Barn Cats and Chickens

[Thunder344]

Hi!
I want to get some barn cats, but I am worried that they will attack my chickens. I keep finding mice in my metal trash cans that I keep the feed in. Does anybody have any experience with cats and chickens? Is their a way for me to teach the cats not to go near the chickens? Any suggestions, etc. is greatly appreciated.
Also, could I just get a spayed/neutered cat from the SPCA and it be a barn cat?

 

[aart]

I keep finding mice in my metal trash cans that I keep the feed in.

Do they not have tight fitting lids?

 

[RojoMarz]

Check with your shelter to see the rules/requirements of adoption and what they have. Our shelter offers "barn cats", in addition to house cats. The barn cats are feral or unsocialized cats.

 

[saysfaa]

Cats tend to eat what they are taught as kittens is food and not eat what they didn't learn to eat as kittens. If their mothers were mousers, they tend to be mousers. If not, then not. If their mothers were birders, they tend to be birders, if not, then not. This is why my gradndmother's cat wouldn't eat tuna. Why a lot of people on the raw feeders group have so much trouble getting their cats to eat any kind of raw meat.

And it might contribute to why some cats don't hunt the chickens they live with. And some do.

They usually react to small squeaky and/or jerky things out of instinct and can learn to play with these things, sometimes fairly effectively when they are in the mood. So, they might do the job you want anyway.

Because of this, and (mostly) because I like native song birds, I would go the route of fixing the feed storage problem and fixing the shelter for resting and for moving around that the rodents are finding.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x3 on "barn cat" adoptions. Our area has a program that'll assess your needs and bring out an appropriate number of health checked, fixed barn cats for free.

 

[saysfaa]

They do. I have no idea how they get in.

You could empty the metal container of chick feed then fill it with water to see where the leak is. They can fit through anything smaller than their skull so it can be a very unnoticeably space.

If the container doesn't leak, turn the lid upside down to check that. If it is neither then it is the fit of the lid on the container.

it could be corrosion or a sprung seam or such.

or you could replace the container.

There is probably also shelter that could be taken away, at least anywhere near the food if you don't want to take all of it away. Double walled building or tall vegetation near the building or piles of supplies.... anything that would make an owl's or cat's job more difficult. Even if you don't have cats or owls around, that if what to look for in solving the problem. Not doing these things means more rodents will move in as these are removed by cat or any other means.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Ours also has "barn cats". There are a couple rescues around that also deal with the feral/barn cat type kitties.

I would think most cats won't bother with grown birds but might pose an issue for chicks. A good flogging by a hen or rooster teaches them to mind their manners.

 

[Melontine]

It depends on the cat and the chicken a lot I believe.

My outdoor barn cats have never hurt my chickens, though I used to have one who liked to stalk them a bit. She'd get chased off by my dog who knew no one was to harass the birds so stopped after a couple of times. (or at least while we were out there)
But most of my birds are quite large, and I have a rooster to help guard them. Chicks and bantams I definitely keep a close watch over to make sure neighborhood cats or other predators don't get any ideas.
But in general, I do think barn cats work great with chickens.

 

[Percheron chick]

I wouldn't be without. I have 2 wild feral cats, 3 barn /garage cats and 1 indoor/outdoor cat. One of the feral cats took an interest when the chicks showed up in the barn. If one had escaped from the brooder, I'm sure it would of been a goner. When goslings started hatching, the 2 feral cats were nowhere to be found and one normally sleeps on a hay stack in the goose shed. Keep them fed enough to stay out of trouble but hungry enough to keep hunting rodents.

 

[Scottin8a]

I don't know about cats and chickens, but I think that shelters usually require you to sign a contract that the cat will be an indoor-only pet.

Our barn cat is about four years old, he was rescued from a shelter. At first they would not allow us to save him (death sentence in 24 hours) apparently because it was more humane to kill him then to make him live with chickens. The manager allowed us to take him. He has lived in the chicken coop and garden ever since. He plays with young and old and occasionally rubs against the rooster knocking him over. He sleeps in the nesting boxes, sometimes on eggs. His fenced in garden is about 7800 square feet with the coop and runs 1/4 of that. They are great friends.