Chickens & a CAT??

[Omran]

I have 4 cats, and they have no problem with chicken althghou they chase all other animals.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I have lost several of my bantams to the neighbors cats. Dirty buggers killed all my showgirls

 

[redhen]

They will chase/try to kill the small chicks..its their instinct to chase small cheeping fuzzy things that move fast..
But when they get bigger i dont think they mess with them too much. Most hens would put up to much of a fight for cat to handle. i'd think..

 

[Scott]

We have a cat that hangs out with our chickens. Doesn't bother them... even the chicks. Probably not the norm, but the cat seems to enjoy lounging around the chickens and the chickens don't seem to mind or show any interest in the cat.

 

[cozycritters]

My cat kills lizards, mice, baby rabbits... and turns a blind eye to our chickens. Just ONCE I told her 'Jade, MINE!' and she stopped, licked her tail for a few moments as if she had never THOUGHT of a chicken dinner, and never harassed them seriously again. The doves that steal chicken food, however, are fair game and she'll bring down a couple a day.

Before the coyote killed our flock she would occassionally playfully run at certain chickens to get them to yell at her. Our Barred Rock hen would chase her for it and they all seemed to enjoy it. She used to tease our goose too, but it wasn't hunting behavior at all...

 

[newchicksnducks]

I agree with the majority of the posts here. Our cat is a great hunter, and I would not have trusted her to be near the chicks when they were free ranging. Now that the "chicks" are more like "chickens" (oldest 12 weeks, youngest 7 weeks) they can be in the yard together and the cat just watches as she lounges in the grass. If the chickens get to curious and come in mass to check her out, she gets a cautious expression and leaves...I think she is more concerned about them than they are of her!

Last night we we out, the chicks ranging in the yard, the cat lounging by my feet...One of the chicks (9 week old) saw a bug and went running after it, stepping on top of the lounging cat! Up straight in in air, then off she went, hightailing it away from the chicks as fast as she could go! lol It was too funny. But also the same evening I found a dead wild bird that she apparently tired of hearing chirp...just make sure your chickens are of substantial size before you allow them to interact.

 

[newchickmom09]

Our cat always tried to get the chickens to play with her. They would almost play a tag kind of game. They were raised together. We got the chicks at about 4 or 6 weeks old and our cat was 6 weeks old. Now when we get our baby chicks in this week I will be watching her closely to see how she reacts to them since now she is 6 months old. But once they get big enough to run or charge at her I don't worry about her. That might just be our cat, she really isn't the best hunter, we still have the highest population of lizards I have ever seen.

 

[osagebill88]

We had a cat that was raised by a silkie. The kitten's momma dissapeared a little before it was weened and the thing would sleep with my broody silkie hen. She hatched the chicks and raised them togather. Evern after they all grew up and the silkie hen went back to sleeping in the roost the cat would crawl under her.

The neighbors bird dogs broke in and killed everything...even the cat while we were at a wrestling tourney. The cat and roo apparently put up a good fight against the dogs looking at the blood on their faces, but the dogs could not fight off a shot from my 22 to the head.

 

[chicks4kids]

I've kept my outside cat around our chickens ever since they were little. He has never once tried to attack or eat one. I think it's because he learned from when they were little that they were "mommies babies".

I always had him around them so he would get used to them...now at 16 weeks, my girls chase him around and he just scats far enough away so that they'll leave him alone!

It's too funny!!

 

[destiny_56085]

LOL... I have a standard wyndotte that pretty much raised a bunch of kittens earlier this spring. When mom was off hunting during the day, all the kittens would cuddle up under this old hen. It was hilarious watching her puff up and defend them just like chicks.

That didn't stop those same kittens from being bird killers though. They all found new homes because they started reaching their grubby lil paws through the chicken wire and snagging my peachicks. They couldn't get the whole thing through the wire, but would eat the heads off. My adult cats know better...they have all had stuff thrown at them (broom, brush, whatever is closest) and they know to stay away from my pens.