kressg~ We have 2 cats, one that is indoors only, one that is indoor/outdoor, and he also is a birder. We also have cats that roam the neighborhood & hence our backyard from time to time as well.
I have been to 3 or 4 farms in our area as well, and here is what I have seen and heard to be true for myself and at least these 4 other families ~
if you can get the birds full grown, protecting them at ALL times prior, then once they are full-grown, the cats will not bother them. I believe this is because cats don't care for the snasty pecks they would get if they tried anything. Also, I saw one mother cat in a barn that was nestled in next a hen with 5 brand new kittens, while the hen was trying to lay an egg in her nest box. I guess the mam cat felt safe there, and obviously so did the hen. At another barn, I saw cats coming and going freely in and around the hens & roosters, ( again, all full grown), & the owners said that there weren't any problems, the cats never tried anything on them. At a third barn, I saw one cat eyeing some new baby chicks next to their mama, and I exclaimed, "oh no, won't that cat eat the little chicks?" The lady said ~ oh no, he might dream about it, but that hen would peck his eyes out if he got anywhere near them.
At any rate, I have also noticed this ~ my cats were very interested in the chicks when they were tiny, but now that they are 6 wks old, the cats sort of just ~check them out~, but don't actually go after the. I think it's because chickens actually have quite good eyesight, and if givent he chance, would peck the cat quite painfully, but I don't know.
Like everyone said, it's pretty important to protect the chicks whent hey are small, as they don't have a mama hen to do it for them.
Also, dogs are pretty much a predator no matter what age the hens are at, so be forewarned. Hope this helps some ~
We were really worried about raising chicks with our cats, and indeed, they did perch themselves on top of the brooder and sleep next to the chicks the entire time they were inside, but I think it was because of the heat lamp more than anything. We just had to ALWAYS make sure it was latched down. But we have not lost a single one to a cat yet, so if you just keep in mind that kitties love chicken flavored food, you'll be fine! {;>)=
~Red
My kids would be devastated if something were to happen to our new babies, so I'd like to protect them as best I can. Does anyone have cats? And if so, how do you teach the cats to stay away from the chickens? I found a dead bird in my garage a couple days ago and thought CRAP! My cats are bird killers. Do the chickens eventually learn to protect themselves against other household pets? My dh will be building our run today and judging by his plan for it, it's tiny. He wants our chickens to mostly be able to wander our yard, which is fine with me, but after reading more here, I'm wondering if maybe that's not such a good idea? We live on 2.5 acres, so space isn't an issue. Though building a bigger run will take the work of moving some stuff out of the way to accommodate. Can anyone give me some advice on what would be best?
