coops, and mice, and cats- OH MY!

[lovethepeep]

We have a storage building with an adjoining chicken coop. The coop is predator proof, but occasionally they are out about in the yard to free range, and I can't say that we ALWAYS remember to lock them up at night. The storage building has a family of mice living under it, and I really don't want to lay out poison, knowing they might carry it around the yard... poisoning other animals, or my one year old! So I thought about getting a cat, but of course, that means that he/she might bother my chickens and/or their hatchlings. On the left of the coop lives our Golden Retriever, under the coop- the mice, and to the right of the coop, the henhouse... all we need is the cat to finalize the food chain

. Any other suggestions?

 

[WendiJean]

We have 3 barn cats "patrolling" our house and coop, and I have never once had them go after the our chicks, who free range all day. The only time a cat has ever hurt a bird that I saw was one time when the neighbors cat had a sparrow in her mouth.

So having a cat doesn't always mean they will go after the chicks

good luck!

 

[mamahen82]

Our neighbours cats are in our coop all the time hunting mice and I have yet to see them go after a chicken....although if there were young chicks in there, might be a different story!

 

[chickengrl]

We have 5 cats. Only one of them isn't afraid of the chickens. She isn't interested in them in a bad way either. They are just more of her "subjects". We should have named her Princess or Her Majesty. She even bosses the Labradors around. But I digress, we have no issues with cats and chickens together, but would not trust them around small chicks. For obvious reasons.