Bad kitty

[BC Gal]

Though I have had chickens in the past, they have all been six months old and older, so I was not aware of the dangers of cats to young chicks! I found this out when I caught my neighbor's cat in the chicken pen. It has a 8 foot high fence, but the cat went from a tree onto the coop house, then into the chicken run. Luckily the girls were okay.

I built a chicken tractor with enclosed pen for the young ones I just got, but eventually want to move them over to the big coop. Everyone gets locked up at night; it is just during the day they are out.

A cat would not attack a full grown chicken right? Anyone else have a chicken-chasing kitty in their neighborhood?

 

[CalebtheChicken]

Quote:
Cats will play with and chase chickens, but they are not a danger to older birds. My cats love scaring my birds when they free range, but the roos put them in their place.

 

[GeeVee]

our cat's seem to understand that we didn't get the chickens for their entertainment. they have never harmed any of our full grown birds, they even take dirt baths in the garden together! (at a comfortable distance, of course)

 

[Kittymomma]

I've seen the occasional thread where people have had problems with cats and adult birds, but most (not all) still seem unlikely to have been losses from cats. I have three indoor/outdoor cats and no probs. with the adult birds. I had a broody hatch out a bunch of chicks and was concerned about that, but she put the cats in their place but good the first time she caught them stalking one of her chicks.

The cats can certainly be a danger to chicks, especially those with out a mamma hen and probably to bantam breeds as well, but I wouldn't worry too much about attacks on grown large fowl.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

I have bantams and my outside cat sleeps in the coop with the chickens (he waits to go in with them, especially in the winter). My own cat will hunt and kill wild birds but even 1 day old chicks are safe with him.

When my daughter's cats are here only one has ever shown interest in the babies so we watch her closer... but her other 2 have never even shown any interest. I have dispatched several feral cats who have taken some of my babies but have never had even a feral cat bother my bantams. Good luck with your birds.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

typically it is only young chickens that a cat will go after. The older hens will beat the tar out of a cat