Chickens and the cat

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Hi,
Thanks for all your brill advice! Just wondering what is the minimum age you should get chicks and is 6 week too early? Thank you!

Do you have a brooder? That is, a smallish draft-free place where you hang heat lights until chicks are fully feathered? If so, then you can get day-old birds easily.

If you do not have a brooder/don't want to deal with chicks, then as soon as the chicks are fully feathered (including their heads) they can take any temperature and will be fine in a run as long as they have a place to get out of the wind and rain. Feathering speed is dependent on the breed a bit as well as on the temperature where the chicks were kept, but is usually complete by six weeks.

If you're getting older birds anyway, I would personally pay for "started pullets" that will be around 18 weeks old. You'll start getting eggs between 18 and 30 weeks, depending on the breed of the chicken.

 

[chickenmad129]

Do you have a brooder? That is, a smallish draft-free place where you hang heat lights until chicks are fully feathered? If so, then you can get day-old birds easily.

If you do not have a brooder/don't want to deal with chicks, then as soon as the chicks are fully feathered (including their heads) they can take any temperature and will be fine in a run as long as they have a place to get out of the wind and rain. Feathering speed is dependent on the breed a bit as well as on the temperature where the chicks were kept, but is usually complete by six weeks.

If you're getting older birds anyway, I would personally pay for "started pullets" that will be around 18 weeks old. You'll start getting eggs between 18 and 30 weeks, depending on the breed of the chicken.

Hi, they have already been born and i have seen them! Very cute! In england (where i live) in May the temperature is about 20 oc so i thought it would be alright for them then. Also i am buying them a little run that has wind protection and cover so that they will be less vunerbale, would this be a good idea (below is something similar to would i would look for)

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Hi, they have already been born and i have seen them! Very cute! In england (where i live) in May the temperature is about 20 oc so i thought it would be alright for them then. Also i am buying them a little run that has wind protection and cover so that they will be less vunerbale, would this be a good idea (below is something similar to would i would look for)

At six weeks old 20 degrees will be fine for them. The would appreciate some shade in the summer and some wind protection in the run, yes. What you're contemplating should help protect them from flying predators and things that cannot dig. It will not protect them from diggers or things that can squeeze into small spaces like weasels or minks (not sure if you have similar predators in England).

 

[chickenmad129]

At six weeks old 20 degrees will be fine for them. The would appreciate some shade in the summer and some wind protection in the run, yes. What you're contemplating should help protect them from flying predators and things that cannot dig. It will not protect them from diggers or things that can squeeze into small spaces like weasels or minks (not sure if you have similar predators in England).

Great! We do have minks in England but our garden is enclosed and we will have a electic fence outside this as well. Also they will be sleeping in their big forever home at night so this run is just for the day.

Please feel free to comment your opinion too!

 

[chickenmad129]

Where could i get something similar to this?

 

[teneyck farms]

Where could i get something similar to this?

just about any where as a pet house for a cat or dog work good for nest boxes

 

[Kazfam]

Buy some netting and put it over the run.
If your cat is anything like our - it will eat the chicks.

Here's a previous thread about netting over the coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/150403/netting-to-cover-top-of-chicken-run

 

[teneyck farms]

a secure tracter type coop would work for you you just dont have to move it around

 

[tandykins]

-_- I think I'm either going to have to keep my chooks in an enclosed run or my cats inside. Two of them are completely fine with the chickens but my smallest cat (smaller than one of my hens) keeps taking a run at my full grown hens and trying to give them a swipe on the bum. I'm concerned that if I don't do something quickly I'm going to have a dead hen soon. Am I being overly paranoid? I can tend to helicopter parent my chickens because of our previous bad experiences, running out every hour or so to make sure that they're all still okay.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I've got a large bobtail tom that will run up on my chickens when they aren't looking, stand up on his back legs, slap the chicken on the back with both his paws, do a front flip and go bouncing off across the yard. I've got several others that love to aggrevate the chickens. I don't take it as a threat or aggression though, they're just playing.
It's when the cat is staring at a small chick in a fixated sort of way, drops down on his belly, shuffles his feet and starts stalking it, that you have trouble.