domestic cats

[john20000]

hello everyone , i have just moved to a new house with big garden , so i got me 3 chickens, i lock them up at night and let them free in the morning , my concern is with have lots of cats that come in the garden, i have watched one cat stalk them and pounce 3 or 4 times at them , but fail as the hens are too quick and fly off.... but will the other cats gang up and eventually catch my hens ...the hens have just started laying and got my first 2 eggs yesterday , would be good to get a few more before the cats get them.

 

[Daidohead]

If the hens you have are a Large fowl breed I dont think you have anything to worry about with cats. The good thing about cats is they are very independant and generally do not work together like a pack of dogs will. Good luck with chickens in the garden.

 

[Mattemma]

They won't work together,but all that stalking won't be so great for the hens.I would trap and relocate the cats.

 

[12GAGirl]

We have 5 outside cats that belong to my father and they don't even care about my flock. Two of the cats stay at the chicken kingdom and when they free range in the yard the other cats will stay away and watch them but I have not had an attack or even a stalk yet!

 

[turbodog]

Quote:
Actually, I think they can work together if they choose. I say that because I watch two of mine double-team a squirrel one time.
The squirrel was a couple of feet up a tree trunk chattering and tail flipping at one of the cats about 8 feet away from it, too far to get to the squirrel before it could run up the tree. He never tried for the squirrel, just sat there while it chattered at him. What the squirrel didn't know was, another cat was creeping up behind the tree while the first cat kept it's attention. The second crept up, then rushed around the tree and caught the squirrel. He then ran off with it, with the first cat in tow. Then me as I ran to make them let it go.
I'd never seen domestic cats working together and it was an interesting thing to watch.

 

[xyresicchick]

make a catproof moveable pen for the chickens to free range in...

 

[jlbpa]

feral cats will work together I've watched them kill a rabbit and squirrels. The squirrels and rabbits are a lot safer now.

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
I didn't have any song birds left around here when I bought my property. Feral cats were EVERYWHERE along with some of the neighbors cats. Since all the cats caught a serious case of lead poisoning the birds have miraculously reappeared.

And cats WILL kill full grown large breed chickens!! Especially if they are experienced hunters. One bite to the back of the neck is all it takes.

 

[Campine Lover]

Once a kitten got into our yard and stalked my birds. I don't think it would kill them now, but maybe injure them. So I grabbed the kitten and yelled "HERE CHICK CHICK CHICKIES! I have FOOOOOOOOOD!" They all came tearing over to me, squawking and jostling and looking for treats. The kitten was terrified, so I let her go, but then she went after my bantam and I grabbed her again, this time shoving her in front of my brooding silkies. That, and a swift peck to the rump from fiesty Sarah Jo made that cat run for the hills, with my dog chasing her. I hated to do that, but if you don't catch 'em they'll come back again and again. Haven't seen her around here since.

 

[Tala]

Neither my cats, or the neighborhood cats bother my adult birds at all. However there is some stalking and toying with chicks. While cats can take out adult chickens if they really WANT to, they are much more of a threat to chicks say, younger than 8 weeks old.

3 of my chicks disappeard from my chicken tractor once. I'm 99% sure the predator was human, but the the pen did have an opening in the top.....the only thing that I caught in the live trap (set next to the chicken tractor, baited with catfood) was a semi-wild cat. I shot it just to be sure.
I did some upgrading on the tractor since then, but needless to say I haven't lost any more chicks.

Haven't caught any more cats either. News must have hit the kitty rumor mill, coz the neighbor still has several cats left.