Cat and Chickens

[ChickenDude12345]

They didn’t harm her just scared her like you said. They puffed up and started chasing her!

I think mine are still a little small(12 weeks) because they clearly realize he is a threat but don’t fight back

 

[cmom]

My opinion that cats are different like most critters. Some are good with birds and chicks and other want to kill them. Some cats would probably kill even a large fowl bird if they could. My suggestion would be to put the birds where they are safe from the cat. Just beware that someday the cat could get out somehow and go for your birds. I don't free range anymore due to losses from predators in the past but my land is mostly open pasture so no place for the birds to go and hide. A predator can still get them when hiding. There are some posts on BYC of people free ranging their birds and think that the birds have plenty of hiding places until the predator kills one in its hiding place. Good luck...

 

[ChickenDude12345]

My opinion that cats are different like most critters. Some are good with birds and chicks and other want to kill them. Some cats would probably kill even a large fowl bird if they could. My suggestion would be to put the birds where they are safe from the cat. Just beware that someday the cat could get out somehow and go for your birds. I don't free range anymore due to losses from predators in the past but my land is mostly open pasture so no place for the birds to go and hide. A predator can still get them when hiding. There are some posts on BYC of people free ranging their birds and think that the birds have plenty of hiding places until the predator kills one in its hiding place. Good luck...

Yes I hope he loses interest. But I guess they will have to stay in their run more often.

 

[Suzz]

I have my chickens grit in a little dog dish and our newest outside cat will come in the run and harass the chicken a little bit then I turned around and caught him digging and getting ready to pee in the grit two days in a row now he has 3 cat boxes and the entire run is sandy loose dirt and wants to pee in grit goofy annoying cat! my other 5 cats are afraid or the chickens

 

[pony007]

My outdoor kitty was really interested in my young chicks too, I have no doubt he would have pounced on one if I wasn't around. But at around 16 weeks when I let the flock out to free range (only under my supervision of course) my little cockerel went up to the cat and pecked him pretty hard on the head. Since then the cat gives the chickens, regardless of size or age, a wide berth.

 

[i_only_listen_to_dgd]

My cats have only ever had any slight interest in chicks when they are very small, and even then they wouldn't try very hard to get to them. By maybe 12 weeks there was no interest at all anymore. I had a cat who used to go into the coop to sit with the chickens. She was a black cat and my hens at the time were all Australorp chickens so I'm thinking they thought they were family ahaha. With fully adult chickens I actually worry more for the cat lol.