Free ranging cat and chickens?

[Melodychick]

I have several outdoor cats on my 11acres, only one of them pays any attention to the chickens. When the girls are free ranging he pays them no attention, but when they're in their out side yard he used to jump in and chase them (never caught one, so I'm not sure if he was seriously trying). Most of the yard is covered with bird net and the rest is open. I found he was climbing a wooden post to jump in, so now I have large buckets upside down on the posts. Looks funny, but works. Everyone else ignores them. Having said that definitely keep young chicks secured.

 

[User395221]

Having said that definitely keep young chicks secured.

Absolutely. Anything little that can be harmed even by accident/"playing" has to be completely protected. Things can happen so quickly, there's no safe zone to let bigger animals in with tiny ones.

 

[TeeMom]

He's sweet. Pretty boy.

BTW, not all cats hunt. They learn it from their mums, and if mum isn't a hunter, they won't be "indoctrinated". Obviously there's an instinct in there to eat, so they will grab something if they're hungry, but for a domestic cat that has dinner put out, some just never want to grab anything. I've had instances where a mouse has got in and I've been standing there asking the cats to intervene and they've just gone "you must be kidding" and gone back to bed

Definitely agree! It's a crapshoot as to which will actually do the job, though this guy has been caught in action with mice on multiple occasions, so he definitely hunts, but the chickens and ducks don't seem to be of interest. When I go out to open the coop in the morning, he's often perched on the top roost with the juveniles that are usually trying to get away from the tousle happening on the ground over food. It's a calculated risk...as is free-ranging, but as of now, the benefits greatly outweigh my risk.

 

[Magical Garden Girl]

Our cats have always been strictly indoor cats. I would have NEVER had an outdoor cat...until I moved to the country, got chickens and their coop was being overrun with mice. We tried trapping, but they get wise to that, and I'm just not comfortable with poison as I have small children and dogs about. So...I adopted a kitten and actually put him IN the chicken coop. Now, we have a large coop and he has his own brooder pen that he can come and go at will, but it has worked like a charm. Just his presence seems to have deterred the mice. We have had 3 broody hens with chicks this summer and haven't lost one chick. The mommas are fierce and if he's shown an ounce of interest he's paid for it. I'm probably an outlier in this debate, and maybe I'll regret it one day, but this experiment was a risk I was willing to take given the circumstances. He and the chickens free range during the day and they're all locked in the coop at night.

This is Cooper, the coop cat...im pretty sure he thinks he's a chicken. View attachment 1134436 View attachment 1134437

Awe
Total cuteness overload

 

[Magical Garden Girl]

He's sweet. Pretty boy.

BTW, not all cats hunt. They learn it from their mums, and if mum isn't a hunter, they won't be "indoctrinated". Obviously there's an instinct in there to eat, so they will grab something if they're hungry, but for a domestic cat that has dinner put out, some just never want to grab anything. I've had instances where a mouse has got in and I've been standing there asking the cats to intervene and they've just gone "you must be kidding" and gone back to bed

Yep. Some cats just wanna play with the lizard they caught and have no idea they eventually killed it and walk away when the wind up toy stops moving. But a chicken might eat that lizard if small enough

 

[User395221]

Yep. Some cats just wanna play with the lizard they caught and have no idea they eventually killed it and walk away when the wind up toy stops moving. But a chicken might eat that lizard if small enough

Yes, that tendency to "chase things" can be just as fatal to a small reptile/animal as can a determined "catch and kill" approach. Cats can just "play with" a mouse, the end result is the same...
I think you just need to assess the risk that your particular animal(s) pose and guard against it. To qualify what I said before, only my 'big girls' (large chooks) free range in my backyard. My "little chooks" (bantams, d'uccle, pekins etc) stay in a run. I'd be too worried about them getting into trouble out in the "wild" and wouldn't feel comfortable letting them interact freely with my cats and dogs. They could also get in under my bushes and I wouldn't be able to get in there to fish them out. EDIT: besides which, they don't really want to come out. I've left the door(s) open to let them have a bit of a wander, and they don't come out. They must feel safe(r) in there, I don't know, but they don't have the want to "maraud around" that my big girls have. I suppose to some extent it's what they are used to and get to do.