So many losses, so many missing, upset...

[seabreeze]

Miss Red, I'm so sorry for the losses, its always hard to take!! I have found my barn cats attempting to get into the stalls I use for brooders but then they'd have no way out and yes, I'd HUMANELY SHOOT THEM AS WELL. For someone who said to take them to the shelter and have them humanely euthanized? Shooting accurately IS humane. Have you ever held a healthy dog or cat that is being euthanized with drugs? They cry out as the stuff goes in the vein, they struggle, they sometimes scream out. I do not consider that humane, a well-placed bullet is the most humane of all.

If you saw one of your cats running off with a half eaten chick, its very possible that they did cause the carnage. I have seen cats take on and kill, a 2.5 lb., rat for goodness sake, a small, fluttering chick is nothing for a stealthy hunting cat to take. If it were dogs there may not be anything left, since they usually gulp the chicks down. Cats if they cannot swallow, will surgically gnaw their victims in half, eating the best part and leave the worst part (back half).

 

[RedReiner]

I think it was the cats also. barn cats are not sweet lazy house cats... that many chicks running around peeping you bet they will kill every single one they can catch. mine will. my cat kills full grown rabbits and weasels, birds in the yard, he will drop the one in his mouth and pounce on another in the blink of an eye. He also eats birds just like you described. cut your blue some slack. dogs on a killing spree dont usually eat half of one or another and then go kill more. were those chicks crushed? or lots of puncture wounds. dog would have munched them, cat would not. I would have shot the cats too. people who go to the shelter to adopt a cat want a warm fuzzy friendly cat, not a half wild barn cat.

 

[flocksalot]

I hope you find more chicks alive!

I would have had my husband shoot the cats too. I love animals, but I don't love all the strays that come on my property killing my chickens, using my garden as a bathroom, and spraying my husband boots. Currently we have no cats. The last one I had for 13 years and she was put down as she had cancer. My husband said it would have been much more humane to have shot her. He was the one to hold her at the vets, and he called me crying over her struggle. Now that man generally has no feelings whatsoever. So if it got him upset she must have been in agony. We haven't gotten over the lose hence no cats. Plus my husbands allergic to them. We have trapped our neighbors cats and taken them to the pound or had officers pick them up in the past. They just got more and let them outside where they come over to our property and eat the poisoned rats and mice. Then they get upset when their cats die. Sorry I've got to kill the mice and rats. Specially the rats as they can kill chickens too! They also do a number on our hay. Our closest neighbor is over a mile away from our farm and the cat that killed one of my young poults last year wasn't his, but he had been feeding it. He felt really bad and shot the cat himself. The neighbors dogs used to get into my parents coop when I was a kid. My Dad shot the dogs with saltpeter. They left a horrible mess blood, feathers, and guts all over the place. Our dogs (hunting dogs) never once went after the chickens, but really wanted to get the gander. The neighbor called the sheriff and my dad showed him the dead chickens. The neighbor ended up paying for the chickens.

 

[pixiedouglas]

Couple things.

I'm really sorry for you chick losses. To be honest it sounds a lot like dogs. When DH was a kid they had two chick massacres from dogs that sound just like that and his dogs were upset just like your Blue. His dogs didn't do it either. I would suspect the Rott next door, especially if that dog has done this to you before. You have a right to protect your livestock!

I think everyone should ease up on her over the cats. I had cats growing up and my parents still have six cats, practically everyone in my family has cats. My mom has had so many negative experiences with a cat being euthanized due to disease. They screwed up the shot on our old tom and he took hours to die and was terrified... She can't even stand to take them to the vet now because of that my dad has to do it. It is NOT a pleasant experience especially for cats who are almost always scared of the vet anyways. When I was a teenager and my old dogs got sick I held both my dogs when they were put down and they were scared. These cats never saw it coming probably I think it was more humane than spending a week in cramped scared conditions in the shelter only to be poisoned to death. Shelters are FULL of unwanted cats, the chances they would have been adopted are probably pretty slim. People only want fluffy easy going cats or kittens most of the time.

 

[MareeZoCool]

I am so VERY sorry for your loss

cats will be cats,They do love to play with smaller animals. Getting bored once the animal dies and leaving the body or pieces is on sure sign that a cat was involved in the killing/play.

I've seen my 2 dogs gorge themselves on a rabbit's nest

I assume your dog/pup would also eat as much as he could hold once he got the taste of the kill.
Please, don't let this bad incident stop your love for raising chickens!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Okay, I have experience with dogs killing chickens, as many do. They were MY dogs. I have 2 Standard Poodles. I could go on and on with the whole sob story, but I knew what I was in for. I feel badly for the chickens I have lost, but they are gone. I won't shoot or euthanize my dogs, I did however, get shock collars and I have an in-ground fence for them. I suppose I will hear someone tell me that is inhumane too.

But the point is this, when I found my female after she killed my first flock, she was tail wagging happy and had feathers all over her mouth. She didn't eat them, she shook them and moved to the next until no one was moving, I didn't WATCH this happen but came out right after and it was quite obvious. She then proceeded to pull feathers out of their backs, NOT EAT THEM. She was about 6-months old the first time.
Thought we had her and the younger male trained to leave them. Dumb move. the shock collar is effective but there are things that will still set them off.
Round 2. The dogs were actually spending most of their days out WITH the chickens the following winter. The did great. I told them repeatedly that they could have the chickens and held the birds and petted them because I read somewhere that once the dog realizes this is 'your pet' they start to defend them. Our dogs found some dead birds after a really hard freeze and were bringing them to the house. Next thing I know, I look out the window and they had wiped out my whole flock again. Same deal as the first time, and no one was left standing. I had to finish off those who were still alive. It sickens me to have to kill an animal, but if they are threatening me, my livestock, my family or the safety of another, or if they are sick beyond cure, I will kill them. This is life, not some fairy tale where everything ends happily ever.

Oh, so, I DID go out and get more chickens, cuz Yes, there are always more. And yes, there are always more cats and dogs that people just dump off out here in the country because they think it is inhumane to just have them put down.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

I dont even know how you guys can even think these cats did this, cats dont go on a killing spree just because like a dog would. If anything they'd kill one, eat it and be on their way....Ive been around Many cats and they dont do it like that.......personally I think it was her dog, my own dog would and has killed chickens and if he had the chance he wouldnt stop till they were all gone, thats what dogs do, Not cats

edited to remove trolling/flaming

 

[KimberlyJ]

So sorry for your loss.

The cats may not have done it, but they were enjoying the fruits of someone elses' labor just a little too much. I agree they had to go. You obviously raise chickens for cash, so leaving them around is simply too big of an expense/risk. I find it "interesting" to say the least, that this forum finds it acceptable to SSS a skunk, fox, coyote or whatever is not owned, but huge arguements start when a barn cat is killed. Why is one acceptable and the other is not? It's ok to SSS the neighbors dog when it is harming livestock, it's even legal....but your own????? Whole nother topic. I hope you find peace.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Quote:
Totally agree. I am so sorry for your loss Miss Red.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I would have done the same thing. My chickens are quickly becoming my livelihood what with eggs and new chick sales and meat birds I'm raising, and if I came home to a cat or cats killing any of my birds, it would be "hello rainbow bridge" for the kitties. The OP already said this wasn't the first time the cats killed her chicks. Even if something else killed the birds and the cats were "cleaning up", they have killed before and once would be enough for me.

Call me heartless, but I am not going to wrestle a couple of half-feral chicken killing cats into my car to go ANYWHERE. Feral cats carry diseases.