feeding ferrets

[dicky82 1]

no, they soon find a way in often starting at the head or near the anus and hollow the bird out, even my young kits (i bought them at 7wks old) have had no trouble with any carcass they have been given

 

thanks for all your advise, would it be ok to give them magpies and crows? and then wood pigeons?

[CarraghsGem 92]

if i had the choice id prefer to feed them the woodpigeon, im not a bit fan of feeding a carnivore to another carnivore especially that of a scavenger;- you dont know what theyve been eating or what additional diseases they carry

 

also;- might be worth your while advertising locally that you are willing to take unwanted poultry such as roosters etc for free

Edited July 5, 2010 by CarraghsGem

[dicky82 1]

if i had the choice id prefer to feed them the woodpigeon, im not a bit fan of feeding a carnivore to another carnivore especially that of a scavenger;- you dont know what theyve been eating or what additional diseases they carry

 

also;- might be worth your while advertising locally that you are willing to take unwanted poultry such as roosters etc for free

 

ye the corvids are pretty manky alright, woodies it is. itl give me a nice excuse to go out and do some shooting. would you advise against giving them rabbits? or should i fillet the rabbit and give them the flesh?

[CarraghsGem 92]

skin the rabbit gut it and roast it for the dinner- serve with spuds and gravy! give the ferrets whats left of the raw rabbit that you dont want yourself and any rabbits that are a bit dog chewed, wouldnt give them any bone that has been cooked though as its quite brittle and can splinter,

 

remember that the ferret isnt just a pet hes there to put food on your table as well as in his belly

[Ron Weasley 83]

Dicky,

 

Keep them off bread and milk. Definitely.

 

They should be fed raw meet, preferably carcass.

 

I feed rabbits whole. I personally take the guts out, but that's only to keep my court clean. Also, I have 6 ferrets, so an adult rabbit is a good size for them t have each day. Obviously, 2 ferrets need less food, so you should feed it in portion sizes to stop the food from going off and being wasted, and the obvious fly problems.

 

I give them whole woodpigeons too. 1 pigeon between 2 ferrets per day is about right I find, but you'll be the best person to judge.

 

They get pretty much anything else I shoot too, aside from rats, as we all know the dangers of rodenticides. I've given them rook and jackdaw recently, but they weren't too keen on them.

 

When I go beating during the season, I take all the odds and ends at the end of the day that the game dealer doesn't want...weather it's heavily shot birds, hares, or squirrels.

 

I also get roosters from a local friend who breeds poultry- he's even good enough to raise them to a decent size before dispatching them for me. A good source of these can be your local livestock markets, as often the cock's don't sell, so you can pick them up for pence, and fill your freezer for very little.

 

All these things should be fed whole- or with guts removed. Feather and fur provides fibre which is needed in the ferret's diet.

 

As long as the food is fresh, they shouldn't be too fussy.

[dicky82 1]

Dicky,

 

Keep them off bread and milk. Definitely.

 

They should be fed raw meet, preferably carcass.

 

I feed rabbits whole. I personally take the guts out, but that's only to keep my court clean. Also, I have 6 ferrets, so an adult rabbit is a good size for them t have each day. Obviously, 2 ferrets need less food, so you should feed it in portion sizes to stop the food from going off and being wasted, and the obvious fly problems.

 

I give them whole woodpigeons too. 1 pigeon between 2 ferrets per day is about right I find, but you'll be the best person to judge.

 

They get pretty much anything else I shoot too, aside from rats, as we all know the dangers of rodenticides. I've given them rook and jackdaw recently, but they weren't too keen on them.

 

When I go beating during the season, I take all the odds and ends at the end of the day that the game dealer doesn't want...weather it's heavily shot birds, hares, or squirrels.

 

I also get roosters from a local friend who breeds poultry- he's even good enough to raise them to a decent size before dispatching them for me. A good source of these can be your local livestock markets, as often the cock's don't sell, so you can pick them up for pence, and fill your freezer for very little.

 

All these things should be fed whole- or with guts removed. Feather and fur provides fibre which is needed in the ferret's diet.

 

As long as the food is fresh, they shouldn't be too fussy.

 

thank you for you very informative responce. . .

they got chicken fillets and high quality ferret nut today, im only starting out with ferrets so wanted to make sure they were getting the best, as i said previously, the lad i bought them off told me that he had them on bread milk and cat food. i didnt think this was a great idea thats why i asked on here. thanks again.

[Kay 3,709]

You give them top quality fuel & they will run forever on it .. good luck with them mate

[Ron Weasley 83]

Bread and milk is how it was done in the old days. It's offers little or no nutrition to the ferrets, and gives them the shits too! That said, they do love it. I give mine milk (watered down) as an occasional treat, but that's all.

 

I'd be lying if I said mine have never had cat food too- when I'm stuck, it's gotten me out of trouble for a day or two, so I always keep some in stock, just in case. I'm fortunate that I don't often have to resort to it though.

 

You can tell a lot by looking at their faeces too. Ferrets poo should be firm, and dark in colour. When mine have had cat food- even for one day, it makes their poop much lighter- almost orange in colour, and much less firm. It just doesn't look healthy.

