I have been pretty good about keeping my critters fenced in but it seems I have a new menace. the neighbors cats. I have seen each of them at my gate twice now. they are working their way into the yard closer to the geese and ducks. how well can geese defend against them? I have heard they can kill stuff way bigger then themselves? I have a live trap and am thinking of catching them in it and leaving the neighbor to find it when they look through the fence.
Cats have rarely been posted as a threat to poultry. Most people, myself included, find that I need to protect the cats from my chickens, especially when cat food is present. I would be careful till you know what the cats are up to, and don't trust them around chicks or small birds. Imp
I have a couple of neighborhood cats that come into my chicken yard - one even sleeps on the coop sometimes. These are smaller and well fed cats and they don't seem to look at the hens as food. I've yet to see any of them stock or act in a predatory manner with the girls, but then again I have full grown chickens who are as big as the cats.
Our neighbor has two un-fixed cats at there house, who happily produce about 6 kittens every year. They WILL NOT get them spayed and neutered, becuase they "aren't really their cats." Bt when you offer to take them to the humane society they freak out and say we can't take their pets. Anyways, one night I forgot to close the bantam coop, and two of the kittens ( they were older by then) snook up on them at 1:00 A.M., and snatched one of the hens. I found her feathers about a 1/2 mile away by the mailbox the next morning. I have learned my lesson now, always close the coops at night! However, just yesterday the father cat was coming up from the pond, eyeballing the 4 month old standard layers. I threw some rocks to scare him, but he came back two times after that. *Great* Anyways, you can never be too safe. My biggest worry would be bantams and young birds. If the cats aren't starving, then I don't know if they would go that far. Good luck.
i recently learned my lesson about cats sadly......the neighbors female cat had just birthed kittens in one of our old outbuildings and was on the prowl. She got 2 of my RIR's that were about 6 weeks old. i checked my local co op's site about laws nd suprisingly they didnt list cats as poultry predators and virginia has no laws against killing or trapping cats that kill poultry like they do with dogs or foxes etc.
Do like I do, I trapped the cats the day of the cty. neutering offer. $5.oo each for neutering. They send them back the next day and I let them out. Wa-lah no more kittens. I have done this twice. No one fusses. gloria Jean
Quote:I have to say I love my cats.I have 2 13yr old girls and a 9 yr old girl.They are one of the best defenses against the rodents around here. Just today I walked around the yard and picked up about a dozen mice and a HUGE swamp rat.Unfortunately they don't eat them,just kill them and leave em.So I have to do pickup...lol.... As for my birds and chicks,they have nothing to do with them.They actually have their own door into the coop where they catch alot of the rats. I have seen them actually look at the babies and walk away like ugghh... I do keep a very close eye on strays though,cause I did have one take up living here for a long time and NEVER had a problem with her messing with the chicks.But one time a quail got loose from the pen and she grabbed it.I don't know if it was the flight instinct or what.She got into the quail pen a couple of times after that,but still never messed with a chicken.There are no more strays around here at this time.... ...the neighbors dog doesn't even walk on my side the road anymore....
The only thing that has to be worried about cats are chicks and really any baby bird...My cat killed one of my little ones he reached his paw though the cage and grabbed it (broke its neck).....but as for a full grown goose,duck,or chicken I wouldn't worry too much...Their actually scared of the adults lol
I have issues with a neighbor that has a couple of parental producers of kittens galore....their natural litter box became my front flower beds. I contacted the local Animal Control unit and they brought out a live trap along with cat food and in a weeks time, I caught 3 of them...parents, not kittens, so I was quite pleased. As the road claims as many as I can trap, I am truly glad to see them go... the AC unit would come by in the AM when I called to notify them of trapping one. If the "owners" are not taking ownership, then I really do not feel that I am in the wrong here... I hope that you all agree......
