we lost 9 pullets about 4 weeks ago at night.got in our grower pen an just killed 9 for fun nothing was eaten.we saw a cat about 40yds of naping in the glass .it ran off when i went in to get the gun.so we put up 2in welded wire fence to secure it some more an have not seen any cats in a while.then last night i was in the house it was 8:40 or so an just about dark an i see a cat stalking my chicks in the same pen.i yell to my daughter to grab my gun an it ran off.we grab my 22 an went out the front door an circled the house to the back were we saw it running.there it was sitting about 40yds away in the field.i shot just missed over its head it ran right at us then turned towards the woods when he saw us.second shot an he jump an fell in the woods.my wife was not happy she said what are you going to do if the nieghbor calls the cops on you because you shot there cat.i told her when they come i will tell the cop they owe me 100$ for the 9 lavender orp pullets there cat killed an if it has 4 legs an is on my property an i dont own it it is as good as dead.the problem with the cats is they kill for fun they dont eat them just kill them this year we have got 1 cat 1 coon 1 skunk 1 coyote.
These stories make me sad. For your birds that were killed, and for the cat. Can you better secure your birds so nothing can get to them? Otherwise, you'll find yourself needing to shoot one pred after another, endlessly. Do you know if the cat was killed vs. possibly lying there suffering? JJ
they are more secured now it was killed.we have no trouble keeping all our animals on our property just wish others could do the same.but do under stand you point 2 it is just a cat being a cat.
Some cat owners just feel it is OK for "cats" to run free and hunt.... The guy next door to me has 12 or so and they are in our yard quite often, just jump the fence on the trees. One got into our older birds run a while back and Hubert our BO roo beat the living crap out of it and it now stays away from the chickens and hunts rats and mice which I am fine with. When we have young pullets they are a real worry though and we did also dispatch one last year (our Healer got it) and neighbor said, "guess that is the way it goes" He knows what will happen and still feels it is OK? When dealing with these type pet owners what can one do....
I care about all animals, but I also understand your situation! Recently, I had to pepper spray a neighbor's tom cat to stop it from viciously and repeatedly attacking my gentle old female. Too many people get cats, don't have them fixed, then let them roam the neighborhood mating, fighting, hunting songbirds, and as you experienced - chickens. We've lost a couple beloved bantams that way. Lately, I've been spending lots of time and money to fortify my coops, because a few neighbors are allowing their dogs to roam, and of course they come straight to my house. Calls to the police and animal control are only marginally helpful. One neighbor got rid of the nuisance dog that carried my hen away while she stood just a few feet away from me (I had turned my back for a moment), and now she just got a pit bull mix, but her fence is still broken-down as ever, so no doubt it will be over any day. What are people thinking? It's really traumatic for myself and my children to have our pets menaced or killed. I do have compassion for wild animals who are simply looking for a meal, but I have very little patience for domestic animals that come on our property and kill not for food, but sheer sport. Anyone who has ever had to pick up dismembered pieces of your beloved pets while your children are hysterical knows what I mean. We have a law against discharging a firearm in our town, but my father suggested getting a paintball gun to mark the trespassers - so that's what I guess I'll be doing, along with spending oodles more money for fortification. Legally, we have the right defend ourselves, our families, and our animals on our own property! Good luck regarding your situation. Love those lavender Orpingtons! We have several dozen chickens, but no lavenders (yet).
have the opposite problem we have neighbors down the road who have a colony of feral cats who when they wander this way our lab/husky mix promptly kills them and we have to dispose of the bodies they refuse to control the population and short of us fencing in the entire property i guess it will continue
I just replied in another thread about cats. I am shocked that a cat would kill pullets. I can see them going for flighty little chicks, but not anything over 3 months! My chickens and my cat hang together all the time. That said, even though my barn cat runs free, I would shoot anything that I caught killing my birds repeatedly. Of course, I would warn the owners if I knew who it was, and give them a chance to restrain the animal. Luckily I do not have a problem with domestic predators. I just lost 13 birds to what I think was a pack of coyotes. :-( Wish I could get those suckers.
Quote:yes we live in ne ct an we here the coyotes every night all ours get locked up around 6 have not lost any to a coyote yet.but if i see a coyote i kill it even if i am deer hunting.we killed 5 last year 2 adaults an 3 pups.the pullet that were killed were 8-10 weeks old
