So how does this work? Cat in the hen house!

[wyoDreamer]

Could you give Bug a scare by taking a favorite treat - lets say a handful of BOSS - and tossing it at his feet.
If a clutch of velociraptors - I mean chickens - running full speed at him doesn't give him a scare, I don't know what will.

My cousin used to do this to the barn cats on the farm, just to watch them try to escape. Her chickens would puff out their wings and body slam each other all the way across the yard to get them some BOSS.

 

[sourland]

Keep him well fed and keep an eye on him. If you have the opportunity, introduce him to a protective broody mama with her chicks.

Generally one incident can convince a young cat that chicks are not to be messed with. Young chicks will be his greatest temptation.

 

[groundpecker]

When i was younger a friends father had commercial laying houses. They would keep many cats inside and out of the houses, i guess to control mice problem?. A cat can get used to being around chickens without harming them. I would be careful of introducing a cat to baby chicks though, as the chicks could become a snack or a play toy.

 

[welasharon]

My indoor cats were a problem wanting to aggravate the chickens so I let one out at a time and sat in the yard with a hose. Every time the cat started to pounce I would squirt them with water. Now they think that chickens squirt water and they stay away. The outside cats will go sleep in the nest boxes but never bother the chickens.

 

[yinepu]

right now we have three inside cats ... 2 neutered males and a spayed female..(around the brooders).. they show 0 interest in the chickens and quail.. however one of them is an excellent mouser

outside we have 3 kittens who walk past the turkeys, chickens and ducks about a thousand times a day.. they play all around them but have never gone after them at all.. all three kittens were drops offs.. all three chase grasshoppers and lizards but ignore the poultry

we also have three adult males (all neutered).. one is an excellent ratter and mouser.. he ignores the birds and will back down from any who are at the water tubs when he wants a drink
the other two were inside cats who became inside/outside cats until finally they showed that they preferred to be outside.. they also ignore the birds

we have had baby chicks hatched outside around the cats.. they all learned very quickly to respect momma hen when she had her broodies

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
This happened the other day, but not on purpose.

I was giving the chickens their afternoon treat. The hens are a bit jumpy right now while they get used to new roosters. Bug was out there with me, he follows me everywhere. Bug was just laying in the grass, minding his own business, when a hen jumped because a roo got too close. Her jumping made all the hens jump and scatter. One bumped into Bug in her haste. Bug took off for the safety of the yard.

 

[featherz]

We just adopted a bouncy stray kitten, a bit older than yours, but still very young. He thought pouncing at the chickens would be great fun, but it didn't last long. Before he had his exam/lab tests and neuter, DH and I spent many an afternoon watching him sneak up on a chicken, only to have them all start calling danger and ganging up on him. LOL. He gave up really really quickly. There was ZERO chance he was gonna get anywhere with my chickens. He's now an indoor cat anyways, just cause he's a sweety, but my two outdoor barn cats hang with my chickens and have never harmed even the day old chicks out on the lawn with broody mama.