff about a bit more the thief's wouldn't think the grass is greener on the other side also ? and If the dreaded day come when you find yourself a victim of these circumstances. ,you can at least go and get back your own bred blood from the gene pool.

 

Just a thought.

 

I keep no Jills anymore so therefore have no kits to steal... But next year I would be more than willing to put a few chosen Jills in my spare hutches and rear some kits for the Gene pool.

 

Jim's Hob would be a good start..

 

Its good Jill's that are the hardest to find.. . .Just to echo what Phil and Jim said...Some people are happy with below average ferrets and think they have good working stock. . . Truth is...Not many really do anymore.. There needs to be strong adhered to guide lines in what attributes are required and insisted upon before it even qualifies as a worker in the 1st place.. Especially in the case of Jills.

 

I know James Bradley has been on a mission for years with his ferrets and ferrets from all over the country.... But after all this time can he genuinely say he has found the best of the best yet ? Has anyone ? I know I haven't.

[mackay 3,044]

i think every one see,s ferrets in diffrent ways,,, when it comes to a trip out.. to me when a ferret bolts half a dozen bunny,s it dont tell me they are working ok they have put bunny,s in the net or HAVE THEY,,,,, they class that has a worker,,i think different to that,,, iff i dig half dozen,, and no dowt they will be nowt left in the sets with ferrets like this,,, and i agree with the above there,s ferrets and there good ferrets,,,, ive all ways said iff iff you can dig and bolt on the day 40 rabbits with one ferret it worth a weight in gold,,,,, i have one here for stud,,lol

 

 

i think every one see,s ferrets in diffrent ways,,, when it comes to a trip out.. to me when a ferret bolts half a dozen bunny,s it dont tell me they are working ok they have put bunny,s in the net or HAVE THEY,,,,, they class that has a worker,,i think different to that,,, iff i dig half dozen,, and no dowt they will be nowt left in the sets with ferrets like this,,, and i agree with the above there,s ferrets and there good ferrets,,,, ive all ways said iff iff you can dig and bolt on the day 40 rabbits with one ferret it worth a weight in gold,,,,, i have one here for stud,,lol

There is your first stumbling block, not every ones idea of worker is the same.

Some folks will be happy plodding about on a Sunday morning bolting a few rabbits and think their ferret is the best thing since sliced bread and worthy of breeding from, when in reality it's only a mediocre worker.

Add to that many people will always consider theirs best regardless of what else is out there and available to them.

It's no different from the dogs we use, many many people year in year out breed from less than decent dogs when in many cases there are better dogs out there producing better pups.

Unfortunately most people will not even consider this to be the case under any circumstances and only when people are totally honest with themselves and their dogs/ferrets capabilities will breeding worker to worker, best to the best be a reality.

There's going to crap being bred for a long time to come.

[Fat-Ferret 857]

I did for some years have what I considered very genuine ferrets...I was never too keen to breed them as finding good working and caring homes is a difficult job...And in my area they seem to be bred by the bucket load annually.

 

I sat still for too long, and have lost all but one of my workers...What remains will work, but they are not workers...

[rabbit demon 301]

My ferrets all work different. And i would class my main hob and jill the best for the sand dunes where they do their grafting. They had plenty practice too and are good at their job now. The others are ok. I owned a hob ferret for a while that i had out plenty times. He bolted them ok.. but i never saw him catch or kill any. Had no strike in him. It'd be a great idea to start something so when your looking for a good working ferret you can get one instead of a kit from any old jill and hob thats been put together so somebody can make a few pound. Im more than happy with mine but someone else might not be if working different ground.

[canis lupus 1]

with so many idiots breeding with no knowledge just breeding for the sake of it, is there really any good line out there. plus all the angoras.

 

I been trying to study breeding lines this year out of the 6 breeders 20 odd jills only 3 of those are normal litter and 2 of the angora breeders getting any info out of them is near imposable.

 

I had rescues up until last year all have come to sickly end last year I wanted kits from working lines as I wanted healthy ferrets, thankfully I found 2 lovely lads from a pest controller but had wade through tons of rubbish on the selling site.

[The one 8,395]

I think the adverts your quoting are just sales pitch like for cars nobody wants a bog standard car there all wanting the extras so these salesmen are giving the guillable buyers the extras they want to here or they wouldn't get rid of the run of the mill gear lol

 

The real grafters are also safe but in isolated pockets , but everybody's going to say my ferrets graft nobody's going to admit keeping average ferrets if the owners can't admit the truth why bother or help them , it's no every ferret that will put rabbits out really deep burrows on the Monday and on the Tuesday work huge warrens but it's no everybody that needs them ? I don't mind helping out if anybody wants a line from one of my hobs as long as I know them or so body I know vouches for them they can use my hobs

[Guest vin]

From what I can assume so far in my quests with ferrets...Its the Lack of good Jills we are all suffering from.

[mad4it 693]

i am with you 100% vin in that we need wfa, but as said us ferreters are a secertive bunch and what with all the thefts we are all worryed about our stock. It would be good to have a working gene pool, i am willing to help