Do Cats Eat Chickens?

[Tacampbell1973]

Well, I forgot to mention the real kicker in all of this: they are my landlords. So you can see I'm up a proverbial you know what without a you know what. Although we certainly have enough weapons to make it "disappear" I'm a terrible shot and would probably hit my own window or bird

 

[FeatheredFreind]

I completely agree. And not just chickens are c oncerned. If a person has an animal then they should be responsible for it. I just got back in the house fromrunning my neighbors tomcat off AGAIN. Third time this week that I know of. I have my babies locked up like fort knox. their run is covered in screen. I take them out several times a day for playtime. Supervised only. But my two big girls are out all the time. I don't have anywhere to put them yet. The coop and run aren't big enough to hold them and they would wind up killing the babies. Next payday i am investing in an outdoor run big enough for all. The big hens have been outdoors their whole life. In fact, they came from the tomcats house. They are pretty savvy.They are the ones that alert me to the cats presence inthe yard. All Ican do for right now until I get the outdoor pen built is keep the grass short so cat can't ambush hens and check on them a lot. I have chased stupid cat off with dog plenty but he doesn't get it. So mad at him.

The cats around mt house take down big savy ones too. They leave the heavy body parts for me to clean up but rip the legs, wings, ect (whatever) that they cant carry off. It starts small but goes big fast. Watch your girls. You may want to do something before you find yourself digging another hole. I swear to you, I have had to have my husband dig me a body ditch with his loader (bulldozer). It will get bad because cats do do it for the sport of it.

 

[FeatheredFreind]

Well, I forgot to mention the real kicker in all of this: they are my landlords. So you can see I'm up a proverbial you know what without a you know what. Although we certainly have enough weapons to make it "disappear" I'm a terrible shot and would probably hit my own window or bird

Tel your landlord you don't know crap about the cats but the rent check was just mailed. LOL

 

[Tacampbell1973]

Feathered friend, I like your style I am implementing a run for all this weekend. May have to half it right now and put the big girls in one half and youngerns in the other. They are still smallish and get bullied.

 

[FeatheredFreind]

Feathered friend, I like your style I am implementing a run for all this weekend. May have to half it right now and put the big girls in one half and youngerns in the other. They are still smallish and get bullied.

Thanks! I bet your youngsters will like that. I need to do the same: Most of my silkie hens are broody so the few that are not are over numbered with roos. I need to give those sweet hens a safe haven.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I haven't had cats bother my chickens. If anything the chickens scare the cats. My cats don't bother them and even the strays that show up don't bother them. Now small chickens might be another story if the cat is hungry enough.

 

[uugo]

If you have chicks or adult chickens, then keep them away from cats as they can get killed in a split second.

 

[AnotherKim]

I find some of the comments in this thread about killing and injuring cats quite distasteful. Cats like humans are born hunters.
I have five cats, pit bull, turtle, chickens and lots of fish. If I loose any of them to any of my cats, I would blame myself for been irresponsible, not the cat for following it's instinct.
Maybe you should evaluate you coop before worrying about predators. If you cannot provide a safe environment for your chickens, you have no right keeping them.
And Just for the record if any of my neighbours hurt any of my cats for doing what they do naturally, their ***** would be in court in a heartbeat.

Maybe you should keep your born hunters inside then. Nothing "irritates" me me than a cat owner who allows their cat to run free and expect their neighbors to love appreciate their little darling pooping in the sandbox and eating our pets. I don't let my dogs run and poop all over your yard.

That said, I can't kill anything. God help me if I ever have to cull one of my chickens. My dogs are useless when it comes to cats. A neighbor cat used to sit on my shed and literally laugh at my dogs. She hasn't been around in over a year. Maybe the neighbor's pitts had a tasty treat. One can only hope... The good thing is my sand box is clean and there haven't been any feral kittens born in my shed for quite some time.

 

[AnotherKim]

I have several acres of land, nice coops and runs for my birds to keep them safe at night. I don't believe for a minute I should have to deprive my flock from a little free range time each day to do what they love to do. If a neighbor is careless enough to let their cats roam on other peoples property than too bad for their dead cat. First time I see the cat I'll let you know, see it again it is dead. I have lost 14 cats last year and 3 this year. My neighbor at the end of the lane has cats that have never been to a vet, multiply like rabbits and she doesn't even buy them cat food. Only after begging her to please feed her cats or better yet keep them in she said "they eat the dogs food when my husband isn't home and I'm allowed to let them in the house". I told her that I would not tolerate any more kills and she says do what you have to do just don't kill the kittys. Long story short I killed all the big cats and left 2 kittens live last year. Now this year so far they have killed 3 of mine & countless number of my other neighbors animals. So one cat down this year and one Final cat to go!!! Yes I could call animal control but why put the cat and myself through all that. Besides I am busy cleaning all the bird body parts up that the cats have scattered and cleaning the blood bath coops and runs because now the scent of dead is in the air and every raccoon and possum in the area is on their way so my beautiful birds once again after being terrorized is on a 2 week lock down. All of this after I fetch most from the trees because they no longer feel safe. This isn't a personal attack for cats, it is their human owners that are completely irresponsible. So if you cat is killing your neighbors anything YOU are to BLAME!!!!

Sounds like your neighbor is a hoarder.I love the way she leaves it up to you to deal with her mess.

 

[MrsBachbach]

As I said, I have never had a problem with my cats and chickens. I have six cats, three of them outside and known to hunt. They have caught mice, birds, etc. I have three inside. One who is a fat lazy butt, and two that again, have caugt a couple of mice in my house. I also have a small parrot in my house that gets outside of it's cage daily. While curious, the cats have never attacked the bird. He would bite their nose off if they did! I raise my chicks in the house. Now, they have a secure brooder, but one day I left the lid open and went in the room later to find my fat cat in the brooder with the chicks! There she was, just sitting in the corner of the brooder watching the chicks. The chicks were in the other corner, watching her! LOL. Every year my fat cat knows when I'm going to hatch chicks. She's there when I turn on the incubators and sleeps beside the incubator, she's there when the chicks hatch and sleeps on top of the brooder. She's just nosey and loves watching the little chickies. The other two cats are actually scared of them.
My outside cats don't see little chicks unless a hen hatched them, even then, they are in a pen. My larger chickens free range every day and my cats don't bother them one bit. Run from them in fact. Found a stray cat in a coop one day, poor thing was starving, but again, he just wanted out of the coop and couldn't find his way out. He was hot and panting and very scared. I helped him find his way out, but again, no damage done to the growing juveniles in that pen. I've never seen a cat attack a crow, so I doubt they will go after a chicken. Chickens are just to big for ordinary cats. I'm not talking bantams here. Now, if you have feral cats around your neighborhood, they may be hungry enough to try. But a cat that is being fed, I highly doubt it's more than curiousity.