>From:    Sunshine <[log in to unmask]>
>Going to play dumb here.... How does a breeder determine how often to
>breed the jill?
 
Age, health, breeding history, genetics, etc.  Ever wonder why large farms
often have jills die by age 4?  They say the were "bred out".
 
And as another FMLer (Chris Lloyd in the UK) stated - jills seem to come
into estrus multiple times if they are in artificial light (which they
would get indoors from lamps, etc.).  After keeping my ferrets in natural
light only, I found this to be true as well.  Ferrets are seasonal
breeders.  European Polecats come in estrus once per year and have one
litter per year.  Domestication MADE the ferret produce more than one
litter per year.
 
>If I remember right, the jill should be at least 8 months old to breed..
 
You didn't remember right.  Some places breed jills as young as six months.
Ethical breeders will not breed a ferret younger than 10 months (and that
is pushing it).  Most wait until they are at least a year old.  Here in
Australia, many wait until the jill is two years old.
 
>Will say I've talked to different breeders with different opinions on many
issues.
 
This is one comment that I will agree with you on.
 
>Think each owner and ferret is different, whether breeding or not.  Can
>agree on some ferret taking a tole on their bodies when having babies, but
>think this knowledge is more towards the owner who knows their jills,
>maybe I am wrong.  Hope you can understand this.
 
I understand what you are saying, however, I think it is more on the
condition of the ferret and the breeding history.
 
>From:    Susan Malone <[log in to unmask]>
>As a ferret lover and hobby private breeder, I was under the assumption
>most had the same line of thought as I do.  My ferrets are my pets, my
>babies, each and everyone loved and cherished..  all that first and
>foremost... breeding is secondary and should never risk the health or
>happiness of my pets.
 
Well stated . . .
 
>The pregnancy, nursing and raising of kits takes a lot out of their
>little systems and they need time to recharge, rest and just be ferrets
>for a while.
 
I had a wonderful little jill named Gypsy Rose.  She was bred and had a
litter of 9.  Another jill stopped caring for her kits and Gypsy willingly
adopted them.  That meant she was rearing 12 kits!  She did WONDERFULLY!
After the kits were weaned, she was still producing milk, in good health,
and very willing (and I had her vet checked) so I put her with another jill
to help her rear those kits (9 more!).  After those kits were weaned, Gypsy
was weaned off them (she was SO mothering with the other jills as well and
I had to put warm compresses on her to relieve the "milk overload".  I
swear we could have used her as a dairy cow.).  I then had her spayed -
even tho she produced STUNNING kits.  I felt she had done up and above
being a mum.  I kept a daughter of hers (to carry on the mothering!) and
never thought twice about it.
 
Gypsy now lives with her pals Calvin and the cats (is that like Alvin & the
Chipmunks?) and Eunice Keely and family (Hi guys!).
 
Best regards!
 
Amy Flemming
Flemming Farms
Perth, Western Australia
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/ranch/9521
[Posted in FML issue 3056]