Protecting our chickens

[horsejody]

I have 6 barn cats, and none of them have ever killed any of my chickens. I have a hen that lost an eye to a cat scratch, but I'm sure the hen started it. She kept laying eggs in their food dish. When she went broody, she sat in their dish and would attack them when they came near. DH and I had been removing her from the dish and trying to break up the broodiness. We eventually had to put her in a cage, but not before one of the cats had to defend itself.

 

[kressg23]

Again, thank you all for your replies! We've moved our banties out to their coop and they LOVE it. I've let them outside once since moving them out and frankly, they weren't all that excited about being out there at first. Once they were out and started pecking at the grass, they seemed happier. They wouldn't go into the sun though, which I thought was funny. It was as if there was an invisible barrier. They are extremely content to just hang out inside their coop for now, which is fine with me. I don't let them outside unless I can watch them. (Inside their run, of course.) We've opened their door to allow them out into it and they don't go yet. Perhaps it will be more appealing once they are a bit older.

 

[pixiechic]

I think you're right about the cats. Once the chickens get to be a certain size, most cats won't bother.

However...if you are free-ranging your birds in a non-fenced area, cats are the least of your worries. Stray dogs, coyotes, raccoons, possums, hawks...chickens have many natural predators. Building a secure fence around your back yard would allow you to semi-free-range and help protect the chickens from most of the baddies.