Wild rabbit problem

Jaggers_2

Ferrets are brilliant! Wouldn't be without them!! Or the lurcher - even though Mrs J hates her!

The only problem is ferrets stop me having hens as well in my garden. I spent ages building a hen coop that Christopher Wren would have been proud of. The only thing missing was a fully functioning Sky dish for the little critters. However when I put chicken licken in there I noted that the little ball of fury (my old hob ferret Ronnie - has a brother called Reggie) kept eyeballing the chickens and seemed to put them off laying. Hen towers and Mable and crew had to go....

I'm in the South East and always on the lookout for good ferreting!!

Oh and I do a mean rabbit korma.....!

foreign_correspondent

Jaggers wrote: »

Ferrets are brilliant! Wouldn't be without them!! Or the lurcher - even though Mrs J hates her!

Wny? Lurchers are lovely, gentle dogs... and useful too! What cross is it?

I used to have ferrets - I worked at a zoo and they had some polecat crosses - they used to get rid of any that looked ferrety rather than poley so I eneded up with quite a few...!

janejustjane

We have a similar problem with rabbits. The area involved is too large to fence with chicken wire and you cannot dig down too far because of tree roots. From past experience ferrets, or even ferret droppings will deter them, as will cats (some cats catch young rabbits). Our rabbits only come into the garden at night so shooting them is not an option. Putting plastic netting over the plants didn't work, they just chew through it. The only plants they do not like, apart from daffodils seem to be leeks, anything in the onion family and potatoes. Last year they ate all the hellebores although these are supposed to be poisenous, but have left them alone this year.

Last year I bought a rabbit trap, but have not caught anything so far, this year I am going to place wire mesh frames around each brassica plant and spray any other leaves with a mixture of garlic, chilli sauce and eggs. The rabbits are mainly a problem in the winter but it is still very annoying!

Jaggers_2

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Wny? Lurchers are lovely, gentle dogs... and useful too! What cross is it?

I used to have ferrets - I worked at a zoo and they had some polecat crosses - they used to get rid of any that looked ferrety rather than poley so I eneded up with quite a few...!

To my mind she is lovely. I think it kind of went all wrong right at the start. Are you sitting comfortably?

Coming up for four years ago this month the present Mrs J was preparing to give birth to child number two (and the last..!). Little J was due to come out the sunroof so we knew which day she was going to come (unless mother nature intervened). The Sunday before we went out for a drive, with me saying I wanted to just look at some pups. I promised that I was not going to buy one....

Well it was love at first sight. People say that ownersare like their dogs. In my case it was true. Slightly gormless with a vacant expression. The die was set. I lead the dog to the car and she immediately sat on the front seat (10 weeks old and full of attitude!). Wouldn't shift for Mrs J to sit....

We got her home (only threw up once - on Mrs J). She promptly ate the house. Wood, wire, carpets even plaster. However the terriers could not believe their luck. A !!!!! in the house!! Monday morning finds me at the vets with two terriers. 'Pick them up later Mr J.' said the vet. The terriers were a couple of points lighter each and have never trusted me or the vet since!

We start training her, and in all fairness she is a magnificent rabbit chaser. A natural. Until Christmas.

Christmas Eve and we are out early morning. She spots a squirrel on the ground and goes for it. Squirrel makes for a tree and sits at the top of this small conifer chuntering away. The dog seems bemused that she can't climb the tree. We get home. Lurcher takes frustration out on the Christmas tree. I'd told Mrs J that we should have got an artificial tree..... Christmas day she tried to eat the turkey.

Jaggers the dog has settled down a bit but to be honest there have been so many disasters that Mrs J just doesn't seem to warm to her. She's good with the kids though....

Lotus-eater

Jaggers wrote: »

To my mind.........<some stuff>.... though....

One of the best posts I've ever read. :rotfl:

foreign_correspondent

oh, that could be my mum's dog you are talking about - she is some sort of collie x lurcher type (we got her as a rescue at about 10 months old) - she is daft as a brush, mad as a box of frogs, cheeky as anything, stubborn at times, and with a penchant for squirrels! She is also very beautiful and funny!

She also has that slightly gawky, gormless thing about her - till she spots something and runs like the wind! She has despatched several of my mums pairs of reading glasses, and likes to take good jumpers up the garden for safe keeping!

When my mum initially saw her at the rescue, and said she liked her (as with yours it was 'love at first sight'), I tried to talk her out of it, saying that a young collie x lurcher would be too much like hard work for her, and perhaps we should look for something that would be more placid and need less exercise... (you know, all that sensible stuff, trying to point out that for a lady past retirement age a little lap dog would be easier!) however, my words fell on deaf ears and a year on... my mum wouldnt be without her!

They are two of a kind though, both a little eccentric, random and a law unto themselves!

ETA - oops, we have gone off the rabbit problem a little here - although a lurcher could be the solution!

choille

I have friends who rescue ferrets & pole cats. They have about 40. They also have geese, ducks, turkeys & hens & they all lay without a care. mind you the ferrets are in their own shed & run.

Some of them have been treated terribly - teeth clipped etc. They raise money for charity having a ferret race at a local fair - It's amazing how tame & handleable they've got them.

Jaggers_2

Dunno about the lap dog being easier. My lurcher is a 40mph couch potato!!

Perhaps with Lotus Eater we could set up the MSE Ferreting Group.....:beer:

My main thought though at this time of the year is just to keep the rabbits out. Killing could well end up with starving young left in a burrow. Do the culling in the winter.

Lotus-eater

I would love to go ferreting again! Shame you live miles away from me.


I remember once when I was young and out ferreting, a lorry driver stopping and came running over to us, shouting at us for ferreting in the summer, talking about babies and so on. We didn't know any different, no one had explained. That's not you is it? Would make you about 60.

Jaggers_2

choille wrote: »

I have friends who rescue ferrets & pole cats. They have about 40. They also have geese, ducks, turkeys & hens & they all lay without a care. mind you the ferrets are in their own shed & run.

Some of them have been treated terribly - teeth clipped etc. They raise money for charity having a ferret race at a local fair - It's amazing how tame & handleable they've got them.

My garden is to small to keep them far apart. I would love to have poultry!

Teeth clipping is awful. I have also seen the lips sown up. The idea being to stop the ferret laying up with a kill below ground. It just sickens me that people can do that to these beautiful animals. They are the most wonderful forgiving creatures though and become so tame. My kids handle mine with no worries.

Mind you one thing that makes me laugh are the ferret stranglers. Pick a ferret up just behind its front legs, however some people are convinced that the ferret is going to turn round and bite them therefore they grab it round the neck. The ferret gets rather upset and struggles making them hold it tighter! At this point the owner usually has a career chat with the strangler and shows them (again) how to hold it. You trun your back however and there they are strangling the ferret again!!