Idea's to stop my cat thinking of my chickens as food.

[smallbluejellybean]

Hello everyone!

We just got 3 chickens. I have quails, but they are always in the aviary. I want my chickens to free range.
They are only young about 8 to 10 weeks.
My cat wants to eat them and I know this is his natural instinct to do so.
We walk our chickens around the yard and are with them at all times, but that doesn't stop him trying.
The dog is fine with them and she has no problem at all.
I know similar questions have been posted, but I think mine is a little different, as I want any tips on how to get the cat to stop thinking of the chickens as something to attack.
Will this change once the chickens are bigger?
Will the chickens fight back? I think a peck or two might put him in his place.
Any idea's would be great on how to break his urge to eat them.

Cheers

 

[MrsBachbach]

A can of Friskies a day would help. And, yes, wait til your chickens are larger before letting them out.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Thanks, but Mister Meow Meow has about 5 tins of Friskies a day plus dry food (he is a pig). I will still let them out, but I will leave him in the house and supervise them at all times to protect them from anything else. Hopefully when they get bigger he will be more intimidated by them and leave them alone. He gets along with the guinea pigs now they are fully grown.

 

[chimom5]

We have several outdoor barn cats that are excellent hunters. What I did was get a spray bottle of water and when the cats would come to check out the chicks I would spray them. I was always close enough to see what was going on but far enough away to try and make the cats think the water was coming from the chickens. I had the bottle set so it would shoot out a single stream as opposed to a misty kind of spray.
I was always with the chicks when they were out in the fenced in area. After a few weeks the cats did not seem to take notice of the chickens, who were about the same age as your chicks, so I would let them in the yard unattended for short periods. They are older now. Then the chicks decided they were going to escape the yard. I heard a commotion and ran outside to see a cat running across the yard...being chased by one of my hens. She actually chased him across the yard and into the barn. There was another cat sitting just outside the barn and when the chicken stopped in front of her she turned her head away and would not look at the chicken at all.
The chickens are around 16 weeks now and we let them free range when we are outside working. Today they were napping in the barn with the cats.

 

[smallbluejellybean]

Thank you.
You made me laugh so hard.
My guinea pigs do that to Mister Meow Meow.
He use to stalk them when they were young and when they grew up and bit him one time and the rules changed. Now they chase him.
Now I know its possible for a spoiled cat to accept the chickens too.
We are hoping to get another chicken soon to add to our little flock and want everyone to get along.

 

[brairgirl]

My cat Louciphur, thinks chicks are fun to chase. But he leaves the adults alone.. He isn't allowed outside un supervised when the chickens are free ranging.

All our cats do. I understand why the ones that were with us before we moved do, but the newer cats..
When we lived in on the other side of the country, our to ducks would chase cats away from their "flock mates". It was hilarious to watch!

 

[chimom5]

We have two BR and Emelia, named so because of her "flying" at ability at 2 weeks old, is without a doubt the head honcho. I think if there was a real threat our roo would hide behind her