 

Don't be offended by the knee-jerk reaction on here of some people when you mentioned bread and milk, it's easy to just assume that somebody is being ignorant or neglectful. You're doing the right thing by coming on and asking the questions.

 

There's a lot of stuff covered in the FAQs on this forum, and it would be worth reading though those for a few hints and tips, and also, there are some incredibly knowledgeable and experienced ferreters on here - and we'll always offer the best advice we can when you need it. The tricky part filtering through the crap that some people (who think they know it all) talk, and getting the useful stuff from those with experience!

[dicky82 1]

You give them top quality fuel & they will run forever on it .. good luck with them mate

 

thanks. looking forward to seeing them progress.

[Malt 379]

Mine get chicken portions at the minute. You can get a big bag of assorted chicken joints from the supermarket for about 3 quid. Just defrost them as needed. One bag lasts my 4 jills about a week.

 

No problem feeding them corvids, although I'd have a good look at them for ticks & lice first. Not sure about the comment regarding worming ferrets though, I've always been told that they don't need worming due to the relatively short & basic digestive system of the ferret being cleaned thoroughly by being fed feathers & fur via whole carcasses. I've never seen any evidence of worms in mine anyway.

[Ron Weasley 83]

Mine get chicken portions at the minute. You can get a big bag of assorted chicken joints from the supermarket for about 3 quid. Just defrost them as needed. One bag lasts my 4 jills about a week.

 

No problem feeding them corvids, although I'd have a good look at them for ticks & lice first. Not sure about the comment regarding worming ferrets though, I've always been told that they don't need worming due to the relatively short & basic digestive system of the ferret being cleaned thoroughly by being fed feathers & fur via whole carcasses. I've never seen any evidence of worms in mine anyway.

 

Agreed maltenby. I always freeze corvids for at least a week first, and most of the time just take them out of the court the day after feeding and incinerate them! Still, it's nice to give them the option!

 

I've never wormed my ferrets either, in 13 or 14 years of keeping them. I can't remember exactly how long.

[Rake aboot 4,935]

Aye

 

Chudleys and whole rabbits. Cannae beat it.

When the Jills got kits I suppliment with some eggs and cat milk (lactose free)

and chicken,liver,beef,grapes,apples,oranges,bannana and anything else they seem to like.

[dicky82 1]

to all those whincing at the prospect of me feeding the ferrets bread and milk, they've been on lambs heart and ferret nut for the past week, threw in a magpie the other day, they had a good tug around with it but not much else, they've had the odd egg too and are thriving. its amazing to see that they have their own personality at even this age. hav'nt had a chance to bang any woodies yet but im hoping to get out one of the next few days. thanks for all the comments.

[Ron Weasley 83]

to all those whincing at the prospect of me feeding the ferrets bread and milk, they've been on lambs heart and ferret nut for the past week, threw in a magpie the other day, they had a good tug around with it but not much else, they've had the odd egg too and are thriving. its amazing to see that they have their own personality at even this age. hav'nt had a chance to bang any woodies yet but im hoping to get out one of the next few days. thanks for all the comments.

 

Good on ya Dicky, best of luck with them!

[Ideation 8,216]

I feed whole or part carcasses which i hang in the court - lets them have a play as well as feed, keeps the food off the ground and stops them dragging the whole caracass into the nest boxes. The main diet is rabbits and woodies - however its important to note that rabbit carries very little fat and so will not bulk on weight but will maintain. Pigeon however does carry fat and so is good for building them up - i pluck the feathers off the breasts and leave the guts in. I gut the rabbits.

 

A big chest freezer is handy - everything you don't sell, eat etc through the winter goes in and should keep you going over the summer. As you have two i would chop up the rabbits into quarters before freezing so that its less hassle for you when defrosting. Also freezing stuff for two weeks will kill any worms etc.

 

Another good tip is get hold of a local chicken farm and get them to supply you with day old chicks - I picked up a couple of bin liners recently for a few quid. They are a really handy size for feeding kits especially.

 

Eggs are a good source of protein. I recently got an idea off someone else - to take the little plastic ball out of a kinder surprise, drill a hole in either end and then fill it with egg. The ferrets knock it about like mad to get the egg out.

 

Mine also get trout.

 

There is also nothing wrong with the odd bit of Cat food and dried ferret food.

 

As has been said they are carnivores so bread is f**k all good to them, and they are also pretty lactose intolerant so milk isnt so good unless its lactose free kitten milk.

 

I would also avoid pork due to the salt content - no good for them.

 

I also avoid roadkill - you can never tell why it got killed on the road and many creatures are hit because they have been slowed down by poison etc.

 

And tell the guy you got them off that he living in the past and REALLY harming the ferrets. Imagine feeding and baby carnivore no meat - would you expect them to develop healthily and to their full potential. They end up stunted, malnourished little things.

 

The extreme reaction you got is because feeding ferrets bread and milk is THE cardinal sin of ferret keeping and something most of us thought/hoped had been stamped out.

 

Check out the thread also running that lists some good books for more info and put up where you are from and someone might take you out for a days sport and some learning when the season starts.

 

atb

 

Jai.