>Chris Lloyd <[log in to unmask]>
>
>>All the ferrets have been neutered or spayed (which will make them
>>unsuitable for rabbiting).

>I know dear Kate tells the public that but spaying makes no difference
>to a jill's working ability and a lot of working hobs are now castrated
>but hobs are not generally used for rabbiting.

I wonder where some people get their ideas from :-o  Chris is quite
correct when he says that neutering makes no difference. I guess if
anything it makes a hob more focused on rabbits, after all he won't
be thinking of jills ;-)

I have done some pest control in the summer months but it's not
something that I am willing to do. Too many young rabbits and too
much undergrowth round most buries making it very difficult to work.

I've never used an entire hob for working, I've got a pair of castrated
sandy hobs who work absolutely brilliantly together.

So far I've not been out this winter - waiting for a few more frosts
to really kill off the undergrowth. I'm actually hoping to try out a
method of pest control I've not done before. During the summer I've
been taking a small part in falconry display at various events. The
falconers have been using Harris Hawks to catch a dummy rabbit, after
the bird has caught the 'rabbit' the falconer goes on to explain that
the hawk will hunt and catch any small furry animal, that's my cue to
go into the arena with Pippin, a dark eyed white. The hawks have been
trained to work with white ferrets, the faces of the spectators when
the hawk flies over the ferret can be rather amusing. On one occasion
Chris's hawk, Maggie, actually knocked Pippin over when she caught him
with her trailing feet, and on a number times she's touched him with a
wing tip as she's flown over him, he just looks up when a shadow passes
over him wondering what on earth it was, so far I don't think he's even
spotted the hawk!

Debbie's hawk landed about 6 feet from a pair of my albino jills, and
stood watching them, I was ready to move in on this occasion as I
wasn't sure what my girls would do if they saw Indy... after about half
a minute Indy took off and flew over the pair of them. I don't think
they even saw her, or realised that a raptor was so close to them.

Anyway the two albino jills will be working with Indy for real next
month. Debbie wants to have a go at working her bird with ferrets. I
love watching the falconry displays when I'm events and I'm really
looking forward to actually working with a falconer out in the field.

I've got quite a number of ferrets in who are up for adoption. I took
in a pair of lovely albino hobs last night - 18 month old brothers -
their previous owner was very upset at having to part with them, his
relationship had broken up and he was having to move into rented
accommodation and could no longer keep them.

-- 
Sheila

[Posted in FML 5428]