The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

A couple of litters from some seasoned ferrets offer a little glimpse into the future

- Simon Whitehead

As I sat watching my ferrets playing inside their cages, enjoying the peace and tranquillity the bars provide, a neighbour’s head peered over the garden fence. “Why ferrets, Simon?” he asked. It’s a good question and, in all honesty, I cannot give a simple answer.

It’s not that I come from a family that hunts, shoots or fishes — because I don’t. It cannot be from growing up in the countryside, because I am a city boy — although when I was a lad, I was mad about the natural world. I loved every facet of it, especially the freedom and escapism that it offered me. I had a strong interest in birds of prey but ended up with ferrets instead and the rest is history.

One reason that I enjoy working ferrets is that I am able to constantly improve my stock. This year I was keen to redress some wrongs of recent seasons. My jills have had two litters of kits this year; one had four and the other had three. They were very small litters but, thankfully, completely healthy and that is all that matters.

When I start to think ahead and plan for my next generation of ferrets, I hold an extremely hard stance on what characteristics I want to keep, work or use in demonstrations. Likewise, I know the traits that shouldn’t grace my hutches ever again. On the flip side, I have also been guilty of not breeding from ferrets when I should have, only for that misjudgement to come back to haunt me.

Make the grade