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News
Shoots urged to find new ways to get birds into the food chain
By Hollis Butler (Group News Editor)
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What would you say is a fair price for working ferrets? Different people around here seem to charge what they like.
FERRETS
Edward Cook
If someone asked to buy a working ferret from me I would either laugh or tell them to go elsewhere.
Take my word for it, proper working ferrets are not as common as they were a few years ago and most folk refuse to part with a worker, least of all a good one.
Such reluctance stems from the fact that it takes time and experience to make a ferret into an effective worker that can clear rabbit warrens.
An animal that knows its business can easily provide 30 – 40 rabbits a day worth £30 – £40 or more so a ferret with such capabilities is not going to be sold cheaply, if at all.
Think about it.
If you work areas that are infested with rabbits then a good ferret could provide you with a decent revenue and should change hands for several hundred pounds if it did come up for sale.
Such deals, of course, are unheard but maybe now you can see why ferret theft is on the increase.
My advice would be to buy a pair of ferret kits from working stock and look after them well.
If you tend to them properly and introduce them to work when the time’s right you will reap rich reward and satisfaction from having done the job yourself.
Done this way you won’t get palmed off with tales of amazing workers being up for sale for £20.
Remember if a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is.
If you buy one or two surplus kits from working lines you can usually pick one up with ease for a tenner.
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