Already asked question but....

[Pardee_Boy]

I just recently found the joys of chicken raising and have been stroking the beard so to speak about letting the girls free range . I live out in the country in south eastern MI I have about 2 acres of land . I worry that that would be hit by cars or worse my neighbors cat that lives out doors and hunts the baby birds in my trees. This cat has been hanging around the coop at dusk staying back about 30-40 feet just watching the chickens in the run just about everynight. I don't know if letting them out is basically just feeding the cat or not?

Can they fend off a cat? I do have one roo well he's not quite a big boy yet but he comes after my hand every morning when its feeding time.So should I try to let them wander about or coop them up?

 

[nzpouter]

most cats wouldn't take a standard/ full size hen... but bantams and chicks are fair game.... if it's me, and my chickens in my property, I know what's going to happen to the cat if he decides to be a silly boy...

 

[Pardee_Boy]

Indeed I would for not let that cat walk off my yard if he did take one out . I do have 3 banty hens and not sure what kind of roo I have but he is for sure a good 4-6 inches taller then the hens. To be honest I don't know much about raising birds but I'm learning I just don't like to learn from mistakes. I guess i could just give it a shot and see what goes down. I don't have the time to watch them all day I work and my wife watches our twin 8 month olds so she's clueless to the outside world for at least 8-10 hours a day lol.

 

[dawg53]

You can always get a ' hav a heart' cage trap and put a can of stinky catfood in it, catch the cat and return the cat to your neighbor, politely ask them to keep their cat away from your chicken pen. Then the next time you catch the cat, turn it over to animal control. The cat will eventually get one of your chickens....been there, done that.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Make sure your rooster is an emu. He will make playdough out of the little kitty.

 

[Pardee_Boy]

so build a larger run? currently with coop off the ground and and the run they have 10x4 feet of space . I was planning on adding more space when I get the time to get out there to do it.

 

[detali]

I have seen one of my chickens go into attack mode, beak down, wings spread, going straight for my cat that had followed me into the hen yard.
Needles to say, in a wink, cat flew up into the fence and was hanging on for dear life.

 

[Pardee_Boy]

l

 

[In His Service]

When i first got my banties, the hens were just laying their first eggs. One day when we let them out of the run, my cat decided to come check them out. The little banty rooster let out a big squawk and went after the cat...the cat now gives them a wide berth, lol.