Domestic Cats

[Hawgon]

How much of a threat is a domestic cat on chickens? My 6 hens are about 8 weeks old now and we do have a few neighborhood cats running around. We had one in the backyard today when the chickens were out and my wife heard all of this ruckus outside and saw all of the chickens up on the barb-q, hot-tub cover and planter and this cat walkin around giving them the "stare". I read on this forum before that a cat would have a hard time with a full-size chicken, that they can put up a fight. Any comments or ideas or experience's???? Thanks

 

[scratch'n'peck]

With 8 week old chickens in particular, cats could be a serious threat if they are motivated. I have read about cats attacking, but not as often as I have read about problems with dogs. My outdoor cat was never very interested in my great big chickens.

 

[Kevin565]

Cats are usually more of a issue for younger birds like yours. Older birds sometimes are injured by them but this is not very common. However, there are always exceptions especially with feral cats

 

[Imp]

I have never had any cat go after any chicken. And I have a few cats around here, domestic, stray, & feral. As far as chicks go they are more interested in the heat from the lamp. Even the ones that are proven hunters; or the one that ate my canary.

But, that being said, I would not trust cats around small chicks/chickens.

Imp

 

[Oregon Blues]

A cat would have no trouble at all killing a full size chicken. However, adult chickens are out of the prey size range of most cats.

Still, I would not allow large hungry stray cats to hang around my birds. The abandoned cats around here kill cottontail rabbits, and that is about the size of a chicken and puts up more fight than a chicken would. So cats are capable of killing a chicken.

Probably the majority of cats will kill small chicks. Then somewhere along the size scale as they grow, cats will lose interest (most cats).

You are familiar with the rule "better safe than sorry"?

 

[shober]

My full grown chickens attacked my cat! She will never go around them again! I might worry about chicks, but not full grown chickens. Especially if there is a rooster around doing his job!

 

[ivan3]

Depends on the cat. Retired two ferals that were stalking the chooks, several years ago (chooks had taken up position under the big Lilac and I just watched the organized stalking for a bit before ending the show). Our `fixed' outdoor cat spent her first winter eating corn and other crumbs (we get `dumped on' - took three kittens to pound, but missed one), took a couple of months for her to adjust. She's never attacked the chooks. She might think about going after the turkey poults but the hens won't tolerate her presence. Could she kill and eat a full grown chook? No doubt. She goes right up Shag Bark Hickories and takes out full sized gray squirrels without so much as a never-you-mind, and up and over 6ft. welded wire fencing as if it isn't there.

 

[ccrow]

Love the photos!

 

[ivan3]

ccrow wrote: Love the photos

If one wasn't aware she was positioned so as to grab a passing Cardinal or Flicker, one might consider her `cute'. She is a predator and we never forget it.

 

[galanie]

Wish I had a cat that would kill these %&*%/!!! squirrels!