ryanl Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 im going to get afew ferrets this season my first lot and as i only have space for 2 i was wondering which sex would be better? i man i know is having kitts this year and is going to give me a couple. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 hob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanl Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 would 2 from the same litter fight ? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 would 2 from the same litter fight ? thanks Sometimes they do sometimes they dont it all depends. My 2 hobs are brothers and they are fine an odd nip at each other now and again but thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanl Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 cheers for the help ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 yep definately hobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 get just one hob.............i have one and he does enough for me.....hobs work better than jill's with less complications with seasons, i reckon 1 medium to big sized hob is worth 3 jill's they dont tire as easily, dont get pushed around by rabbits, dont mess about with scratching at a rabbits **** etc.....in rabbits bolted or killed and onto the next warren.....faster ferreting and when people rave about jill's they are kidding themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.philmypower. Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 Another vote for the faithfull hob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanl Posted January 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 hi would just one hob be ok on his own ? or will he be lonly thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbiter Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 well...each to their own,ive been rabbiting nearly 30 years and have always used jills,never had problems with them tiring or being able to shift stubborn rabbits,they work most weekends throughout the season and like hobs they can either bolt them or kill them,like i said each to their own OP;youre always gonna get these kind of replies to this question,either will work,and ive seen some cracking hobs at work,but ive also seen and have some cracking jills,up to you mate... DAZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 iv all ways had gills, never had to dig one out yet, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 wild polecats are solitary......ferrets adapt to group living but are equally as happy alone, just give them a big enough run/cage and some pipes and ladders to exercise in in their home..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 well...each to their own,ive been rabbiting nearly 30 years DAZ you are a newbie too then, when you have the same amount of experience as me you might come round to using HOBS' seriously i know some professional's pester's, and very serious amateur's (by serious i mean they make a significant contribution to household finances with rabbit money-myself i sell about 40 rabbits a week-so not that serious) and they all use hob's......i just have one hob, but if i was keeping a couple of hobs i would get them castrated, when i am ferreting in company my mate brings his hob along also, who would you ask to evict someone from their house? me 20stone of male or my wife 9stone of female? its the same with ferrets......weight and strength makes it all work a bit quicker, ferret in rabbits out....or dead and dug, and onto the next warren. My last mornings pest control....might pop out sunday morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanl Posted January 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 now i have to deside aha i thimk i might go with 2 hobs (brothers) and see how that goes just need to get hold of a locator thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbiter Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 (edited) this day,same as every other,we used jills,like i said each to their own,as for size,what about the stoat who kills his hare or the weasel that kills his rabbit,to me it matters not,the rabbit sees the ferret,it doesnt distinguish between size,its natural for the rabbit to want to escape... nice bag of rabbits you got there too mate,well done... DAZ. Edited January 28, 2012 by rabbiter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaks Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I've had both over the years and i don't think rabbits worry too much about the sex of the ferret when the stink is trying to grab it around the neck. A good working ferret can be of either sex, most will work, just some better than others. At the moment i've a single, entire hob which means he won't have the health issues some jills can have. If/when i get another it'll be another hob and it'll then be conker removal time for both. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 this day,same as every other,we used jills,like i said each to their own,as for size,what about the stoat who kills his hare or the weasel that kills his rabbit,to me it matters not,the rabbit sees the ferret,it doesnt distinguish between size,its natural for the rabbit to want to escape... nice bag of rabbits you got there too mate,well done... DAZ. That was just the last days ferreting end of day shot i had uploaded....may get more than that in the morning... stamina is determined in an animal by the size of its heart and lungs, hobs have bigger chests and bigger hearts and lungs and as such dont tire as easily as a jill half the size..............so you can do more ferreting than you could with a jill with a single hob, and as they have more stamina and can be used for longer you can carry less, weasals and stoats kill their prey, you dont wanta ferret to do that, you want a bolt, so them being smaller is irrelavent, jill's can be quicker to move than a hob, that is a disadvantage in ferreting you want slow and methodical ferrets.....and as i reckon a reluctant rabbit, a big war torn buck that has fought for its life before.....will get the better of a smaller jill scratching at its ****......my hob i have witnessed pull a rabbit out of a difficult spot by the fur on its **** alone.......... I am not that serious about ferreting I only get out 2 or 3 times a week, from august till march........and as i said my contract is only for 40 rabbits a week (thats what my butcher will pay me £1.50 each for) ........and the two professional ferreters i know only use hobs (they are pest controllers who specialise in rabbit removal) and the serious amateurs i know (they subsidise their household finances by about a third of their income from rabbits) also only use hob's I too used only jill's until about 5 years ago......then the penny dropped and since converting to hob's only I have caught a lot more rabbits and developed a faster ferreting technique.........nets down ferret in, rabbits out, or killed below, maybe a dig maybe not and move on quicker to the next warren, you cover more ground in a day and tally up the rabbits quicker, you get more ferreting done, become known amongst landowners as a serious catcher, gain more permission, and catch more rabbits.......i seriously think that jill ferrets often get taken around the warren by rabbits........ saying that i am after a Jill ferret.....i fancy a litter this year, keep the hobs, maybe cull the jill's, next season i could do with another Hob......more sites of special scientific interest to ferret and a lot of equestrian land, they dont like race horses falling down rabbit holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbiter Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 i too am known to a lot of landowners as a proficient catcher,which in turn gets me more land to work,but besides all of that,as i said before its personal preference,each to their own... DAZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavy Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 I work hobs and jill's but a nice big hob is the way forward. Makes no ods what you get mate but get training it from a kit. Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 i too am known to a lot of landowners as a proficient catcher,which in turn gets me more land to work,but besides all of that,as i said before its personal preference,each to their own... DAZ indeed happy hunting out of interest........what kind of landowners do we all have? I am the rabbit catcher for, 2 sites of special scientific interest, 6 farms, 2 equestrian places, a zoo, a parks trust and 3 town councils.....in fact waiting for a mate to get back to me as we may be ferreting a city centre park on sunday morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 stamina is determined in an animal by the size of its heart and lungs, hobs have bigger chests and bigger hearts and lungs and as such dont tire as easily as a jill half the size..............so you can do more ferreting than you could with a jill with a single hob, But the size of their heart and lungs is relative to their body size so that argument is conkers pal. Stamina is determined predominantly by established fitness, age is also a key factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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