chickens and cats?

[Chick_a_dee]

Speaking of cats. Not too long ago when my EE girls were still in the brooder in the spare room, my brother left the top off it and the door open so Accio, our insane housecat could get in the room. I brought him upstairs and told him that because he had left the top off Accio had attacked the chicks and eaten one. I looked in the box and so did he and we both realized that indeed one was actually missing! I was just lying to make him feel bad! ... I looked around freaking out and noticed she was perched on the bottom rung of a ladder that was leaning against the wall, and then I noticed Accio hunting her from just behind the closet door!

 

[obe10]

my cat thinks he is a chicken lol lol lol no problem there

 

[kezabel]

I have a broody hen sitting on 6 silkie eggs due to hatch on the 5th December and Now I am worried that when they hatch(if theydo) what my cat will be like with the chicks, my hens have a coop but they free range all day. She(Millie the cat) is super scared of the bantam hens, she runs away from them if they get close to her and I only have 4 hens. Do you think the mother hen will protect her new chicks from my cat or should I seperate her and the chicks from the main coop? I don't really want to because mother hen comes out and dust baths and pecks around the yard each day for about half an hour. Maybe once they have hatched I should put them in a big box with mum??? I just don't know, any suggestions? I have included some pics of the coop as a reference.

and here is the broody one Fiffie , please excuse the messy coop I'm just about to clean it lol

I put shade clothe around ther bottom of the coop to keep the chick in at night.

 

[Chuntgray]

My cat is afraid of the chickens

 

[kezabel]

Quote:
Yes I thinks its a really funny sight to see achicken chase a cat. It happens everyday here lol

 

[balticbabe]

I have the same question and read through the posts and not quite sure what the answer is.

The local feed store's cat sleeps in the bin with the day old chicks without any problems. I know this wouldn't work at home, our cats love to hunt. We have four cats and four hens, fortunately the cats are afraid of the hens. The Banty charges them and the cats head for the house. The cats hate when the hens are outside in the yard. Poor kittys can't relax with large birds running around scratching up the place.

Now we have five week old chicks who look like a very tasty treat for a cat. They are also too sweet and docile to fight a cat. I guess I'll know by their attitude when the chicks are ready to enter the mean old wilderness that is the back yard. At what age do chickens typically become tough enough to stand up to a cat?

 

[Pebbles]

From my experience, when your chickens are the same size as the cats I stop worrying about the cats. Our cats are semi-feral cats who live under the shipping container right next to the chicken coop and run. We usually have one litter of kittens a year. Right now the kittens are about 2 months old and are having a great time running around on the roof of the run, making the rooster crow. The cats and chickens eat and hang out together. Never have had a problem. I would never tempt semi-feral cats with chicks or pullets smaller then the cats, particularly if you have hens who act like, well "chickens" if you know what I mean

 

[hcppam]

my cats are very good around the chickens, I watched them the first few days the pullets were out. The cats stalked them but as soon as I called the cats names, with the warning tone, they stopped and went the other way. My cats now walk right by 6 week olds, or just lay down under a tree where the chicks are scratching.

 

[Patricia Jane]

I have about 6 ferral cats and have had no problem with them stalking my chickens. They seem to be afraid of them.