Cat is killing my chickens, what can I do?

[Sonoran Silkies]

From the sticky on rules for this forum:
I just want to make clear the purpose of this forum.

*This forum is for dealing with predators and pests. Period.

*If information is graphic, please note it in the subject line of your post so members can make a decision whether they want to open the thread or not. If you choose to open a thread with said warnings, it is not BYC's responsibility when you are offended.

*Dealing with predators and pests is not always pleasant. Although sometimes hard to do, please be as sensitive as possible when explaining procedures and results. Some younger members and/or squeamish adults will appreciate it.

*Although some ways are not considered ideal to some, it serves the purpose of removing the offending predator. If you have an idea or a helpful comment, please do reply. If it is a sarcastic comment about the disposal or capture of a predator, please keep your thoughts to yourself. We are not here to judge one another on methods or ways and means.

*That being said, please do not gloat or suggest torturous ways of killing for pleasure or indeed, post in such a way that your predator control can be construed as pleasure killing instead of simply taking care of a problem.

*Compassion will go a long way toward helping to educate and help solve someone's predator problem. No matter the reason, most members' birds are their pets and being a chicken doesn't make it less of a pet than a house cat or companion dog. Please don't lecture or hassle anyone about their losses. Glass houses......

*If you wish to suggest an alternate non lethal means of control, please share it in a non judgmental way that is a viable solution and not merely complaining about who was here first etc, IF it is directly related to the OP's request for assistance. If a non lethal alternative is offered, please be appreciative and remember that there are many ways and means and flaming a member for suggesting such an alternative will not be tolerated.

*It is the responsibility of the person with the predator to determine the legalities of what they do and that person will take ultimate responsibility. BYC does not condone illegal acts.

For instance, Trapping..this is a legal defense and it is not open for debate whether you prefer this method or not. This forum is designed as an aid to those who are having predator problems. It is not a debate forum on ethics.

*Please keep this in mind as we all learn from one another how to deter predators. Thanks.

 

[sourland]

Yes, 8 week old chicks are small enough to be killed and eaten by a cat. Glad that you were able to find a shelter that would take this cat, but you would have been well within your rights legally and morally to euthanize this animal.

 

[Moochie]

I'm glad you got it!

Was it a feral cat? Cuz if it was someone's pet it might come back.

 

[x4livin]

I have a pair of domestic(but outside) cats here that I have actually seen go after chickens, full grown ones. One went after a full sized about the time I was watching because she had recently shown up here and then my chickens began to come up missing at the rate of about one a day or one every other day. I was out at a far barn and walking back and the chickens followed me farther than they normally would. At exactly the place where I found feathers and blood from a missing RIR, this cat came scrambling out pouncing on a hen. I was walking past and ran yelling at the scene and the cat dropped and ran. The hen was ok. I began to keep them penned up for a bit after that and that cat stayed near the hen house and at times was caught trying to climb up on the netting over it. I had intended to kill the cat, but my Pyrenees/Anatolian pup took and interest in keeping her run away from the coop and I was working too many hours to sit and watch for the cat. It's been a few weeks and the other cat is not seen as much here so I began to let them out on days I was going to be outside. Yesterday, my personal cat(about 6 month old) ran at and grabbed my bantum hen and immediately let her go before I could even react. He was waiting and watching, and then ran and pounced. I had seen him wait and watch with his tail twitching at any number of chickens, but I had never seen him actually move to pounce. It was as if this was an experiment and he pulled it on the tiniest chicken I have out there. I'm thinking my cat learned some bad behaviors from the straggler. I am getting ready to shoot both of them and just start over with cats, I guess.

 

[Bert2368]

I was coming back after dark from a deer stand on our property, walked past the (fully fenced with overhead netting) chicken yard-

Shined my light on the side of the coop with the automatic door to check it was closed. There was something big and dark colored hanging from the hardware cloth screen over one of the windows (the one where I'd left the glass open an inch for ventilation).

Ferral cat. BIG one, twice the size of our house cat. How he squeezed in I still don't know. I went in, and he went crazy. Climbing the netting, the poles, hanging from the overhead netting and spitting at me. He never went out the open door, just kept trying to get out high up by where the top netting met the fence. Probably how he remembered getting in.

I didn't want to risk him coming back when the birds were out, so I looked for a hole to fix for a while. I couldn't find it. I gave up and got a more reasonable sized rifle and whacked him. Felt bad, I've never had to shoot a domestic animal before.

My neighbors feed ferral cats, which isn't a good idea unless you're willing to catch and neuter them as well- I never see rabbits or grouse anymore, just lots of cats. Our motion detector lights go on frequently at night, and it's usually cats setting them off. They follow me when I mow the long grass by the buildings to reduce fire danger, killing whatever rodents I scare up. To be fair, I don't have much of a mouse problem anymore either.

We also have raccoons, I'm going to need to go over the whole perimeter with wire and zip ties to make sure the fence won't allow anything else to squeeze through. I've already got electric fence supplies, will run a strand just above where the hardware cloth is dug in around the outside of our fence too.

 

[x4livin]

I had racoons pulling silkies through the wire(pulling their heads off and pulling them through the wire a piece at a time) and working their way into a closed pen. I ran an electric fence (before I got the Anatolian). I would up zapping a guinea and a banty rooster on the first early morning(they were escapees that were already roosted in trees nearby when I put the rest up...I couldn't find them and they wouldn't come to the coop, so I locked it shut and turned on the hotwire). I found them the next morning against the hotwire at the edge of the pen where it ran close to it. I turned it off and have taken the wire down and got the dog. The dog was livestock trained so she doesn't bother them, but she was a hard find. Take care with the hotwire. I didn't realize it would kill fowl, but it did.

 

[D Kluck]

..kill it back...

 

[Bert2368]

..kill it back...

I don't understand what you mean?

 

[D Kluck]

>>>>I don't understand what you mean?<<<




>>A cat comes in to my garden and kills my chickens, has even opened the coop and killed 1 and tried to kill another. I don't know what I can do<<


I said "kill it back" ... It means if cat kills your chickens then kill it back..

 

[Bert2368]

In the words of Captain Malcolm Reynolds:

"And don't you ever stand for that sort of thing. Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back."