Chickens vs House Cat

[MicP]

Hello everyone

I started my chicken journey about 8 months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recently our family have adopted a young kitten that we rescued. I was wanting advice if the rooster would be able to protect the hens as the cat naturally grew into an adult. I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. They spend most of their time in a closed coop at night time which I lock up and in an open roof run during the day (walls are about 1.5m high so would be accessible for an adult cat).

Thanks

 

[allykay219]

I've never had problems with my cats and chickens. I have a tom cat that's strictly outdoors and he eats scraps with the chickens. I hatch eggs too and worried with the indoor/outdoor cats, but they have never messed with the chicks. I think they know they're part of the family. They kill birds and mice but never touched my chickens

 

[PingoBags]

My cat hunts all the time. Sometimes she will sit looking at the chickens but doesn't bother them.
I feel confident she won't touch them, even though she spend 95% of her time outside hunting.

Same with my chocolate lab. He shows interest in them but in a playful way.
I trust him not to purposely hurt them but I still tell him no when he approaches them.
We let him loose and free range the chickens unsupervised without issues.

Just use your best judgement.

 

[MicP]

Yes, my dogs aren't as well trained and would love to get stuck into the chickens. Good to hear about the cats being content not to hunt them.

 

[aart]

A cat most likely won't bother a full grown chicken, but I wouldn't trust it around chicks or bantam sized birds.
Chances are your birds will take that kitten to school while it's little.

 

[scooter147]

My chickens actually torment my outside cat, he adopted me. (I feed him every other day)

The cat loves to sun bathe in my backyard. If he is in the yard when I let the hens out to run around the yard they purposely gang up on him and chase him out of the yard.

It is actually quite comical. He jumps the fence and sits in the neighbors yard and looks at the chickens and you can just tell he is not happy and is cussing them under his breath.

 

[JoshFig]

We have 2 cats - A big tom and a small female. They like to play 'hunt' with the chickens, sneaking up and jumping at them, but we have never had them actually hurt either a full grown chicken or a chick. The cats hang out w/ the chickens all the time.

As posted above - they just seem to know that the Chickens aren't prey.

 

[PBPF]

I have a big tom cat too he will go out of his way when the chickens are out in the yard When they are in the pen he will sit at the fence and look in them