Fairly certain a neighbour's cat just killed one cock and three hens.

[yinepu]

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and THIS is what I said:

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why do people overlook THAT bit?

and this as well:

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this is the original info we were given:
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So the OP has chickens.. also has known predators in the area (eagles, owls, hawks, foxes plus whatever he means with "etc"... I'm not from his area so not sure what else he has) HE ALSO FREE RANGES HIS BIRDS!
And no where in his 4 posts has he said how the birds were killed and what injuries they had.. he also never said WHY he is 90% sure it was a cat who killed them.. so LOGICALLY knowing the cat is "This cat has a collar on so it probably goes home and lies on a sofa and has a bowl of food waiting for it." (so appears well fed?).. WHY should we ASSUME it was a cat who killed the birds when taking out 4 birds and possibly more
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So going by the info that JonInNorway gave us I can not grab up the pitchforks and start screaming SSS the cat since it is pretty darn obvious (going by all the info given and knowing that I personally have never seen an cat kill adult chickens let alone 4 at a time and possibly more) that SOMETHING else (Eagles, Owls. Hawks, Foxes etc.) lives in his area who would love chicken for dinner
heck.. from the info given it could have been the cat's owner who wanted a chicken dinner since JonInNorway never even said if he had the bodies (i am assuming he does since he knew those 4 were "lost" however he never said for sure)

so MY point is NOT that if I have never seen it that means it won't/can't happen... my point is that before we suggest anyone should SSS a neighbor's pet (and going by all the info we have on hand concerning these particular birds) that we should look for the more logical and probable predator and solution instead of assuming otherwise

 

[GAchick]

And yinepu wins by logic alone. Cat haters want to blame the cat, but if you look at the situation logically, THAT does not add up. Many known predator birds in the area... multiple slayings...cats RARELY if ever attack full grown chickens, especially if they are not starving.....

 

[welasharon]

Well put.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm sorry you lost some of your chickens. It's always bad to lose any chickens and especially hard when they're part of a serious breeding program.

Do you have any reason to suspect the cat in particular? Or do you just not know of any other predators and you think the cat is the most likely choice?

Some cats kill adult chickens. It happens. Fortunately, it's really rare. The fast majority of cats never bother adult chickens or give it a try and aren't successful. That's no comfort if a person happens to have a cat in their area that happens to be one of the rare cats that can and will kill an adult chicken.

Were they all killed the same day? I haven't known of a case where a cat killed more than one chicken, but the only confirmed cat kills I know of were because the person saw it happen. Otherwise, you can't say a cat did it and that wouldn't normally be your first guess. So, they were there to stop the cat from killing any others. Still, I wouldn't think a cat would kill more than one at a time, normally. Unless they were chicks. Cats don't just kill to eat, they also kill because it's their instinct and a learned behavior.

I would expect any good rooster to put up one heck of a fight. Some roosters aren't aggressive when a predator attacks. This wasn't even a rooster, though, it was a cockerel and younger chickens usually take time to smarten up, get more confident and reach full size. Were the others really hens? Or were they pullets? Lots of cats that wouldn't bother an adult will attack chicks or juveniles.

Dogs are one of the predators most known for killing multiple chickens at a time, so I'd also think about them as a possible suspect. Sometimes a stray comes through or a dog that normally doesn't run loose gets out.

I would lock up your chickens temporarily, until you figure out what is going on. Even people that free range all the time have to occasionally lock their chickens up, while they deal with a new predator situation.

You might want to think about using mobile housing like arks or chicken tractors for some of your younger, smaller chickens or more valuable bloodlines. You could still free range those when you're home and the others all the time. The other option is to think about a dog to guard them. That works really well, too.

Are game cams available where you live? That's another option for finding out what's going on when you aren't there. Not everyone wants to go to that trouble or expense, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. If you're not seeing animal prints, dusting flour or some other powder in an area can also help.

I hope you figure out what's going on and find a way to resolve the problem.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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x2

 

[WillieBoy]

First i'd say many here believe a cat will not kill a full grown chicken,i know better.( Two Full grown NH Reds killed)Sorry for your loss.i wouldn't live trap and relocate, i'd live trap and dispose.It's no right to pass your problem on to another.

 

[harveyhorses]

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No, not that they WON'T just not normally, she lost 4 adult chickens, free ranges and has Eagles, hawks, fox, ETC.
So we are going to shoot the neighbors cat because it MIGHT be the culprit, when there are MANY other posibilities? Why don't you go ahead and SSS everything that had a chance? Because the cat happened to be passing by?
It is not the way cats hunt NORMALLY. Glad you are not my neighbor.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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No, not that they WON'T just not normally, she lost 4 adult chickens, free ranges and has Eagles, hawks, fox, ETC.
So we are going to shoot the neighbors cat because it MIGHT be the culprit, when there are MANY other posibilities? Why don't you go ahead and SSS everything that had a chance? Because the cat happened to be passing by?
It is not the way cats hunt NORMALLY. Glad you are not my neighbor.

Well said!

 

[WillieBoy]

I happy as well your not my neighbor.Just for the record i have a pet cat and have always had pet cats.It matters not, if its one hen/roo or four...some cats kill full grown large hens/roos.I kill cats that kill my laying hens.You do as you like, but other hen owners would likely not want you as a neighbor as well, if you own cats and assume as you do..

 

[harveyhorses]

If it IS the cat yes SSS BUT Fairly certain, all those other preds and free ranging? There is just not enough proof for me that is was said feline. That is my problem with this. If they saw the cat take all FOUR by all means, but if the cat was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, whatever it was will keep coming back.
We lost a lab once, funny kids in the neighborhood decided to let the dogs out to play, they went right over to the other neighbors duck pond. 4 very treasured ducks later.... bang. They were as upset as we were, and the vandals had to pay for the ducks and our dog. I don't blame them one little bit. Could still strangle the brats though. I do get where you are coming from. They said they were certain it was a stray, because our dogs were either penned or with us.
Anyway I hope whatever it is be it cat fox or mountain lion

get what it deserves.