What breed of ferrets are the best...?

[crow wing 0]

localy and ie edinburgh and all the local mining villages greyhound firrets as they were pronounced were white, up our way polecats were not popular twenty or more years ago i mean thirty yrs ago , maybe down your way but ask any miners worth there salt about greyhound ferrets ,etc but maybe it was only were i came from , but thinking back my inlaws who were warreners from suffolk called white ferrets, greyhound ferrets and they had them pre mixi cheers we had sandies, polecats and sometimes red eyed sandies and a guy on here called them hampshire reds but al in all its long gone, now ,the days im talking about ,and like the dinosaurs guys like me etc the gov would want to keep bleepers on them they dont like free rangers as we used to call them all the best greyhoond firrets as they said up my way auld scottch talk etc

 

 

Hello Whin

 

I also grew up in a mining village..but in East Durham..I am 54 years old and spent most of my young adult life working on a coal face before the sad decline and loss of the industry...but thats another story..throughout my entire life I have been involved with field sports of one kind or another as have my Grandfather..Dad..uncles..and now my son..

 

I have owned and hunted with ferrets from being around 10 years old..intermittently until the present..and I agree entirely with what you say re the Greyhound type..at one time in this neck of the woods there were several mining families like my own..dog lads etc and all had a decent line of ferrets..many of them would be the greyhound type..quite a long and strong ferret..I remember as a teenager a pal of mine had a hob (his fathers actually) which was the full length of his arm from shoulder to wrist..but lean and muscular..the Jills were about two thirds this size and similarly lean and muscular..these were great workers..all ferrets in this village were great workers at that time (late 50's early 60's)..there was no room for pets..there was not a lot of money around and ferrets and lurchers were pot fillers..and good ones were kept with pride..

 

I have never seen the like of what I describe for years..there are not many who keep a genuine true line of ferret anymore as I found out recently when trying to find some..the sad thing is..these old families of ferrets would breed and the offspring given away to pals free in those days...I would genuinely pay over the odds to have some of them back..trouble is..everyone seems to have crossed this and that..the supposed pure polecats I have seen bear little resemblence to the ones I owned as a boy..they all now have a cream or white undercoat..the old ones I had have a deep ginger undercoat and were very dark and black in appearance..I have looked high and low to find some again of a good working line but to no avail..

 

Even a pal of mine who I came through school with and has ferreted since a boy and still does has a crossed up mish mash of ferret types..nothing wrong with this as they are all top class workers and I suppose thats what should really count..I wanted a couple of ferrets recently to bolt rabbits for the hawk..I managed to get a polecat Jill..obviously cross albino but a good worker nonetheless and will have her mated this spring to a good working hob of some description..so I would maintain that there are very few of the old lines left..there may be some remnants of old..but I would like to get my hands on some..

 

all the best

[stubby 175]

nice write up, crow wing, twas a good read

[crow wing 0]

nice write up, crow wing, twas a good read

 

 

Thanks Stubby..a bit long winded and maybe a bit of a preach to the converted for some..but honest thoughts and opinions nonetheless mate..based on what I have seen and experienced..

[whin 463]

i have one bitch left a half sandy and the rest greyhound, bred her three times and breeds some strong long ferrets she is five and can still do a good days graft and when i keep her hungry sheel kill and move on great worker and have ben asked many times can i have her or a kit, but upto the late eighties i had the greyhound type you mention i gave them away as i left home and no c would look after them , but got some young one of them years later , the first time i worked her she had a hold of a rabbit shees a fare lump of a jill ,a great handler and has been my insurance policy many a times when i have took people out with there ferrets and the rabbits are deep she finds and bolts a great tribute , ive got a article by d slieght etc about them must be 93 or 94 i had a male rex another stomper he was lethal and a great bolter on hard rabbits who would not budge plus he was a good breeder thats the line ive got , got another old dog ferret who was good and if he breeds with her this year well ill have some more , but if they dont take well ,ill be doing a bit mooching to get a new ferret , my sis has awhite male a good one but she got him snipped etc of of the rex ferret etc , i some times give her it big about snipping the ferret etc cheers

[crow wing 0]

i have one bitch left a half sandy and the rest greyhound, bred her three times and breeds some strong long ferrets she is five and can still do a good days graft and when i keep her hungry sheel kill and move on great worker and have ben asked many times can i have her or a kit, but upto the late eighties i had the greyhound type you mention i gave them away as i left home and no c would look after them , but got some young one of them years later , the first time i worked her she had a hold of a rabbit shees a fare lump of a jill ,a great handler and has been my insurance policy many a times when i have took people out with there ferrets and the rabbits are deep she finds and bolts a great tribute , ive got a article by d slieght etc about them must be 93 or 94 i had a male rex another stomper he was lethal and a great bolter on hard rabbits who would not budge plus he was a good breeder thats the line ive got , got another old dog ferret who was good and if he breeds with her this year well ill have some more , but if they dont take well ,ill be doing a bit mooching to get a new ferret , my sis has awhite male a good one but she got him snipped etc of of the rex ferret etc , i some times give her it big about snipping the ferret etc cheers

 

Good stuff Whin I hope that you manage to breed some and salvage the best of the bloodline..

