Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Tikkijane]

I have a cat now who helps in that department and had a West Highland Terrier who was great with vermin control as well - and left my flock alone (he was scared of them).  I'd have another Westie over another cat any day. 

My cairn terrier had a mouse in the shelter she hunted relentlessly. I LOVE that breed- most favorite breed ever. Same size as a a Westie, but our girl came from Texas and so broke the mold. Our vet said he's never seen one that big, amd called her the great dane of the breed.

The dogs seem to do more digging to get to the voles, whereas the cats wait and watch patiently. They harass the squirrels, too. And then there are the snakes.... so long as they leave my birds and eggs alone {and aren't venomous}, we're good.

 

[islandgirl82]

My cairn terrier had a mouse in the shelter she hunted relentlessly. I LOVE that breed- most favorite breed ever. Same size as a a Westie, but our girl came from Texas and so broke the mold. Our vet said he's never seen one that big, amd called her the great dane of the breed.

The dogs seem to do more digging to get to the voles, whereas the cats wait and watch patiently. They harass the squirrels, too. And then there are the snakes.... so long as they leave my birds and eggs alone {and aren't venomous}, we're good.

The Westie actually originated from the Cairn. They were developed after a Scottish Laird who kept Cairns accidently shot one of his dogs when he was out hunting, mistaking it for a fox due to it's color. He was so devastated he wanted a line of Cairns that could never be mistaken for a fox again so he started breeding for whites, thus came the West Highland White Terrier (originally named the Roseneath Terrier).

I love them both. They're independent, unlike so many other small dog breeds, not lapdogs (though they're considered medium sized dogs due to their stalky build) but they're fearless and love having a job. Not only do they hunt small rodents/vermin but their ribcage is elongated horizontally to allow them to get into the dens of not only fox but badgers too. Anything that's willing to mess with badger would have to be fearless in my book. I was lucky to have one that didn't dig. He would wait like a cat to catch squirrels, chipmunks, voles, etc. and never hesitated to chase off unknown (and sometimes known) dogs. No matter how much bigger they were than he was, they always ran from him. The only thing that ever seemed to scare him were my chickens. lol

 

[duluthralphie]

I do not own a cat. Last night I went out after dark to check on me birds. There was a cat staring at me, the green eyes were looking right at me. It was right outside the shed I have a couple hundred chicks in. The chicks are all "locked' in brooders/cages. They are semi safe. But stuff happens, if a cover gets hit askew or is somehow opened the cat will have a banquet.

I am not willing to take a chance. The cat will be experiencing the inside of a live trap followed by a swimming lesson in a barrel while inside a live trap, or it will get to look at a shotgun flash head on. Any animal that eats meat and does not live here with my permission is my enemy.

Some of you will be abhorred at my behavior, I think it is naïve, pie in the sky, we can all live in peace thinking when I hear all the talk of cats mixing with your birds. A dog is a pack animal and can be trained to leave chicks alone, I still do not trust them 100%. A cat is a lone hunter and can not be trained to leave chicks alone.

As much as I like the idea of a cat to catch mice and control them, I need to get rid of the cat. I did not sleep well last night. All I could think of was this cat munching on one of my chicks. I have broodies that have chicks also, They are not all in a secure building. They are wherever the Hen decides to keep them. I try to get them into secure areas, I do not always succeed at that.

Yesterday a turkey hen beat the living crap out of me for picking up an egg. A lazy chicken laid it in her apartment. The turkey was 5 ft away, I reached in to grab the egg, and she came unglued. There is no way we will get her into a cage. Another reason the cat must go.

I am trying to convince myself as much as informing you of my intentions. Killing a cat is hard to do, BUT I have to be a responsible chicken wrangler and do it..

 

[islandgirl82]

I do not own a cat. Last night I went out after dark to check on me birds. There was a cat staring at me, the green eyes were looking right at me. It was right outside the shed I have a couple hundred chicks in. The chicks are all "locked' in brooders/cages. They are semi safe. But stuff happens, if a cover gets hit askew or is somehow opened the cat will have a banquet.

I am not willing to take a chance. The cat will be experiencing the inside of a live trap followed by a swimming lesson in a barrel while inside a live trap, or it will get to look at a shotgun flash head on. Any animal that eats meat and does not live here with my permission is my enemy.

Some of you will be abhorred at my behavior, I think it is naïve, pie in the sky, we can all live in peace thinking when I hear all the talk of cats mixing with your birds. A dog is a pack animal and can be trained to leave chicks alone, I still do not trust them 100%. A cat is a lone hunter and can not be trained to leave chicks alone.

As much as I like the idea of a cat to catch mice and control them, I need to get rid of the cat. I did not sleep well last night. All I could think of was this cat munching on one of my chicks. I have broodies that have chicks also, They are not all in a secure building. They are wherever the Hen decides to keep them. I try to get them into secure areas, I do not always succeed at that.

Yesterday a turkey hen beat the living crap out of me for picking up an egg. A lazy chicken laid it in her apartment. The turkey was 5 ft away, I reached in to grab the egg, and she came unglued. There is no way we will get her into a cage. Another reason the cat must go.

I am trying to convince myself as much as informing you of my intentions. Killing a cat is hard to do, BUT I have to be a responsible chicken wrangler and do it..

You could let that angry turkey have a go at the cat...that may be enough to scare the wits out of it so it never comes back.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I do not own a cat. Last night I went out after dark to check on me birds.  There was a cat staring at me, the green eyes were looking right at me.  It was right outside the shed I have a couple hundred chicks in. The chicks are all "locked' in brooders/cages.  They are semi safe. But stuff happens, if a cover gets hit askew or is somehow opened the cat will have a  banquet.

