Thinking about getting a barn cat

[Anon112]

I used to have barn cats and I have mixed feelings/thoughts.

On one hand, yes, they will help reduce the rodent presence in and around the coop/run. Heck, there's a neighbor cat who swings by my yard every so often, and I know he's been around because I will see neither hide nor hair of any rats for days. (The rats are currently hanging out because I have chicks and food is finding its way to the ground. In a few weeks we'll be back to just treadle feeders and they'll be out of luck!). One of my cats really liked hanging out with the chickens and they were fine with his presence.

But something to also consider is that cats do a tremendous amount of damage to local wildlife like birds and rodents like voles, and with my barn cats (and one in particular) that was true no matter how much I fed him. If you can manage the rodents by using exclusion methods (hardware cloth, treadle feeders), that will be overall better for all the critters in your area.

That said, adopt-a-feral programs help alleviate some of the issues with strays, so if you do go with getting a cat, this would be a good place to start.

And I'm not sure about locking it up with them. At least not all the time. There were times I thought about putting one of my barn cats, Oliver, in with them at night (which is when the chickens are settled and the rodents come out to play). Oliver always liked the chickens and would go hang out in the run when it was open. (He also got very good at eating their food!). Despite him being about 12 pounds and the chickens being 3 pounds, he was always much more scared of them than they were of him.

 

[ChickenChick46]

We had the exact same problem! Mice everywhere but three people in the house really allergic to cats. We decided to adopt from the feral cat program (to get a cat that doesn't like people much) and keep the cat in our shed with food, water, a heater, and a door to be able to get in and out. We eventually decided on a neutered, male cat, Pepper, and adopted him. (He was actually really sweet and friendly, probably the only cat on the program that actually liked being held.) We just kept him in the shed for two weeks or so and eventually let him out and he did great. He would hunt mice very well. The only problem is that he would come to our back door every night and just scratch it sadly(I think you can see where this is going). And yes, we finally broke and he is an inside outside cat now. He still catches mice, rabbits, and occasionally birds, but has never gone after our chickens (even the little chicks we had this spring). He has even fought off a stray cat from the neighborhood. He mostly avoids dogs (though not ours), but will defend himself against animals five times his size.

Experiences will definitely vary depending on different circumstances, but I'm just saying that, in our experience, Pepper has been very independent and smart enough to survive and defend himself in all the different ways he was required to. Good luck!

A wonderful story that exemplifies why I said that there are plenty of stories about good cats that wouldn't harm the chickens. What a great story.

 

[Debbie292d]

We have two barn cats. One came from feral kittens in town, and the other from the Humane Society. She was labeled as a "barn cat" as she had scratched a child who was holding her so couldn't be adoptable the traditional way.

The latter one was young but took charge right away. We have a camera that caught her one night following a skunk past one of our growout pens.

We find dead mice, moles, voles, and chipmunks all over our yard.

Both of these cats come in the house and nap a few hours during the day. They go in the coops, the woods, and the nearby fields. They are on prescription Revolution Plus for fleas, ticks, ear mites, and worms.

Neither has ever bothered the chicks or chickens, but I wouldn't trust any cat around new hatchlings running in the yard following momma.

Lily


Stella


Stella recently went missing for five days, and it broke my heart as I thought something got her. This morning she returned, unscathed, but very hungry.

I was so happy I was crying.

Our barn cats are part of our family.

 

[ChickenChick46]

We have two barn cats. One came from feral kittens in town, and the other from the Humane Society. She was labeled as a "barn cat" as she had scratched a child who was holding her so couldn't be adoptable the traditional way.

The latter one was young but took charge right away. We have a camera that caught her one night following a skunk past one of our growout pens.

We find dead mice, moles, voles, and chipmunks all over our yard.

Both of these cats come in the house and nap a few hours during the day. They go in the coops, the woods, and the nearby fields. They are on prescription Revolution Plus for fleas, ticks, ear mites, and worms.

Neither has ever bothered the chicks or chickens, but I wouldn't trust any cat around new hatchlings running in the yard following momma.

Lily
View attachment 4218961

Stella
View attachment 4218962

Stella recently went missing for five days, and it broke my heart as I thought something got her. This morning she returned, unscathed, but very hungry.

I was so happy I was crying.

Our barn cats are part of our family.

Your cats and your bird are so pretty! I've got a green parakeet called Neville.

 

[CoopBoots]

She was labeled as a "barn cat" as she had scratched a child who was holding her so couldn't be adoptable the traditional way.

They don't adopt out cats who occasionally scratch?! I mean, I have three and they've all done it by accident at least once. Sometimes on purpose (ever had to bathe one?! XD). I just feel like it is part of the territory; my kids have been scratched and to be fair they usually deserved it for handling the cat roughly. We prevent that as much as possible but I expect the kitties to have a right to self defense lol!

Sorry for derailing

I've seen some great feral cat shelter ideas on youtube; they normally include a heat pad and multiple entrances/exits so no one gets trapped if multiple cats end up competing for space and warmth. I'll see if I can find a link but tbh if it was within the chicken area, I'm not sure how one could keep the birdies out!

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

Ok, lots of great info here!

I am thinking might not be great to keep barn cat right in with chickens. Which I kind of wondered about to be honest.

So, if the mice are all in the coop/run, and the cat can’t get into the run because it’s Fort Knox, is there any point (mouse hunting wise) in getting a barn cat?

Obviously there’s always a point in getting a cat, I love cats!!! Lol but as far as the mouse hunting purpose I mean….

 

[ChickenChick46]

Ok, lots of great info here!

I am thinking might not be great to keep barn cat right in with chickens. Which I kind of wondered about to be honest.

So, if the mice are all in the coop/run, and the cat can’t get into the run because it’s Fort Knox, is there any point (mouse hunting wise) in getting a barn cat?

Obviously there’s always a point in getting a cat, I love cats!!! Lol but as far as the mouse hunting purpose I mean….

Are the mice actually nesting in the coop/run? If not, and they're coming into it from elsewhere, could the cat have access to those areas around it? Where it might be able to catch any mice that are on their way to or from your coop and run?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ok, lots of great info here!

I am thinking might not be great to keep barn cat right in with chickens. Which I kind of wondered about to be honest.

So, if the mice are all in the coop/run, and the cat can’t get into the run because it’s Fort Knox, is there any point (mouse hunting wise) in getting a barn cat?

Obviously there’s always a point in getting a cat, I love cats!!! Lol but as far as the mouse hunting purpose I mean….

The right cat should hunt around the coop. If the rodents can't get into the coop, than that's a huge bonus, and will cut down on them.

 

[Appalachickens]

Cats are hit and miss on whether they will hunt. Not all do. You would be further ahead to set traps, or put out a bait box for rodents. Cats can live in the same barn as chickens but shouldn't be locked up with them. Chickens will eat and dig through the litter, and will gobble up the cat food. Cat might start to get hungry enough to see the chickens as food.

I agree about the fickle nature of cats and hunting and traps are a good idea. I would not do bait boxes, though - you would also be poisoning anything that feeds on mice. Including chickens, if they catch and eat one. (And I know they do, because I've seen mine do it).

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree about the fickle nature of cats and hunting and traps are a good idea. I would not do bait boxes, though - you would also be poisoning anything that feeds on mice. Including chickens, if they catch and eat one. (And I know they do, because I've seen mine do it).

For mice no. We no longer see them in my shed because of the cats. For rats we have no choice as trapping them is near impossible, and so far the cats have only killed one rat themselves.