HuskerHens18
Crowing
Cats are snoopy, troublesome pets. That's why we love them so much!
Cats are great rodent catchers, and can get rid of your mouse problem very quickly in the coop.
What else can they do that's helpful to the coop?
Find gaps and holes!
How to do it:
Having your chickens inside is optional, you may get faster results if your coop is empty though. It would be best to remove the chickens if you have a real concern there are flaws to the coop.
Leave a bowl of water inside just in case your cat(s) get thirsty!
Do not leave food inside the first night.
Leave the cat alone overnight, this will give them time to explore and get to know the design.
The next day, see if the cat is still inside, or if they got out.
If they got out, bring food with you and put the cat back inside the coop. Don't give the cat any yet, start calling them like you normally would at feeding time. ("Kitty kitty!" Is what I do) The cat should immediately try to escape again to get to the food, in the meantime showing you where it got out.
If that cat did not get out, leave it some food so it doesn't go hungry. Keep leaving it in there until it gets out, or you deem the coop safe!
Tips:
If you have several cats, use the smallest one.
On the second day, show the cat you have meat before shutting them back in the coop, if they can smell it they'll work harder to find a way to it.
Rotate cats, some are smarter than others!
Don't use a housecat, they could get hurt or run away since they don't know how the outside world works.
If you decide to leave your chickens inside, make sure they and the cat get along. The chickens might hurt the cat or vise versa! NEVER put a cat inside if you have chicks or small chickens.
The story how I discovered this is below, you don't have to read it if you aren't interested.
In 2018 I converted half of an old horse shed into a chicken coop. I buried cement chunks all around the bottom of the coop and put hardware cloth over the ventilation gaps on the front and back of the coop. I used plywood and support beams to make a wall in the open side of the shed. It looked great.
I raised chicks and bantams in there, it worked very well! For this winter I have moved all chickens to another coop. I've been leaving the coop door open so my farm cats and dogs have more shelter options if they need it. During bad storms I shut the door while they're inside so I know they're safe.
I am nursing a skinny stray to health in the coop I usually use for my pets. So I decide to put my cats in the converted horse shed. I lock the cats in and walk away. 10 minutes later I peek outside and my cats are sitting on my porch. I put them back in and watch, but nobody comes out. I call "Kitty kitty kitty!" Suddenly they fly out from the back of the coop. I go back and am horrified to see a weak spot in my hardware cloth. The corner wasn't properly fastened and when pushed or pulled, opened up. Literally anything could've climbed up the wall and got inside, my birds were at risk over a year and I had no idea!
Curious, I try again with my old coop I don't use anymore. Put the cats in overnight, next day two are sitting on the porch, the big one is still inside. I put the other two back in and call them. The window frame was loose! They squeezed between the glass and screen and the bottom of the frame shifted, leaving a small gap they escaped out of.
Next year I will be making a new coop from scratch, I know I'll be using my cats to check for flaws before any bird steps foot inside!
Hopefully this thread can help someone make their coop safer and potentially save chicken lives! Thank you for reading!
If this is the wrong forum I'm sorry!!
Don't hate. If you don't like the idea, keep it to yourself.
Cats are great rodent catchers, and can get rid of your mouse problem very quickly in the coop.
What else can they do that's helpful to the coop?
Find gaps and holes!
How to do it:
Having your chickens inside is optional, you may get faster results if your coop is empty though. It would be best to remove the chickens if you have a real concern there are flaws to the coop.
Leave a bowl of water inside just in case your cat(s) get thirsty!
Do not leave food inside the first night.
Leave the cat alone overnight, this will give them time to explore and get to know the design.
The next day, see if the cat is still inside, or if they got out.
If they got out, bring food with you and put the cat back inside the coop. Don't give the cat any yet, start calling them like you normally would at feeding time. ("Kitty kitty!" Is what I do) The cat should immediately try to escape again to get to the food, in the meantime showing you where it got out.
If that cat did not get out, leave it some food so it doesn't go hungry. Keep leaving it in there until it gets out, or you deem the coop safe!
Tips:
If you have several cats, use the smallest one.
On the second day, show the cat you have meat before shutting them back in the coop, if they can smell it they'll work harder to find a way to it.
Rotate cats, some are smarter than others!
Don't use a housecat, they could get hurt or run away since they don't know how the outside world works.
If you decide to leave your chickens inside, make sure they and the cat get along. The chickens might hurt the cat or vise versa! NEVER put a cat inside if you have chicks or small chickens.
The story how I discovered this is below, you don't have to read it if you aren't interested.
In 2018 I converted half of an old horse shed into a chicken coop. I buried cement chunks all around the bottom of the coop and put hardware cloth over the ventilation gaps on the front and back of the coop. I used plywood and support beams to make a wall in the open side of the shed. It looked great.
I raised chicks and bantams in there, it worked very well! For this winter I have moved all chickens to another coop. I've been leaving the coop door open so my farm cats and dogs have more shelter options if they need it. During bad storms I shut the door while they're inside so I know they're safe.
I am nursing a skinny stray to health in the coop I usually use for my pets. So I decide to put my cats in the converted horse shed. I lock the cats in and walk away. 10 minutes later I peek outside and my cats are sitting on my porch. I put them back in and watch, but nobody comes out. I call "Kitty kitty kitty!" Suddenly they fly out from the back of the coop. I go back and am horrified to see a weak spot in my hardware cloth. The corner wasn't properly fastened and when pushed or pulled, opened up. Literally anything could've climbed up the wall and got inside, my birds were at risk over a year and I had no idea!
Curious, I try again with my old coop I don't use anymore. Put the cats in overnight, next day two are sitting on the porch, the big one is still inside. I put the other two back in and call them. The window frame was loose! They squeezed between the glass and screen and the bottom of the frame shifted, leaving a small gap they escaped out of.
Next year I will be making a new coop from scratch, I know I'll be using my cats to check for flaws before any bird steps foot inside!
Hopefully this thread can help someone make their coop safer and potentially save chicken lives! Thank you for reading!
If this is the wrong forum I'm sorry!!
Don't hate. If you don't like the idea, keep it to yourself.
Thanks! The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If raccoons and other predators can take the time to find flaws, even under pressure of guard dogs and human activity, cats should be able to find them just as easy, if not easier. 
❤
