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Everything posted by Luckee legs
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In East Anglia Cereal crops are 7 to 10 days earlier than usual, although dying on their arse with lack of water. Ground is rock hard. With high crop prices expect drilling of autumn crops to be earlier than usual if soil moisture allows. Plenty of Hares visible, rabbit numbers are variable around me
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Very old school, landline only. 01142851372 . Worth meeting him at a country show, Mick has a stand at a few with a decent selection of nets traps etc.
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Jill’s came back into season should I get jab again?
Luckee legs replied to Ethan gunn's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
Don't leave her too long, it's bloody frustrating and more money (unless it's likely the vet made a mistake) but the risk of Anemia and death from a long season is real. I lost a very good Jill waiting too long deciding on a follow up jab and it's a grim end -
Try Mick Dadd. He fixed mine, cost depends on what needs fixing and return postage, more than £25 but it was back working in 10 days
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If the vulva is decreasing in size I'd wait a few more days. There are a couple of reasons why Jill jabs fail, assuming dose calculated correctly; Ive found vets are often nervous of ferrets and may not give a well targeted injection, IMO its up to us to reassure vet and agree how to hold them before the jab. One issue that you need to be aware of is the hormone is not very stable once the vial is opened and declines in effect over time even in the fridge. Old stock that's opened may not work well enough. However, although I've had to take ferrets back for a re jab they came out of seaso, just
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Same as Welsh hunter. I've used paper,straw hay and fleece over the years, nothing is perfect. The only bedding I don't use now is paper because of problems you describe and in winter it picks up moisture, just doesn't have thermal properties of everything else. I also switch to dry food from June until I start ferreting again. They do need a lot of water when on dry food but they look good on it.
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Completely agree ?, a few times a day makes handling normal and one at a time allows focus on careful handling. The nervous one may bite out of fear. One thing I've changed over the years is how I respond to biting. I used to flick them on the nose but eventually realised that an adult human can put a lot of force into that, with the size of a ferret it's like hitting someone in the face with a sleeper ?. Gentle flicks ok, make it hard for them to grab skin and I keep a squeey bottle of lemon juice to put on my knuckles, most really don't like that and quickly quit biting good luck
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Hi all, on a run of hot weather in East Anglia right now and my ferrets keep a low profile when temperatures are above 25C. To keep life tolerable for them I put freezer packs wrapped in old tea towels in sleeping areas and use a garden umbrella for some additional shade. How do others deal with hot weather?
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Agree with previous comments, you are doing the right thing and there's no rush. Be prepared that it may always be a little tempestuous between them. Ferrets don't always click. I prefer to get kits in pairs so they have always have a companion. Just to be sure the kit is 9 weeks as she should be 3 weeks past weaning completely off mums milk . And Working backwards that's from a mating date in late February which is pretty early IMO. She might be younger, Two of my current Jill's were rescues at about 6 weeks of age, they were very needy for contact, human or ferret. Good luck, hopefully with
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Does anyone take their ferrets to the vets?
Luckee legs replied to Joeboe2000's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
I take mine to the vet and I got my first ferrets in 1978... It only takes a few ferret keepers to use a vet practice for the vets to learn about them so it's a win win. I'm fortunate to have a private vet practice near me and they are pragmatic, £22 to get in the door, meds on top but are reasonable and when I don't have a vasectomised hob I pay for a bottle of the Jill jab hormone and they store it. I've seen enough cancer symptoms I don't go for that but other injuries are well worth while. About one a year gets an abcess in the mouth or throat from eating bone, there's also the occasional -
Do anybody else use these for training
Luckee legs replied to Bird Catcher's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Not the same but similar stuff "duck bites" I use with my whippet pup, it is crack cocaine for them and really gets him paying attention. Top stuff is dehydrated liver which is very cost effective if you have the machine (stinks house out in the oven) but my dehydrator blew up so I've been using either expiry date sliced meat from our village coop, sadly cost of living crisis makes that a bun fight to get, so this is a backup for training only. Other times I use cheap wheat based treats or I'd be down £10 a week just on treats -
Muntjac are the bane of my life and I have to keep my hounds on leads more than if like. My Collie lurcher can air scent them and has developed a rush in tactic that puts them out of cover every time. It's remarkable as he is nesh with cover, wont ever risk cutting himself and in reality they would be safe if they stayed put. Three serious problems beyond legality, first this is typically on the edge of housing, second they make a lot of noise when overhauled and third the stags are a serious threat to dogs.
