It's time to let go. Then again... Maybe not :/

[NewMomma]

I am trying to raise a flock of backyard chickens but I am having a bit of an issue letting go. I have a cat who loves to kill wild birds and I am just so afraid of him getting ahold to one of my babies. I just don't know if it's a good idea at all where I am. Any advice would be very welcomed. Thank you so much for reading

 

[CG3 BTW]

My cat, who is a skilled hunter at birds and other things- (she took down a coon or two) Doesn't bother my chickens. But be sure to be supervising when they first meet, and make sure the chicks are full grown before you introduce them. Good luck!

 

[binza1979]

I agree. I have one cat who is a great hunter...and he doesn't bother the big girls. He likes to watch the chicks in the brooder, but he can't get to them. Last winter when we had a bad mouse problem in the coop, I would throw in the cat and let him have some fun with the mice. He never touched the chickens.

 

[tabithas]

I also have a cat who is a very skilled hunter of birds (he once caught a starling, brought it in through the doggie door, and let it loose in my bedroom at 6 in the morning!). He frequently catches the wild pigeons that live in our neighborhood. But he does not bother the chickens at all! He is a monster of a cat...at least 15 lbs of solid muscle...could easily take down a chicken if he wanted, but the all co-exist peacefully in the back yard. I have actually seen the chickens peck him and chase him away from the water bowl!

 

[lazy gardener]

I am trying to raise a flock of backyard chickens but I am having a bit of an issue letting go. I have a cat who loves to kill wild birds and I am just so afraid of him getting ahold to one of my babies. I just don't know if it's a good idea at all where I am. Any advice would be very welcomed. Thank you so much for reading

I agree with previous posters. Go ahead and get your chickens, but don't let your guard down until they are full grown. And never, never trust a ferral cat. Be sure your brooder (if you start with chicks) is completely cat proof, and personally, I never leave a cat alone with a brooder that has a light over it. I've been fearful that my exuberant cat might bump the light, or pull a towel up against it and cause a fire. Cats can also terrorize chicks even when they're safely tucked in a brooder. The first few weeks with chicks here were crazy. My 2 cats wanted to play with, touch, hold, taste the chicks... and I was forever checking to see which side of a door the cats were on before opening the brooder to tend chicks.

 

[NewMomma]

Thank y'all so so much. I might be able to start letting them out with a little less worry. Well maybe not haha. But my cat loves to sit by the brooder box and just sleep by the chickens.

 

[gamerooster man]

my dog was trying to get to my chickens and i put a mice trap right next to it so when the dog went to the door his foot would hit the mice trap and it broke him after the 2nd time

 

[Chickens R Us]

My cat loves to sleep by the brooder and she never bothers the chicks. Chicken TV and a nice heat lamp doesn't get any better than that.

 

[NewMomma]

I think I might make a tether and just sit out with them for a little while so that I can get used to the idea. I am very protective of my babies

 

[BrittBergh]

My cat would so love to get her paws on one of the week old chicks we have...like seriously. But the 5 week olds rally around her and chase her.
My cat has killed many birds moles and a baby raccoon too...We thought for sure she would've made a break for the chicks but she hasn't...not once. She just acts like she will