Cat problem?

[Patoot]

Hi there.

I got my 4 girls a week ago (almost 4 months old) and they are doing great! I made my yard accessible to them so they can free range. I fenced off the veggie garden, but let them have the flower garden. They are making a mess with the mulch, but they look so happy I don't care. Anyway, I have absolutely zero risk of predators like skunks, raccoons, rats, roaming dogs, etc. Seriously zero. If they were babies, I would say there could be the possibility of a hawk issue, but I haven't seen or heard hawks in our area...but I couldn't be sure like I am about the other things. Anyway, the fences around my yard are high and there's really no risk of the girls flying out, but my stupid neighbor's cat has come in the yard a couple times. I was worried about it so I only let them out when I was home and watching them, but that's not fair to them. I caught the cat on top of the coop trying to look at them. She wasn't trying to get in, but she was just watching them. It's actually a very young, sweet, small cat who rubs against my dog when we go for a walk, but she's still a cat. I don't want to build a covered run because that would be my whole yard. My yard is small, but it's big enough for the girls. I just don't want 1/2 of it to be a cage, especially where they are doing so well just digging in the mulch and not focusing on grass or trying to get to the garden or anything.

Anyway, I have a few questions:

1. How much should I worry about a cat if the girls are almost full size? Does it depend on the cat?
2. If it is a risk, what can I do to minimize it aside from a covered run which would either stink because it would be 1/2 my yard or the girls would not have nearly as much space?
a. I was thinking of attaching chicken fencing (or something similar) around the tops of my fences so there would be no way for her to come in. That means it would be at least 10 ft from the ground to the top of the fence. It also means the top of the fence would be a skinny little wire and there's no way she could balance on it to walk.
3. Any other ideas which may be cheaper and/or more effective?

Thanks for the reassurance and help. I want the girls to be happy, but I need to know they are safe too. I really don't think it's a huge risk, but I don't want to take any risk as I would feel awful if something happened and I'm already attached (even if they still are afraid of me...ironically, not my labrador though

)

Thanks.

Bree

 

[Patoot]

Maybe this is better under the predator and pest? Oops...not sure since it predator and run/yard questions. I'll post it there instead. Sorry.

Bree

 

[rrgrassi]

I have two outdoor cats at my place. They leave my birds alone. I did catch my female cat, Chessie (Named after the railroad kitten) sleeing on top of the coop though. She's not afraid of the chickes, but she has not made a move toward them either. I have had chickens for a year now. Chessie has been around for 5 years.

Other forum people have reported problems with cats though. I live out in the country with a little two acre lot. We have issues with coons, possums, skunks, coyotes, bob cats, hawks, owls, etc. I have only lost birds to hawks though, since mine free range.

 

[elmo]

Cats are a minimal risk to full grown chickens. In other words, most of the time the cat won't even try taking on something as big as a standard size chicken; however, there is the outside chance that a particular cat might want to try its luck, and a particular chicken might get roughed up.

On the other hand. hawks most definitely do take on full grown chickens. The chicken may be too big for a hawk to fly away with, but they simply eat their kill where it lies. Hawks are one of the inescapable risks of free ranging. You can help improve your chickens' chances in hawk encounters by making sure there is plenty of cover in your yard: bushes, trees, etc.

 

[Patoot]

Thanks. The yard is very closed in. Their coop is under a tree and you can't even see it from the sky really. I don't think they are at risk for hawk attacks because of our location and the coverage on the yard.

Thanks for the feedback.

Bree

 

[woodmort]

First of all I doubt the cat will be a problem, especially with adult birds and if she's a small cat. Most cat/chicken problems are when the chicks aren't feathered or a big cat and small--say bantam--birds. That being said you'd be surprised at how agile a cat can be if she wants to be so even your run plan would probably not stop her entirely if she were determined. I just don't think she would be.

BTW, Where do you live that skunks, raccoons and dogs aren't a problem? Must be you're on an island of some kind.

 

[Patoot]

I live in Albuquerque. I know I may sound ignorant, but seriously, there are no animals like that in this part of town. I have only seen one squirrel ever. We have prairie dogs, but they are miles from here. I have seen some dead skunks on the road, but not near my house and my yard is completely fenced in. On one side the fence is attached to the house with a 10ft wall that is cinder blocks on the bottom 2 feet and then a wood privacy fence. The back wall is all cinder blocks with no openings. The third side is wood, but it extends into the ground and has privacy fencing so no openings. Our back yard is so closed in, I have to bring the lawn mower through the house to mow because I can't get it to the back from the front. I am surrounded by houses and it's a very developed area so for a wild animal to get to my backyard, it would have to go through others yards that are equally contained before it could even find mine. I have been here since 2001 and I have never seen a snake, raccoon, skunk, feral cat, owl, etc within miles and miles of the house. In fact, from that list, I've only seen a couple dead skunks on the road, but that's rare and only outside the city limits. Seriously. I know it sounds odd. I won't say it's impossible because maybe I never see any critters because there's nothing enticing in my yard for them, but it seems VERY unlikely. Unlikely enough that I feel the only real possible risk is the cat or maybe a hawk, but I never see them and I have a ton of tree branches covering my yard.

The neighbor behind me and the two next to me all have dogs, but they are indoor dogs and I highly doubt the girls will jump over 6ft (and taller in most places) especially since they are bigger breed and seem content in my yard. That's part of the reason I will extend the fence. I know if I wanted to make sure she didn't come over, I would have to make the fence go all around the perimeter which would be expensive and look tacky, but I do think it would prevent her from coming over. That said, I'm hoping this will be enough of a deterrent for her to think it isn't worth it.

Based on what most everyone is saying, it sounds like I don't have too much to worry about. If they are almost 4 months old, is that just about adult size? They have all their feathers though the tail feathers could use some growing (mostly on one of them).

Thanks for the help.

Bree

 

[drumstick diva]

My sister lived in Albuquergue(now in Bernillilo. She had(has) the solid walled yard, all gravel like a dog run,etc. She said the road runners, were especially bad and would kill and eat baby birds, baby rabbits etc. She has often emailed me photos of hawks sitting on the fence, or roof that would snatch birds from the feeders. I wouldn't think you can count them out because maybe they wouldn't see your chickens from the sky. They would see them just fine if they land on your fence., and I'm sure hear them as well. I wouldn't be happy about the visiting cat either.

 

[Xanthro]

It depends on the cat. 99% of cats won't try to take on a full grown chicken, and 90% of those that tried would fail.

I don't trust my outside cat around my chickens, she's at least 12 years old, but catches and eats GIANT CROWS.

Now, if you never see the tale tale marks of the cats kill, it's unlikely that cat will attack chickens. Mine looks at them as an easy meal.

 

[LauraG]

My cats get their asses kicked by my 17 week old chickens.

I was worried sick about letting them free range with my 2 male, hunting cats. Well, it is now the cats I feel sorry for.

The poor things get chased out of the yard by the chickens all the time. They even close in on my cats when they are just sitting there minding their own business.

Like a "gang" the leader walks up with the flock behind her, looking for trouble.....

The ONLY incident I had was the Buff Orp was relentlessly harrassing my black cat, he took a swipe at her with his paw, and she got clipped.

She FULLY deserved it, I must say. Now they have established "some" boundries .

Mind you my chickens arent even full grown....

So that has been my experience. Good luck to you!!!