Free ranging w/ cats??

[PunkinPeep]

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i wish i knew how to teach my cat to be a hunter. he brings home lizards and mice, but usually, he just leaves them injured, or sometimes missing a limb or a head. he doesn't seem to realize that he can eat them. maybe i spoiled him with the store bought stuff in a can.

 

[Zoopathy]

Just to throw my two cents in...

My cat, Emma (~8 years and a former bird catcher) totally leaves the babies alone. No interest whatsoever, maybe because she's getting on in years.

The dog (10 months), on the other hand, could prove to be problematic. He is OBSESSED with the chicks and has his face in, on, or near the brooder almost constantly. We're hoping the novelty wears off soon!

Let your girls grow up a bit more and I bet they'll be able to take care of themselves just fine!! Good luck!

 

[kezabel]

Quote:
Same here, all our Neighbours have cats and they come into our backyard and don't bother the chickens, there must be a treaty between Cats and Chickens set back in the olden days

 

[A2SciTeach]

3 cats here, indoor/outdoor and all 3 are hunters. They will kill chicks but once the chickens are large and fully feathered they leave them alone, probably because the chickens ganged up on them and chased them away. Now they live in peaceful coexistence. As others have said, that's NOT the case with dogs. My mini dachshund has an unbelievable prey drive and will take on ANYTHING, no matter what size or whether it has feathers or fur. Luckily the chickens are bigger than he is and if he manages to get into the chicken area, he ends up with a mouthful of feathers and chicken butt fluff.

 

[logansmommy7]

Our cat is scared of them...it's the dog I worry about.

 

[chickenshagg]

We have three cats. We first kept the chicks in a brooder box in th e basement the big male cat would cry if he could not go down to see the chicks. he would walk around the brooder box or lay on the chair and watch the chicks for hours. As the chicks got older we took the out to the yard for on little day trips in a small fenced area. the cats would come to investigate and the chicks would investigate the cats. The chicks were never afraid of the cats and they were able to teach the cats to stay away. as the cats came close to the edge of the fence the chicks came over and plucked a wisker from the cats. Now that the cicks are grown and when they are out to free range they will run to the cats when they first see them. I now have to protect the cats from the chickens instead of the other way around!

 

[leaddog]

The dog, 6 to 10 cats, chickens, and calves all live together and share the same barn at night. The calves irritate the chickens by insisting on sniffing them as they are scratching ion the feedlot.

The only time there is a problem is when the chickens decide to get into the dog food while the dog and cats are eating. A few perfunctory growls or hisses from the adults and the matter is settled. The kittens get reallt offended too, but the chickens ignore them.

I actually have photo somewhere of the dog, a cat or two, and a rooster all taking a nap together. the rooster is on the dog's back and the cats are curled up next to the dog. I have always thought that if I was creative enough, I could write a little kids book about it.

The above is also entertainment for the neighbors as they drive by.

Don't worry about it.

 

[birdbrain2]

my chickens will not tolerate my fierce hunting cat. they will chase all cats and other birds away. its kinda a funny to watch.

 

[NC Chicken Gal]

Thanks for all the replies. Ya'll have eased my mind on the cats. Funny thing is, I am still worried about letting them out! Guess I am just a new nervous chicken mamma!

 

[LaSombra]

I worry most about my big cat, Nacho. He's about the same size as my 2 month old chickens, maybe bigger. When they were chicks, he tried his hardest to get at them. I am afraid to see if he'd still try to get at them. Maybe, maybe not. They don't go out of the pen, though

like others have said, it depends on the individual personalities of the cats, I guess...