Tell me about ferrets...

SteveHants

Member
Livestock Farmer
Rabbits = eagle owl, Harris, red tail, rifle, ferr
Rabbits = eagle owl, Harris, red tail, rifle, ferrets
Hair/ fox = eagle owl
Squirrel = red tail
Pheasant = Finnish goshawk
Rats = patterdale terriers, plumbers smoke bombs, sticks

Who needs lurchers...... šŸ˜Œ
Tell her that....
20210314_110659.jpg
 

Cowmansam

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Shropshire
I took 3 guys out once ferreting to there birds bolted 33 rabbits in the morning they had one and these was easy runs straight over a valley open ground then one buggered off an smacked a coot in the middle of a lake 5 fields away and he had to swim and get it . lurchers had 34out of 40 for the afternoon
 

DEADRED

Member
Livestock Farmer
Never seen a bird of prey even 20 percent as useful as a lurcher they Jack it in on 50 percent of the flights
No idea about percentage rates for dogs vs birds. I use birds because I enjoy the sport. I'm sure dogs are very effective. Just not my cup of tea.

If the birds of prey "jack it in" on 50% of the flight that's mainly down to the owner not bothering to give the bird regular exercise. My birds definitely are not 100% effective but 50% is far off the mark.

As for jacking it in. Iv actually watched my female harris land on the ground and run into a patch of brambles to chase a rabbit out.
 

Cowmansam

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Shropshire
No idea about percentage rates for dogs vs birds. I use birds because I enjoy the sport. I'm sure dogs are very effective. Just not my cup of tea.

If the birds of prey "jack it in" on 50% of the flight that's mainly down to the owner not bothering to give the bird regular exercise. My birds definitely are not 100% effective but 50% is far off the mark.

As for jacking it in. Iv actually watched my female harris land on the ground and run into a patch of brambles to chase a rabbit out.
They havenā€™t got the commitment a dog has the falcons do but there to small for anything really
 

DEADRED

Member
Livestock Farmer
In my admitted limited experience of hawks the lurcher looks on in disgust as the hawk misses the rabbit then sulks in a tree. Then you spend the rest of the afternoon trying to coax it down while the lurcher looks at you with disgust again.
"the hawk misses the rabbit then sulks in a tree. Then you spend the rest of the afternoon trying to coax it down"

..... again bad practice by the owner. My birds are trained to glove and lure so first sight of lure or raised glove and the bird is on the way! It knows that means food. Only time a bird should become unresponsive is when it's full but that's nothing to do with it sulking.
 

DEADRED

Member
Livestock Farmer
"the hawk misses the rabbit then sulks in a tree. Then you spend the rest of the afternoon trying to coax it down"

..... again bad practice by the owner. My birds are trained to glove and lure so first sight of lure or raised glove and the bird is on the way! It knows that means food. Only time a bird should become unresponsive is when it's full but that's nothing to do with it sulking.
Anyway....... I dont eat rabbits. I eat burgers so no chance I'm gon get skinny waiting for my dinner. I will enjoy my falconry and you enjoy your dogs šŸ˜āœŒ
 

ImLost

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Not sure
Used to have ferrets and they just embarrassed me, like the day they escaped and dissappeared 1/4 of a mile away and killed a guy, who I knew quite well, hens.


They had started laying the day before šŸ˜¬šŸ˜³120 quid later and a couple of bunches of forecourt flowers, they still wouldn't talk to me for 6 months!

I've also flown various birds of prey, including my own Harris hawks. Cracking fun and although not as effective as a dog necessarily, for sport they are far more exhilarating. The only chicken they caught was one of my mothers best black rocks that wandered too close to a bow perch šŸ¤­
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Birds of prey lack commitment? The best flight I had with my male gos (weighing 1lb 10oz) was 1,650 yards on a hen pheasant, measured off the plan when I got home. The pheasant escaped but that was one exciting flight. It is not the size of the bag or even making a kill but the chance that the bird might be lost! I was following on the quad over rough moorland so you can add the chance of ending up in a drain to that! :)
 

DEADRED

Member
Livestock Farmer
Hope you aren't relying on the owl feeding you.......
All of my birds (apart from barn owls, little owls, kestrel) catch food for themselves, the other birds, ferrets, dogs and my snakes. Non of them are starving.

I dont eat rabbits. I eat kebabs, burgers. I rely on a Greek guy called Henry to feed me. He doesn't let me down.....šŸ™‚
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: ā€œRed Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in Aprilā€œ

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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