Thinking about getting a barn cat

[Appalachickens]

We have three strays who made their way to us. One is pretty feral and you are rarely allowed to pet him. As far as I can tell, only the female hunts, but I saw her nab a bird right out of the air. Mostly, she goes after rodents. I'm wildly allergic to cats, so these guys all live in little houses on the front porch. I have blankets on top for them to lie on and we add more when it gets cold and also heating pads inside the houses. I didn't let them around the chicks, but now that the chickens are good sized, the cats mostly ignore them (or run from them, when the chickens head their way).

And sometimes, the cats have visitors.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Have you tried water bucket traps for rats and mice? They don't require a cat and are highly effective. Easy to make, too. If you look up "mouse bucket trap" on youtube there are a lot of different styles. If you still want the cat (because they are adorable) the cat can be pest control for outside the coop to prevent more from getting in. However, another post has already demonstrated how cats harm the ecosystem too.

 

[ChickenChick46]

We have three strays who made their way to us. One is pretty feral and you are rarely allowed to pet him. As far as I can tell, only the female hunts, but I saw her nab a bird right out of the air. Mostly, she goes after rodents. I'm wildly allergic to cats, so these guys all live in little houses on the front porch. I have blankets on top for them to lie on and we add more when it gets cold and also heating pads inside the houses. I didn't let them around the chicks, but now that the chickens are good sized, the cats mostly ignore them (or run from them, when the chickens head their way).
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View attachment 4219220And sometimes, the cats have visitors.
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You've got some gorgeous cats! Ahh, the visitors! And the cats simply do not care! Here's our visitor from the other night, lol. He never would look up at me, but was watching something I couldn't see put further in the yard. Like you, we've got several mostly feral cats. We've managed to trap and fix them, but they don't want our love, just our food, lol.

 

[theoldchick]

I have a friend's JRTs come visit for rodent control. Here's link on a similar subject: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...r-farm-especially-in-northeastern-us.1425561/

 

[Appalachickens]

You've got some gorgeous cats! Ahh, the visitors! And the cats simply do not care! Here's our visitor from the other night, lol. He never would look up at me, but was watching something I couldn't see put further in the yard. Like you, we've got several mostly feral cats. We've managed to trap and fix them, but they don't want our love, just our food, lol.

Thank you! Is that a young raccoon or some other creature? We also get possums coming by for a snack.

 

[ChickenChick46]

Thank you! Is that a young raccoon or some other creature? We also get possums coming by for a snack.

It's a young raccoon. I could tell it was so skittish. It would eat like 2 bites and then stand up to look out into the yard. The older ones will come on the porch with me there.

We get the occasional possum as well. Oddly enough, the cats can't stand them.

I love those houses! I need to find a few for ours. I'm always putting cat carriers with old blankets out there over the winter, but these would be so much nicer.

 

[FrostRanger]

Chickens absolutely love cat food. Most of the time cats won't go after a fully grown chicken but chicks are a different story

Your best bet for a hunter is a cat that was raised by a mother who hunts. One of my cats Phoenix was and his breed - or rather one of the known breeds he's mixed with - are known for being fabulous mousers. I also wouldn't lock the cat with the chickens, in addition to issues with the chickens eating the cat food and digging in the litterbox, the chickens might chase the cat. One of my hens Ginkgo has been known to occasionally chase cats. Also some cats will attempt to eat chicken feed for some reason (or at least Phoenix does, weirdo lol). Obviously chicken feed isn't a suitable diet for cats so this should be avoided