Two of my cats were literally born in a barn. They came to me when they were about 3 months old. They were too tiny to live outside alone, so they lived in the coop with the full grown chickens for another 2 months. It took about an hour (during which I was sitting in the coop with them all supervising). Once the chickens quit freaking out and realized that they were bigger than the kittens, they started fighting back.
Now neither cat will mess with the full grown chickens and stay far, far away from the broody mama hens. The chicks are another story. Both cats will lay next to the run and watch the zippy little chicks intently. I wouldn't trust they near them EVER! The babies don't get to free range until they are a couple of months old and big enough to hold their own.
So far as crossing the road- one of the kitties was smacked by a car. Thankfully it didn't kill him. Almost killed me with a heart attack as I heard the whole thing! Sheesh. If a car so much as drives by he runs the other way now. Kitty number two is a different matter. The last straw was when I caught him zinging across the street to play under some cars. Both barn kitties are now inside cats. I can't take the stress (and the vet bills!). I don't think I'm the kind of person that can have outside animals. I get entirely too attached.
Good luck. Don't trust the kittens with babies. Don't trust grown chickens with kittens.
Now neither cat will mess with the full grown chickens and stay far, far away from the broody mama hens. The chicks are another story. Both cats will lay next to the run and watch the zippy little chicks intently. I wouldn't trust they near them EVER! The babies don't get to free range until they are a couple of months old and big enough to hold their own.
So far as crossing the road- one of the kitties was smacked by a car. Thankfully it didn't kill him. Almost killed me with a heart attack as I heard the whole thing! Sheesh. If a car so much as drives by he runs the other way now. Kitty number two is a different matter. The last straw was when I caught him zinging across the street to play under some cars. Both barn kitties are now inside cats. I can't take the stress (and the vet bills!). I don't think I'm the kind of person that can have outside animals. I get entirely too attached.
Good luck. Don't trust the kittens with babies. Don't trust grown chickens with kittens.
