I have a dilema

[bnickell97]

I'll make this the short version of the story. A week ago a family of wild cats decided to move in under my deck. I told my son to stop feeding them, the boy has a love for all creatures, and explained that cats are predators and we have chickens. This morning i went out to feed and water the chickens and saw a rat in the run. So to my dilema, since the chicken coop in a couple feet off the ground there is a space under it for in my eyes now either a family of cats or a family of rats. I have wire fence barried to keep critters from getting in the run from under the coop which after today is going to be a cement wall because i see rats will chew. So i guess my question to the experts here is....are the cats really going to be a threat to my chickens? The coop is pretty predator proof, well i guess i should say large predator proof, so i dont think the cats can actually get in. So would i be better off letting the cats stay to hopefully get rid of the rat problem?

 

[centrarchid]

Cats are generally are not a threat to adult chickens. I have occasional exceptions and those were selected against promptly. Cats seem good only against immature rats.

Could you raise your coop an additional foot relative to run making so rats have less cover? Also work on making so rats have less to eat in the form of feed and grain after dark.

 

[bnickell97]

My plan for today is to build a wall out of blocks to block the space from under the coop to the run. I'm not sure if I explained well enough how it/they got in. I would have to either lower the coop or raise the run. i cant have the coop at ground level because after all the rain this year I notice i build it on a low area of the yard. If the cats arent a threat to the chickens my theory was that rats probably wont want to live under the coop with cats?

 

[centrarchid]

Your theory is sound. I suggest raising coop. Brick wall will provide more security for rats that can get behind it.

 

[enola]

I have had chickens killed by feral male cats. But, not all cats will kill chickens. If you can get the cats interested in living under the coop, the rats will move simply because they realize they need a safe place to raise their young.

Personally, I would work on eliminating both the cats and rats. Rats will not hang around if the food source disappears. You may have to eliminate the cats by trapping so you can rehome them.

There are programs that will help you trap feral cats and get them neutered. Then you can turn them loose again, preventing the population of feral cats rom exploding.

 

[bnickell97]

Thanks for the advice. It turns out lowes sells what looks like a very effective rat eliminating equiptment so ill go that route for now

 

[123RedBeard]

The rats are there, because there is a food source, don't leave food out, lock it away so they can't access it.

Any masonry needs to stuck together with mortar, not just stacked up, unless you use the "dry stack" method, which still uses a "sealer" type to bond them together ...

 

[Percheron chick]

I'd encourage the cats to stay. You will always have a problem with rodents with chickens and it's easier for cats to keep the mice in check. If you are not a cat person, feral cats fit the bill. You will barely notice them. I would try to trap them and get them sterilized. Too much inbreeding will result in unhealthy hunters. I have adopted feral cats to patrol my hay barn. Win win for both of us. I feed a handful of kibble a day to keep them around.

 

[bnickell97]

Actually there is no food in the run except for the japanese beetles I feed them during the day. The food is in the coop separated by a door. Right now there is a tasty little portion of peanut butter attached to the business end of a snap trap. Time will tell