Of cats and chickens

[Nacho Chicken Mine]

When our Java's were about two months old we brought them home from our friends house as she had the brooder light and time to take care of the chicks. I have two outside cats and one of them likes to leave "presents" in the driveway at times. I was concerned the one cat would make chicken snacks out of the babies and it was of high priority to make sure that did not happen.
We wanted to free range when the chicks got big enough and they would no longer be a snack for the hawks in the area.
They were about four months old when we started letting them out just before dark so they wouldn't wander to far. This gave them about 30 minutes to free range at that time. They were put back into the pen for the evening.
We stood outside to monitor their out time as well as the cats. One of the chicks was standing near me and a friend. The cat had
come to see what was on the menu and was showing great interest in the chick.
The cat was crouched to pounce and my friend just took her foot and touched the cats tail. The cat jumped into the air and this movement caused the chick to jump into the air as well.
The cat landed on the ground and a second later the chick landed right on the cats head. I could not have planned this if I tried.
The cat took off like someone shot it and the chicken when the other direction. To this day the cat won't go near or bother any of the chickens.

I guess some things do happen for a reason.

Nacho Chicken Mine

 

[christineavatar]

Don't you just love natural humor! Great story!

 

[peepacheep]

Great story! I really like those kind of happy training accidents!!! Years ago when we took in a large skinny stray cat, George, we were concerned if he would consider our house rabbits as food so we did a control introduction. The first rabbit he got to meet was Emily, a 6 pound fluffy white mini lop. We carried George to her exercise pen and set him down along side of it. He went into a crouch, tail twitching, calculating how to get her. Just then she noticed George. There was a roar and the metal pen was smashed several inches, in George's direction. Emily continued to shove the pen in George's direction but he had gone 3' vertically before flying out of the room. Ever hear a rabbit growl? Neither had George. When Emily, a.k.a. Atilla the Bun, was allowed to free range in the living room all 5 cats would stop and assess what kind of mood she was in before stepping foot on the floor. Always nice when different species can figure out how to get along.

 

[Nacho Chicken Mine]

Nature seems to know what she is doing. That always amazes me. Seeing a cat jump straight up is so funny and how do they manage to get that high.
Thanks for reading my post and sharing your story.

Nacho Chicken Mine

 

[GardenGal]

It surprised me that chickens outrank cats. Our cat has my husband's cocker spaniel on the run - but not the chickens! Then again, the spaniel doesn't go after the cat's tail

 

[theoldchick]

How funny! I've always been told if you want to have cats around chickens and chicks to put the cat with a broody game hen so the cat can be trained to stay away from the chicks.

 

[sumi]

Thank you for that story. You made me laugh and I needed that!
I had a really funny incident involving one of my roosters and my MIL's cat a few months ago. I remembered it now. The rooster was free ranging in the yard and MIL's cat, who lives across the road from us, was here by us, mousing. The two met at the fence. Neither saw the other coming. Rooster took off and and landed about 40 feet away in the chicken run and the cat's probably still running.

 

[Nacho Chicken Mine]

I have a friend that has mentioned she has always wondered where the term chicken came from for someone that is scared as chickens are anything but "chicken"

 

[sumi]

After seeing a mother hen confront and chase a predator and one of my roosters attack a dog, I've been wondering that myself.