Are my new kittens safe?

[ls]

I know it sounds a little crazy, but I've seen my chickens kill mice and frogs. Yesterday, we discovered new kittens, which look a lot like small rats! Will my free range chickens try to harm them during this critical first week? Just wondering if anyone has had any experiences??

 

[Chicken Chaperone]

I would absolutely keep them separated! Kittens that small have no defenses- their eyes aren't open
and they could be killed so easily. And if a chicken went for one of the baby kittens and momma cat saw it you might have a real
fur vs. feathers fight on your hands! Please do everything you can to keep those babies safe.

 

[ls]

Thanks for the response. That is the same way I feel. I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but after losing baby geese to ANTS, of all things, last year, I figured I should never rule anything out. The Animal Kingdom is brutal, after all.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Better safe than sorry. I think you should keep the hens away from the kittens. Hens are definitely omnivors. It alway takes me by surprise! Good luck with your little ones!

 

[Frosty]

I had a hen set eggs in the barn, and about 2 feet away in the same straw pile one of the barn cats had kittens. Neither messed with the other. The hen did hatch her eggs, too and those kittens learned to have a healthy respect for mama hen and left the peeps alone. Wish I could have gotten a picture, one day while out feeding I saw the kittens snoozing on one end of a straw bale, and the barely feathered chicks perched on the other end. Though I have to add that the hen was setting, and that my hens are very familiar with my cats. I don't know if that had anything to do with it?

 

[babyblue]

I would say in most cases keep them seperate. cats will eat chicks, chickens may think tiny kittens look like rats and thus yummy.

 

[sourland]

I'd be far more worried about coons or tomcats killing the kittens. Toms will sometimes kill kittens to force their mothers back into heat so that they can sire the next litter. A behavior that is identical to male lions when they take over a pride. Most mother cats will keep hens away from their kittens.

 

[chooniecat]

I would seperate them(maybe put box over them with hole big enuf for momma)and please spay/neuter your barn cats. there are tooooo many adult/young cats being killed in shelters because you guys keep breeding.

 

[babyblue]

I really dont think the op's litter was intentional. its tough to catch and fix every stray that wanders threw though we can try. my own two cats were finaly old enough to get fixed and due to get done after my hudband and I got back from our honeymoon. of course the inlaws accidently let them both lose outside, one we caught and she had her litter in the house. she was fixed, her babies fixed and given away. the other we couldnt catch, had two litters that died from her abandoning them, the third I caught her in labor and put her in a cage. she refused to care for that litter as well so she was fixed, given away. I raised the babies myself and the babies went to a cat rescue that placed them right away because they were long haired maine coons.

 

[herfrds]

I have a picture somewhere with 2 cats that had their kitten together in a nesting box and a hen that would come in every single day and lay an egg right in the middle of these kittens.She then sat on the kittens trying to "hatch" them.

Definately seperate them.

A couple of kittens tried to follow the hen around.