Are cats a threat to my chickens?

[finnleyjo]

Our chicken run isn't covered. How much of a threat will the neighbor cats be to our chickens?

 

[Wifezilla]

Depends on few things...

Standards or bantam?

Is the neighbors cat a big male?

Do you have a roo?

When I got my ducks I was worried about my son's cat. The first time he saw them he tried to stalk them. My female khaki chased him under the wheel barrow and hubby had to go rescue him. So that pretty much settled that issue

 

[bockbock2008]

When I feed my chickens scraps (bread, cheeses, fruits, veggies) the cat comes over to see if she likes any of it. She actually eats WITH them if she finds somehting she wants. When they were babies, a stray tom did get one of them.

 

[BarkerChickens]

neighborhood cats maybe since not all cats are alike. However, my cat likes the chickens and sleeps in their run in the afternoon. In my case, my cat is shorter than the chickens and they will peck (and have) pecked him on the top of his head, so he wouldn't dare go after them! We also have standard breeds, so bantams may be a different story if you have them.

Also, what is your run made of? Our cat can't climb any of our wire fences (chain link, etc), but he can climb the wood fence.

 

[finnleyjo]

I have RIR, Buff Orp., and Barred Rock...but they are just babies right now 5 days old, no roo's hopefully

. The neighborhood cats are on the bigger side and they have enjoyed stalking the mice on our property for quite a while now.

 

[bluey]

My cats and the strays are deathly afraid of our adult chickens. That said, I wouldn't trust a cat around younger chickens...

 

[nzpouter]

we lost enough ducks and chickens to strays and neighbour's cat that we apply 1 policy, if it does not belong here, it's dead.

 

[DiVon80]

My street kitties(polite for strays)would eat the babies. I have had B.O.'s and Bantam cochins/silkies never had a problem with the kitties. They will eat your babies. I always cage up mom and babies.

 

[farmerlor]

My stupid cat is even afraid of the babies. I keep telling him he eats all my finches and sparrows and they're the same size but I guess he just knows that they're the same thing as those big scary dinosaurs outside so he won't mess with them. We also have several feral cats that we've fixed and keep around and I've actually seen them get chased by the chickens.

 

[ranchhand]

I had a full grown black sex link get whacked by a cat, on her wing- by the time we found the wound, it was too late. Despite agressive antibiotic treatment, she died. My cats are now indoor cats, because cats can find ways through fencing as well as a raccoon.

A lot of cats aren't like that, it's a judgement call. You may also want to think about predators other than cats. I always cover runs, because coons, possums, hawks, etc. can really decimate the flock.