Went outside earlier today and found 2 cats sitting on top of my run. Thanks to reading all the advise from much wiser and more experienced BYC'ers I had covered the top of my run with a double layer of chicken wire even though I am in the middle of town. My 3 8 week old buff orpingtons were hunched up in a corner but the cats couldnt get to them. I popped off a couple of shots from a bb gun .......makes a nice sting but didnt kill them and not much chance of it going beyond my fence. Im going to pepper spray them if I see them again. Not really wanting to kill somebodies pet cat but am going to make them think twice about coming into my yard. Im sure glad I found such a good site with so much good advice. Thanks everybody my girlies appreciate it!
right on - I have never had any sort of pest problem at all but I am pretty good shot with my paint gun from the window at my house, I can defiently shot a target at the hen house
Quote:Maybe you should put a sign out by the road where all neighbors can see that says "first time paint, second time lead" then when their animals return home with a splotch of paint on them the owner will realize they have been up to no good!
The neighborhood cats come & watch my chickens but don't bother them. As the chickens get bigger, they'll eventually run off any cats. In fact yesterday, my BSL chased my cat back into the house. Poor kitty!
I'm lucky enough to have an outside tomcat that seems to think my girls are his to protect. And so far, he has. They don't seem to mind him either. Hopefully this is the case with the cats next door...just admiring...but then, not being your own cats and knowing their demeanor, I think chasing them off is the best thing to do! I like the idea with the 1st time paint, 2nd time lead sign!!
Cats will eat full grown bantams. I lost two before trapping two feral cats and relocating them several miles from my coop. A full size standard chicken is probally too much for a well fed house cat but I would be willing to bet that a full size hungry feral cat would kill and eat one in a heart beat. I have trapped several cats that where tame and belonged to neighbors. When that happens I just release them. Most want come back but I had one that thought my trap was just a great place to grab a snack. I decided to make his visit not such a pleasure and sprayed him with the waterhose before turning him loose. He did not like it and he has not been back. The only thing I hurt was his feelings.
We have a stray tomcat that pretty much has taken up residency in our dog house out back. He has been around for 4 years and has NEVER hurt the chickens. In fact you can sometimes find him rolling around in the dirt with them . I have 2 cats in the house one is a kitten the other is a HUGE ball of fluffy love who also loves the chickens, the kitten still has alot to learn
We had a stray/feral cat watching the chickens, and worse yet, eating the wild birds. We are a certified wildlife habitat, so that was NOT acceptable! I spent several weeks luring him with food, taming him, then grabbed him and off to the the vet for shots and neutering. We have 2 indoor-only cats already, as well as three big dogs, but I managed to fit him in the house for rehab. Well, he stayed, and here is our ferocious killer now- An indoor cat with not enough exercise. But a happy cat, who no longer goes after birds including chickens. Ok, that was just for laughs! I think a paint ball might injure a cat. I do favor a BB gun, from a distance and not over-pumped. Pepper spray is always in my pocket these day, to use on any intruders- dog, cat or human. The main thing about using pepper spray is to ALWAYS BE UPWIND!
