Is this a problem?

[Patoot]

Hi there.

I got my 4 girls a week ago (almost 4 months old) and they are doing great! I made my yard accessible to them so they can free range. I fenced off the veggie garden, but let them have the flower garden. They are making a mess with the mulch, but they look so happy I don't care. Anyway, I have absolutely zero risk of predators like skunks, raccoons, rats, roaming dogs, etc. Seriously zero. If they were babies, I would say there could be the possibility of a hawk issue, but I haven't seen or heard hawks in our area...but I couldn't be sure like I am about the other things. Anyway, the fences around my yard are high and there's really no risk of the girls flying out, but my stupid neighbor's cat has come in the yard a couple times. I was worried about it so I only let them out when I was home and watching them, but that's not fair to them. I caught the cat on top of the coop trying to look at them. She wasn't trying to get in, but she was just watching them. It's actually a very young, sweet, small cat who rubs against my dog when we go for a walk, but she's still a cat. I don't want to build a covered run because that would be my whole yard. My yard is small, but it's big enough for the girls. I just don't want 1/2 of it to be a cage, especially where they are doing so well just digging in the mulch and not focusing on grass or trying to get to the garden or anything.

The girls are RIR and pretty big already. The cat is smaller than them, very sweet, and I've only seen her in the yard twice. I could ask the neighbors if she ever brings them "presents" too. I know we used to have a barn cat growing up that didn't know he was a cat. We saved baby robins all the time and he would just let them hop all over him. Then we had a sweet house cat who would stare at the bird feeder and catch them with one paw and leave many "presents". All depends on the cat I guess.

Anyway, I have a few questions:

1. How much should I worry about a cat if the girls are almost full size? Does it depend on the cat?
2. If it is a risk, what can I do to minimize it aside from a covered run which would either stink because it would be 1/2 my yard or the girls would not have nearly as much space?
a. I was thinking of attaching chicken fencing (or something similar) around the tops of my fences so there would be no way for her to come in. That means it would be at least 10 ft from the ground to the top of the fence. It also means the top of the fence would be a skinny little wire and there's no way she could balance on it to walk.
3. Any other ideas which may be cheaper and/or more effective? Sensor sprayers? Electric fence? Something else?

Thanks for the reassurance and help. I want the girls to be happy, but I need to know they are safe too. I really don't think it's a huge risk, but I don't want to take any risk as I would feel awful if something happened and I'm already attached (even if they still are afraid of me...ironically, not my labrador though

)

Thanks.

Bree

 

[wsmoak]

Four months is nearly full grown, right? What is the relative size of cat to chicken here? Mine free range and I've had zero problems with the (five) cats. In fact, the hens chase the cats!

 

[crosbygroup]

There is no easy answer. It totally depends on the cat and you know how dependable they are.

I've seen my 4 girls chase a timid cat out of the yard - I don't know if it was because they thought it was a predator or if the thought it had something to eat. When they ran at it, it ran away.

I think you will just need to watch and see what happens over time. Sit out with your girls or keep and eye on them and se how it plays out.

Good luck.

 

[Casey3043]

I agree with wsmoak. Cats are no threat to hens that are full grown or nearly so. Tiny baby chicks would be another matter. My neighbor's cats come by all the time in search of mice, and I'm all for it. They pay no attention to the hens at all.

 

[Patoot]

I just added that info because I thought of it after the fact. I think they are almost full size, but I have no idea as I've never had chickens before. They don't have all their tail feathers yet (or they are very small feathers). They are tall though and when they stand upright, they are probably almost twice as tall as the cat. She's a couple years old, but she's very small. I've known her since she was a kitten and she's would come in the yard sometimes, but as soon as she saw me, she was gone in two seconds, but if I take a walk with my dog, she comes running out to say hi. The chickens are RIR so they will be big girls.

Thanks for the help.

Bree

 

[dawnchick]

Personally, I'd encourage the cat to be around the chickens and watch what happens. There are 5 or 6 different cats who have access to my chickens. All either ignore or are afraid of them, though I have read on here of them enjoying each others' company, even seen pics of a cat and chicken asleep together. Yes, it is possible the cat would attack. I think usually they get pecked on the face and keep their distance after that.

 

[GwenDellAnno]

I wouldn't worry about the cat with hens that big. Once the cat is used to the chickens it will completely ignore them.

 

[Lbrad7]

I personally have never had a problem with cats bothering my birds once they are grown. I am sure that some people have, but I haven't. The cats around our barn are true "barn cats" and kill a lot of rats and mice but the birds have been off the menue.

That being said...cats around chicks is a whole different story!

 

[MicMoo]

We have about 10 neighborhood cats that circle through our yard (half of those are feral cats). Only one has ever tried attacking our three chickens and the hens got the better of that cat. The rest of the cats either ignore the hens, or stay clear of them.

YMMV (your mileage may vary)

 

[33yardbirds]

I have seen cats kill full grown rabbits, my sisters being one of them. I have also seen one kill a full grown wild Mallard Drake. No niegbors around here have cats so any I see get the .22 hollow point.