I am not willing to take a chance. The cat will be experiencing the inside of a live trap followed by a swimming lesson in a barrel while inside a live trap, or it will get to look at a shotgun flash head on.  Any animal that eats meat and does not live here with my permission is my enemy.

Some of you will be abhorred at my behavior, I think it is naïve, pie in the sky, we can all live in peace thinking when I hear all the talk of cats mixing with your birds.  A dog is a pack animal and can be trained to leave chicks alone, I still do not trust them 100%. A cat is a lone hunter and can not be trained to leave chicks alone.

As much as I like the idea of a cat to catch mice and control them, I need to get rid of the cat. I did not sleep well last night. All I could think of was this cat munching on one of my chicks.  I have broodies that have chicks also, They are not all in a secure building. They are wherever the Hen decides to keep them. I try to get them into secure areas, I do not always succeed at that.

Yesterday a turkey hen beat the living crap out of me for picking up an egg.  A lazy chicken laid it in her apartment. The turkey was 5 ft away, I reached in to grab the egg, and she came unglued.  There is no way we will get her into a cage.  Another reason the cat must go. 

I am trying to convince myself as much as informing you of my intentions. Killing a cat is hard to do, BUT I have to be a responsible chicken wrangler and do it..

Oh no, my full grown birds coexist happily with the cats, but I have lost an entire flock of chicks to my own cats (those cats were dispatched of because once they get a taste of chicken they never stop). My chicks now enjoy a secure brooder room and a secure run. I use the cats to ensure other predators cannot enter because if a cat cannot get in, most predators cannot get in.
I have a large Tom that needs to go. He is completely feral and viscous. He is a danger to my farm cats and any weak bird I have, but he is the Dickens to catch. DH tried a couple weeks ago and killed the wrong cat, :/.

 

[duluthralphie]

You could let that angry turkey have a go at the cat...that may be enough to scare the wits out of it so it never comes back.

I love that idea, I wish I could sic her on it. She does not leave her apartment by more than 5-10 ft. if you want to swing by and carry her to the shed where I saw the cat, you're more than welcome too. I suggest you wear a full set of goalie protective gear. Concentrate kelvar armoring below the waist on you legs. I have scars that maybe months healing after are little get together yesterday.

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh no, my full grown birds coexist happily with the cats, but I have lost an entire flock of chicks to my own cats (those cats were dispatched of because once they get a taste of chicken they never stop). My chicks now enjoy a secure brooder room and a secure run. I use the cats to ensure other predators cannot enter because if a cat cannot get in, most predators cannot get in.
I have a large Tom that needs to go. He is completely feral and viscous. He is a danger to my farm cats and any weak bird I have, but he is the Dickens to catch. DH tried a couple weeks ago and killed the wrong cat,

.

They cannot in my world, I am not spending thousands to secure the buildings to the point no cat can get inside. I have too many chicks, too many buildings, I will sleep better when the cat is taking an eternal nap. It works best for me. In addition if that cat visits other places with chickens around me they could spread disease. BTW there is no such thing as the wrong cat in my world.

When I had my NPIP inspection one of the things they looked at was my predator control plan. I was told how a single predator could wipe me out. A feral cat is a predator. What really torques me is the people from the city that cannot be responsible pet owners and dump their "kittens" out her in the country where the cats can live a "happy and free" live. I am not allowed to live trap them, unfortunately.

 

[islandgirl82]

I love that idea, I wish I could sic her on it. She does not leave her apartment by more than 5-10 ft. if you want to swing by and carry her to the shed where I saw the cat, you're more than welcome too. I suggest you wear a full set of goalie protective gear. Concentrate kelvar armoring below the waist on you legs. I have scars that maybe months healing after are little get together yesterday.

Hahaha! Oh yeah, sure thing. I'll be right over.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I'd have to disagree with you there. I've been free ranging chickens for 40 yrs now and not just a few....large to medium flocks. All that time I've also had cats and never once has a cat attacked a chick or chicken. One set of half grown kittens was stalking one set of chicks and all I had to do was correct them, much as I would a dog, and that was the end of it. In fact, one of those kittens was killed on the highway but the other lived with us many years and I could call him to round up the adult chickens for me that had gotten out of the fence. He would round them up and chase them back over the gate, then lay down and look at me like he just had the best fun in the world. It's all about what kind of relationship you have with your cats and dogs that dictates how they react to what is yours.

Now, having said that, I wouldn't trust a strange, stray cat around the chicks at all and have had feral cats attempt to stalk adult chickens, even, but the dog soon put an end to that.

Didn't know there was a thread on free ranging or I would have posted sooner. I've been doing it for 40 yrs now and wouldn't keep chickens any other way. Minimal predator loss in all that time until this spring, when I lost newly hatched 20 chicks from 4 different broody hatches to black snakes....but all those chicks were inside shelter at the time of predation, so free ranging didn't have a thing to do with it, a black snake can get into any building it wants and the dogs will not hear it, see it or smell it doing so.

I've got some fine bird netting to place around the coop....snakes seem to get all tangled up in that stuff, which I found out by accident once, so now I'm going to use that knowledge to try and prevent it from happening next spring.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hahaha! Oh yeah, sure thing. I'll be right over.

Thanks, I will throw a Mike's in the fridge for you and see if I can get the EMT's and an ambulance to stand by...

Would you mind if I charge admission to others to this "Turkey Hen Wrassling" contest?