WHOA KITTY

Saltiena

Songster
12 Years
Mar 30, 2007
300
3
149
Peach Bottom
need help on figuring this out, my chickies will have an 8x14 fence for if they ever need to stay in for a while, but other than that they will be frewe ranged, how much danger are they in, i have 5 cats all togerther, 1 doesnt go outside, 1just goes down the road to all the houses (5 diffrent houses gice her milk
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), 1 is mellow and just sits on the porch, 1 catches alot if mice, and the other catches alot of birds, and rabbits, how much danger are my baby chickies in!!??!
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, what exactly can i do to protect them, i don't want to cage them, but i don't want them too be eaten, it is just time to get out of sschool so i can sit all day and watch if neccasary
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I've heard lots of stories of chickens living in har-moe-neeeee with cats, but you definately want to keep an eye on the two who hunt... But keep them seperated till the chooks are older!

But what do I know?

(ps-I have two cats, and one of them literally chases dogs. I can only keep the chickens I'm hatching till they're 5 weeks, though, so hopefully Jackjack and Annabell will make peace with them suring that time)
 
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I have had several cats in the yard with the chickens and the first year I had 3 chickens roaming the basement they got along with the 9 cats. Even my cat Cubbie known killer of rabbits, squirrels, birds etc leaves the chickens alone even the banties, sure if they annoy him he will swat at them and complain but he has never attacked them, I even had a stray kitten show up last year Ok she is a permanent resident now, sleep in the coop with the girls. If a stray cat shows up in the yard Bertha sounds the alarm and stands her ground they either leave then or I chase them off.
Thats my experience anyhow:D
 
My grown chickens are fine with the cats, and vice versa. The rooster in particular is very good about letting the cats know when they're too close. However, as much as I love cats, I wouldn't trust the mellowest cat around chicks. Fine if you're there and really really on your toes, but I wouldn't leave them unattended until your birds are much bigger.

Have fun!

Mark
 
No cats with chicks, but large breed, adult birds, no problem. My cat is a very aggressive and successful hunter of all manner of rodent and wild avian life, and delights in stalking the hens all around the yard, but all they have to do is flap their wings at her and that is just a little too much!
 
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I have two barn cats that stay near the chickens. Jack the rooster has adopted them and will even protect them if he feels they need protecting. I have seen Jack and Freebie, (the kitty) both eating from the cats dish at the same time. And I have even seen Freebie eating the chicken food with the chickens. And when I let the bird out to free range, both the kitties love to play in the coop, since it has that huge tree branch in it. Sometimes the bantams will play with them. it is very cute.

I have also seen Freebie eating birds, mice and even rats. So... she is staying the other kitty is just there for petting, she is to lazy to kill anything.
 
17 cats here & several feral cats running around, I usually wait till my chickens are atleast two months old before they get to free range on their own. When they first go out I keep a squirt bottle handy just in case!
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Miriam
 
Whoa Kitty is right. I woke this morning to find my indoor/outdoor cat in the box I am preparing for new chicks arrival.
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Much to my displeasure he had been hunting and had a bird in his mouth. I could not get him to give it up so I put him and the bird outside.

I was in a hurry to do my morning trip to the potty as we all do when we first arise.

I noticed upon my return to the bedroom that the cat (Tipper) was crouching between my bed and the nightstand. Unpon further investgation I found a live (not injured) full grown cottontail
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rabbit he had brought in through the doggie (kitty) door.

The rabbit must have been an earlier acquistion that got away during the night.

I rescued the rabbit and released it back outside.

The moral of this story is "My cat loves me but I must remember to close the doggie door at night".
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I am now concerned what he (the cat) will do with my new chicks/chickens.
 
Regardless of how many people have stories of cats getting along fine with chickens, don't trust your cats until you've seen the chickens whip up on them (each one needs a good chicken-kicked-my-butt memory) and you feel sure that the cats got the message. Additionally, keep in mind that there are many more cats around that are either feral, or belong to someone else. Please wait until your birds are full grown to allow them unsupervised free range time. Better yet, wait until you've seen that the chickens will stand up for themselves against a cat.

It is up to you to observe your surroundings and assess the possible/probable dangers to your flock and remedy the situation(s) before you put your flock at risk. This includes yours and neighborhood cats, as well as hawk/raccoon/opossum/dog/fox/etc. proofing.
 

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