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Planning to go Friday and introduce the whippet pup to shooting, showing and racing. What could possibly go wrong?
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What do use Lads prefer to work Jill's or Hobs
Luckee legs replied to Ferretman65's topic in Ferrets & Ferreting
I really like hobs, castrated they are no problem at all and almost always great to handle. Even entire it's only a couple of months of hulk type behaviour. Could be my approach or ground, but I use Jill's as well because I find hobs typically get the hang of using their power by the second season and inevitably will kill or corner rabbits every outing. I enter a Jill a couple of minutes before a hob to get things moving, not unusual that the hob will find one that hasn't quickly bolted, hopefully without cornering it ? -
I've always hormone jabbed or used a vasectomised hob. Even then it's not no risk and while they might survive I've had two Jills die of anemia after a second season which I've let go on for too long before doing something about. I don't take chances any more and suggest you don't leave them. For the two spayed ferrets I've owned from ferret rescue, both were long-lived. That said, ask the vet on cost for the op as it's likely expensive and it maybe more cost effective to jab every year.
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another vote for in season behaviour. I find it's common for a normally content Jill to be enthusiastic about getting out and away at this time of year. For example I let mine run in a small greenhouse for an hour or so each day, not a problem all this winter, they play the whole time. They,ve pretty much stopped playing and Last week I saw a Jill with her head stuck in a tiny gap in the top window vent trying to get out. Down to 10 mins now ?
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Similar in my part of East Anglia. Overall rabbits down a lot in extensive areas like large farms and Thetford forest although in some small isolated populations they can be locally abundant. Can imagine that's linked to ease of transmission of the virus VHD. Hares common, muntjacs abundant and well adapted to life on urban fringe. Foxes uncommon away from habitation guess they get a kicking off the NV shooters. Badgers though, f... me I didn't see a badger in the East until 1995 and they are now everywhere. A major PIA for ferreting. Greenfinch and Goldfinch definitely swapped in ab
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Sorry to hear this. I am not far away Lee and I've messaged you. Hope I can help
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Sorry to hear this. Bloody frustrating, I am sure you are aware but it's not a case of one and done, I have been there and some dogs I've had were looking good in calm situations but never completely solid when sheep ran so I can see potential for a shock collar. Another option, I do canicross with mine and If you run it's worth considering, what I do is jog through sheep fields with the dog on a canicross harness. Gives you the chance to correct the dog as sheep disperse. Just one thing on hitting them, as some have said, it has to be in the moment but also be prepared that a dog with dr
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And another variation for you. I use normal shavings for litter but keep them out of the sleeping areas. Reason is they stick like crazy to meat. The only problem I ever experienced was with dust extracted shavings, sounds bizarre but I could see the processing had greatly reduced the overall size of the chip so maybe that was the problem. For bedding I use material. This is not no risk as very rarely (3 times in 20 years) I have had ferrets get claws properly stuck in material. Straw is next choice. Hay in my experience is the material that causes respiratory issues and scratching
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Collie lurchers and in praise of my mum
Luckee legs replied to Luckee legs's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
With you on that. I see with my mum that the incentive to get out exercise and interact really helped her quality of life -
I stopped over at mums and seeing some nostalgia posts appearing in the forum thought I'd take a few pics of photos she has of collie lurchers I had in late 70s and 80s. I am indebted to her for helping me out on those occasions when work or landlords meant I couldn't keep dogs from time to time. She had a soft spot for lurchers and always had a rescue or 2 as well. I still have a first cross collie and they rate each other. He remembers where she stashes old dog toys and leads her on a tour of the house to collect them up each visit. Sadly at 91 and with Alzheimer's she can no longer hav
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Last visit to this farm this season
Luckee legs replied to Ferretman65's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
And here. Just one outing on a colder farm left, that's an interesting local variation, just 15 miles from other permission but heavy clay soil, more trees and some North facing slopes really make a difference in soil temperature. Otherwise I am a big believer in climate change. I got my first ferrets in 1976 and we used to go to week one of March so IMO and roughly roughly, rabbit breeding is 2 weeks earlier in 35 years -
Nice thing to do for Dutch guys. Must admit I thought they had a paradoxical rule that terrier work ok but not lurcher work?