Outdoor kittens and poults

[BracyGold]

hi friends! Here is an odd question... I am getting three barn kittens in a few days—and my new turkey poults in 2 weeks. I am new to turkeys and chickens in general, but
has anyone raised kittens with their chicks or poults?
Has anyone had negative experience with barn cats and free range turkeys or chickens?
Will the Toms protect the ladies?
I keep reading about dogs and raccoons, but not cats, attacking the poultry.
My HUGE hope is that by raising them together, they will be friendly with each other and be housed in a building together at night.
BTW: This is a serious question, not a joke.
Stacy

 

[redranger209]

hi friends! Here is an odd question... I am getting three barn kittens in a few days—and my new turkey poults in 2 weeks. I am new to turkeys and chickens in general, but
has anyone raised kittens with their chicks or poults?
Has anyone had negative experience with barn cats and free range turkeys or chickens?
Will the Toms protect the ladies?
I keep reading about dogs and raccoons, but not cats, attacking the poultry.
My HUGE hope is that by raising them together, they will be friendly with each other and be housed in a building together at night.
BTW: This is a serious question, not a joke.
Stacy

I wouldn’t trust a cat around chicks. Ever. Already lost three to one.

 

[BracyGold]

I wouldn’t trust a cat around chicks. Ever. Already lost three to one.

Thanks! Redranger!

 

[Nats Chickens]

@speckledhen may give you some good advice.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

We have two cats. The old one that lost a fight to a squirrel killed a chick when they were young. The young one that is way more scrappy, whom we were worried about, hangs out with the chickens and doesn't bother them.

 

[speckledhen]

Most grown cats won't bother grown chickens, but I'd never trust a cat with a tiny chick. It's too tempting for their prey drive. My own cat showed up as a stray four years ago. He never bothers my chickens, even the chicks. He got his fluffy butt handed to him by a broody hen a few years ago and learned his lesson not to even look sideways at her chicks. He will at times do play runs into a group of the birds to watch them scatter, but never tries to actually attack one for real.
My roosters ignore him, but when he first arrived, one of them would get between the cat and me and run at him to drive him away. Now, they'll stalk him and steal his mouse kills. Some hens will stalk the cat and if he's not paying attention, they'll peck his tail and make him jump, LOL. But, again, I'd not trust him with a one or even two week old chick without a mama hen present, just because of his nature.

 

[Noellereagan]

My ten week old poults pick on my barn cat and chase her off. But of course they outweigh her by a lot.

 

[pennyJo1960]

at the risk of being redundant do not add them till birds are grown keep them separate till the birds are larger than the cats

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I would not trust them at all.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

It'll always depend on the cat. Here is one of our cats hanging out with the chickens.