May be adopting Barn Cats - Will they harm chickens/ducks?

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello friends!
I may be adopting a few barn cats in the near future. They would be living in our small barn where we store hay and straw. However, I'm concerned about the safety of my chickens and ducks. Would the cats go after the birds if they are out free-ranging in a section of our property? Also, I'm new to cats. Any recommendations on affordable dry food for barn cats and tips on locking them inside the barn at night. Thanks so much!

 

[-Clementine-]

With barn cats, the hunting really depends on the cat's personality. I've had a total of 7 barn cats, and each of them had different personalities. the two more outgoing ones would try to hunt the chickens, and one of my kitties didn't hunt at all. The best rodent/small bird hunter I have right now is scared of chickens. It really varies cat to cat so I would recommend getting to know your cats well.

Another thing I would recommend is letting your cats get used to your barn, so cat proof it as best you can, and have the cats live in the barn for a month or so, showing them that their food and water and safe place is in the barn, so when you let them out to roam, they know that the barn is their safe place.

For getting the cats into the barn at night, what I do is I feed my cats a small slice of wet food every night. They go crazy for that stuff, and every evening the expect the food to come, when they're out roaming around I clink the knife I use to slice the wet food against the can to let the cats know that it's time to go back into the barn and get their evening wet food. When they are in their barn adjusting period, the monthlong thing I mentioned above, start feeding them wet food in the evening and make a verbal sound when you feed them, like a word cue or the can clinking I do.

Making sure your cats like you is pretty important too. One of my first barn cats never warmed up to people, she was always scared, and one day she ran off and disappeared because she hated us. The best way to socialize and unfriendly cat is to just be around them. Cats are smart and if they are curious, will soon begin to learn that you won't hurt them. Sometimes this socialization process will take awhile, but sometimes it will be fast. Before you turn your cats out to roam, make sure they will at least tolerate you so they don't run away from your property, and so they will come back in at night.

Cat food is tricky. Buying the cheapest stuff is bad for you cats, because it's mostly ash and bi-products, like crushed bones and chicken feet. The most expensive stuff can also be bad for the cats too, so I would recommend researching cat dietary needs very well before buying any cat food, and finding a brand that your cats like, and that is not suuuper expensive. For wet food I would recommend buying Friskies pate because you can buy it in 60 packs, and a few of my cats go so crazy for it they won't eat anything else.

(just putting it out there, make sure your cats have multiple litterboxes because cats love peeing in hay)

 

[HKG]

I would NEVER put cats with chickens maybe dogs but cats and birds dont mix

 

[RiverOtter]

I have a scad of cats and birds everywhere. We have a house silkie, we free-range, the works.

Cats and poultry get along fine. I had one starved feral (not my kitty) go after a half-grown bantam once, and that was my only incident in many, many moons of chicken keeping. Far more common is a young kitty will think of stalking, and be set on by a rooster or broody hen. Permanently etched in my brain I have the image of Karma Cat being ridden, screaming, across the yard by an angry hen when he walked too close to her chickies.

When you get your cats, have a pen or small room prepared inside the barn. Make it cozy with a warm, possibly heated, place to sleep and a litter box (even though they'll be going outside later. My horde eats Purina cat chow - the stuff in the blue bag.

Feed them every day at sunset, whenever sunset is. Once you've had them a couple of weeks, let them out about 15 minutes before sunset. They'll be uninclined to bolt, since it's almost dinner time. The next day, a half hour, then an hour, then 2, etc. Keep them locked up from sunset until 2 hours (at least) after full morning sun. And if you have bird feeders, hang them HIGH. When cats go after little birds, it's usually because they are chilled and slow first thing in the morning, or someone has set out a kitty buffet in the form of low-hanging feeders and a bird bath near cover. Those things go in the middle of the lawn, not 3 feet from a bush.

Well fed cats hunt for sport. Starved cats desperately grab enough calories to keep them alive and then rest. So feed them well!

 

[Peaches Lee]

You'll be fine. Feed the cats at night/evening in a secure location. Open containers of cat food will draw in animals that will kill your poultry like raccoons and opossums--so best to be tidy. For cat food, buy the best you can afford. I recommend a flea/tick prevention product as well! Good luck!

 

[VeryHappyHens]

I would NEVER put cats with chickens maybe dogs but cats and birds dont mix

Cats really do not care about chickens. There technically the same size. Chickens are also viscous. I doubt cats will hurt any chickens. I usually let my house cats go for an outside fresher in the afternoon and its actually my cats do not even care for the chickens https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...-to-know-about-house-cats-if-I-keep-H181.aspx This link will help you it is perfectly safe to keep cats and chickens.

 

[VeryHappyHens]

You'll be fine. Feed the cats at night/evening in a secure location. Open containers of cat food will draw in animals that will kill your poultry like raccoons and opossums--so best to be tidy. For cat food, buy the best you can afford. I recommend a flea/tick prevention product as well! Good luck!

Not really https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...-to-know-about-house-cats-if-I-keep-H181.aspx Also my cats do not even care about my chickens.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Not really https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...-to-know-about-house-cats-if-I-keep-H181.aspx Also my cats do not even care about my chickens.

Not really about what?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We have two cats. One is an avid hunter, even occasionally bringing down rabbits. She has no interest in the chickens. The other cat is a solid lump of fat, having no interest in anything but sleeping and only hunts an occasional spider. However, we do keep baby chicks well out of sight until they are well fledged and no longer look like little songbirds, aka, chick-filet.