Adding a Cat to the Coop

[Nym]

I would think a rat terrier would be better if you're looking for something to control rats. They're bigger and will fight a big rat(a cat won't)Dogs pursue them and dig them out of their tunnels.Cats just wait for one to come along and grab it.

If my boxer x stayed outside all the time, rats would starve in their holes. He can sit there for hours waiting for one to emerge. I doubt many but a starving or very playfull cat would bother doing that.

 

[ihatedarkroast]

Last night, we put two of our cats into the coop. One made it out within hours. The other was out the next morning. Clearly, there are places where skunks and raccoons could get in if the dogs didn't keep them away.
We keep our feed off the ground by about ten inches. Low enough for the hens to reach and high enough to discourage mice from finding it. We haven't seen much rodent activity in our coop/run.
BTW, our coop/run is 1500 square feet, so a cat wouldn't feel cramped in there, but we agree that the cat needs a way to get away from the chickens when necessary.
As far as cat-chicken fights, what I read is that neither really wants to tangle with the other, unless the cat were starving, which we prevent. In that scenario, the cat has the advantage against one chicken, but with two roosters, the cat probably wouldn't try anything, certainly not just for fun. If there is easier prey and plenty of cat food, the cat should leave the chickens alone.

My chickens hate cats. A stray showed up in our coop one time looking for shelter. The chickens surrounded it in a circle and screamed at it and bullied it. As far as chickens are concerned, cats are a threat that don't belong in their space.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

We have five cats, but they don't go into their coop...I would be very very worried for all involved that it would be a bad idea. Chickens poo everywhere that they have access to..they have different diseases/infections that could be contagious to a cat..and the obvious a cat may eat a chicken or at least hurt it badly..which leads to infections,because cat claws are nasty! I mean cats can hurt each other clawing even out of play..so I'm not sure how a chicken would hold up to that type of bacteria.I think it will work well until it doesn't that one accident/injury would make it not worth it.


LORD JESUS is KING of kings and LORD of lords!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Another thing you need to think about is that the chickens can also be the bullies. I have a barn kitty that I have to feed near the house because the chickens will crowd around her until she leaves her food bowl to them. She doesn't want them to be that close, and anywhere she can get to, so can the birds

 

[Evadig]

I have two cats in the chicken coop, and they do fine. There is plenty of space for them to get away from each other, and a sort of boardwalk for the cats to walk on. They live there simply because I have no other place for them. My two rabbits also live in the coop and do fine as well. So it’s possible, but enough space is absolutely necessary.