 

all the best

[whin 463]

well buy rites she should be pregnant now but we shall see, im going to keep her away from the males and see if she comes into heat shees been a great worker etc you can put your hand down a blind hole sheel never bite and you can work her and if you need to sheel work every rabb out or you can dig her and she will stay put till dug all the best

[crow wing 0]

well buy rites she should be pregnant now but we shall see, im going to keep her away from the males and see if she comes into heat shees been a great worker etc you can put your hand down a blind hole sheel never bite and you can work her and if you need to sheel work every rabb out or you can dig her and she will stay put till dug all the best

 

Worth her weight in gold mate..I know the type..incidentally..what is a rex ? and also someone referred to I think a bew ? I am not familiar with these abbreviations..

[Guest Magwitch]

well buy rites she should be pregnant now but we shall see, im going to keep her away from the males and see if she comes into heat shees been a great worker etc you can put your hand down a blind hole sheel never bite and you can work her and if you need to sheel work every rabb out or you can dig her and she will stay put till dug all the best

 

Worth her weight in gold mate..I know the type..incidentally..what is a rex ? and also someone referred to I think a bew ? I am not familiar with these abbreviations..

 

BEW is a black eyed white, not sure about a rex thought it was a rabbit :wacko:

Edited March 27, 2008 by Magwitch

[crow wing 0]

well buy rites she should be pregnant now but we shall see, im going to keep her away from the males and see if she comes into heat shees been a great worker etc you can put your hand down a blind hole sheel never bite and you can work her and if you need to sheel work every rabb out or you can dig her and she will stay put till dug all the best

 

Worth her weight in gold mate..I know the type..incidentally..what is a rex ? and also someone referred to I think a bew ? I am not familiar with these abbreviations..

 

BEW is a black eyed white, not sure about a rex though it was a rabbit :wacko:

 

 

Thanks mate for that..I have heard of and seen black eyed white ferrets but the abbreviation did'nt occur to me..

[will98 0]

i prefer albinhos i got three off hem ill post some pics soon

[whin 463]

rex was the name of the dog ferret i had years ago he was well versed worked him all over the uk a very good dog ferret i had worked him three days solid at the nlrc feild trails and when i was rabbiting for cash a great ferret , like the jill i have had several but not in there clas etc cheers

[T78 4]

is it just me that doesnt like albino ferts??lol. only ever had one that i got on with and that was yrs ago! prefer polecats or silver. this has nothing to do with there working capabilities,just a personal preference!

[crow wing 0]

is it just me that doesnt like albino ferts??lol. only ever had one that i got on with and that was yrs ago! prefer polecats or silver. this has nothing to do with there working capabilities,just a personal preference!

 

 

Hello Pitindall

 

if I had a choice I would have polecats myself...assuming they had all the working attribures that I was looking for as in being relentless hunters..nice size..good temperament..I have looked high and low to try and obtain a family of these..

 

As a youngster my Dad got me some from a pal he worked in the colliery with...they were real dark ones..deep ginger undercoat..looked almost black in appearance..shaped like a polecat to..very active and lean muscular looking like a greyhound ferret..the present polecats with white or cream undercoat are watered down a bit with albino..some grteat workewrs though nonetheless..my current Jill is one of these..

 

As I got older and other field sports took place in my life I let theold line of polecat go..if you or anyone else on the forum knows of any which match the description let me know as I would like to have some again..

 

I have a pal who puts a wild polecat over his albino jills every couple of years..but the first cross come quite feisty and nippy which is no good to me at all..second cross back into ferret and they are usually ok..

 

all the best

[crow wing 0]

rex was the name of the dog ferret i had years ago he was well versed worked him all over the uk a very good dog ferret i had worked him three days solid at the nlrc feild trails and when i was rabbiting for cash a great ferret , like the jill i have had several but not in there clas etc cheers

 

 

Thanks for clearing that up Whin...I was thinking for a minute that there was a strian of ferret that I had not heard of mate..

[whin 463]

ye rexes strain after old rex williams ahah , no but being seruios i done some [bANNED TEXT] rabbiting 4 days a week sometimes and then nites at roe and hares etc had a handfull of ferrets that were real good the rest were just workers , hopefully get some more this season cheers