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I can't speak for all cats but I have cared for rehabbed and tamed many many ferals. In fact 4/5 of our current cats were ferals the other was a mostly feral barn cat.

In the town we lived in at the time we would have 6-16 ferals in our back yard at any one time. We fed them and gained their trust and then found them homes. Now feeding cats will make them stay however when we had 12+ cats in the back yard every day that we kept fed we also had robins and other birds as well as rabbits groundhogs and squirrels all on our back deck at a time. It was rather odd and always put me on the mind of Eden. Lol my point is though I can't be sure about the chicks and I'm sure they would probably eat a pigeon if they could but if you feed them and keep them fed and give them boundaries cats are pretty awesome and will keep them generally. Yes our ferals would occasionally playfully chase a bird but they never tried to put much effort into it. They didn't need to lol. I will however say that our year old kitty, Luna that I've had since she was a day old has more natural instincts than I've probably ever seen in a hand raised kitten and given the chance she would definitely kill a chick.

I recommend watching her and seeing if she seems curious ignores them or acts more predatory towards them.
 
cavemanrich said:
@ChicagoClucker
From my previous posts and my avatar, I can claim to be knowledgeable on feral cats. ( Not an authority) Had cats longer than chickens.(first one about 1993) All feral or unwanted ones. All get food, shelter, and rabies shots, and the unspeakable. All get fixed.
lau.gif

Small chicks are beyond resistance to cats. They are looked at as uncooked chicken nuggets. Once they grow to about the size of an OEGH bantam, they are safe from becoming cat snacks. ( Yes, I know there are exceptions always) On the other hand, pigeons, (adult) which are same size as OEGH banties , seem to always make cats' mouthes water.
droolin.gif
Often I see one or more of the cats ogling towards the pigeon loft. I am almost certain, one had a tooth pick in his moth.
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Click to expand...
LOL, the toothpick in his mouth, haha
lau.gif
. Old Tom and Jerry came to mind as soon as I read that! Tough cat with a bowl hat and toothpick.

I know my neighbor has a shelter behind her garage for ferals and she also puts out food and water every morning. I was also talking with my neighbor behind me he is also putting out food and water. So if I put out food and water also, perhaps their bellies will be so full, there isn't room for little chicken nuggets!
fl.gif
Or I could just be feeding the opossums that still come around, which would still be ok, because they won't be hungry for a chicken dinner either. Really feeling the pressure here. Every time I hear them squawking, I run out. 1 of the times, they were all hiding and yelling and looking down the side of the house. I go over slowly looking under bushes, by the fence, then I see it. A baby bunny, it could have fit in the palm of my hand. I guess they are a little nervous these days.
Thanks for all the help
@cavemanrich and
@chickendreams24
 
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Always Learning from Chicken:

I have seen strange things happen but this one is strange as well as beautiful. I hatched some chicks mid July and had a broody adopt them over a period of 4 days. However on day#5 she rejected a chick and almost killed it. So this chick along with another one that hatched 2 weeks later were being kept in a brooder. About a week ago when they turned 7 weeks and 5 weeks respectively, I put them in a dog cage inside the main coop (the broody and her chicks are in a different coup).The object was to integrate them with the main flock directly. For the past 2 days I noticed that my Mottled Orpington has been hanging around the cage too much, in fact by the cage door almost 80% of the time. In the evening she was actually sitting in front of the cage like a guard dog. So I decided to let everyone out of the coop to see how they interact. To my surprise, she thinks she is their mommy.

She wants to hang around these 8/6 weeks old chicks, calls them for food but she is not broody. The chicks on the other hand don't feel the same way which I think is making her sad. She is however, not fending off others when the chicks get beat up.

Last night I left the cage door open. She did not sleep with the chicks but I heard her calling them to roost. This morning I checked on the chicks to make sure others were not going after them and saw that chicks are in the cage and she is sitting outside the open door like a guard dog,

Lets see how long this lasts or what kind of relationship develops between them. I am scheduled to give one of the chicks away on October 1st but may have to keep him for a few more if some interesting things happen.

Is it possible that this hen (although I think most Orpingtons are dumb) can smell her genes in these two chicks? They are from her eggs. I have read studies about hens rejecting sperms from their full siblings if they have a choice of another dominant rooster in the flock. Or is this just an over-eager mama (who actually has never been broody)?

@Faraday40 @ChicagoClucker @chickendreams24
 
@Junibutt
I have hens - who have never been broody - surprise me with their maternal instincts.

One time the weather siren went off & my surprised broody with 2 other nearby hens, quickly called & sheltered the chicks in a matter of seconds.

I just had 2 broodies & an incubator hatch out 11 chicks. I split the chicks among the broodies & housed them right next to each other (but in separate enclosures) during the day. One was in our chicken tractor & the other in a baby's play yard for grass time. The remainder of the flock encircled the area & looked like they were guarding them. The top rooster stood guard on top. It was almost like they were at a family party & all were admiring the new additions. Since Cookie was Trouble's mom & they both had chicks, I tried putting both in the 4'x8' tractor. They fought right away, so I separated them. It was interesting to see how the chicks instantly parted like the Red Sea when their adopted moms called.

Anyway, the tractor was on uneven ground & from time to time a small 2-day old chick would slip outside the protection of the cage. Although the broody didn't like it, the chick was sheltered by an "aunt" until I found it & put it back. Yesterday I came up with the idea if splitting the tractor into 2 4'x4' sections using a large screen from a window. It didn't fit properly, so the chicks could go back & forth via a gap, but not the broodies. So far so good. My hope is that 1. I'll sell the chicks quickly & 2. They'll be able to free range by age 2 weeks. From past experience, I know the rest of flock will protect the chicks in a pinch.

I'm not sure if these maternal instincts are from sensing biological sameness or just merely protecting the flock. I've certainly had enough chicks this summer for even the dumbest bird to learn the routines. The 3-4 yr old hens (who have never been broody) are the ones who offer the better protection when a chick gets separated from mama. The pullets under 6 mo are merely curious & may peck at a chick - to then get attacked by a fierce broody mama.

Meanwhile my 9.5 wk old "millennial chicks" are still sleeping with their parents on the top roost. They are not with Princess all of the time & she finally started laying again. (Often her chicks are in the next box taking a nap while she lays her egg.) The chicks get along with the other top hens & are not bullied by the older pullets. I've never seen a broody stay with chicks this long. It's more of a slow gradual process that the usual quick departure.
 
Here's "Aunt Bielefelder" visiting the new chicks with another aunt around the corner.


Cookie


My double-broody set up for now. You can see how the chicks can slip through to either side, but the screen prevents mamas from fighting.

 
I took some close ups today.











Here's one of the 1/2 Spitzhauben. I hope it gets a crest!


Cookie walking like a turkey


Godiva begging for treats (Mouth open b/c she was bawking loudly at me.)


My leggy lav, Moose, posing & showing off his growing wattles


Princess still with her 9.5 wk old babies.

CCL from @MeepBeep


orp from @Junibutt


Sweetie trying to dig her way to China.
 

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