Cats vs chickens

[supchicks]

My chicks are 10 weeks old and so far have been kept far apart from our two cats. Will they ever be able to safely share the backyard at the same time?

 

[GitaBooks]

Cats can and do hunt chickens at times, but out of the some twelve or more cats we have kept over the years, only one ever attacked our chickens, and it only went after the chicks and the silkies.


Mesa, the sweet cat but a chicken eater. We gave him to a nice shelter to find a new home


Two kittens cuddled up with two silkie chicks. We still have those two cats, and they do well with the chickens, if not sometimes bullied by them (we have a roo that chases them)


Our cats and chickens getting a drink together

 

[supchicks]

That's so cute! I'll give the chicks a few more months to bulk up and then try some controlled introductions. Thanks!

 

[WYNot]

Five chickens in the yard scratching for goodies. My wife and I puttering around in the flower beds and garden. Our two cats outside with us. Older one sprawled out in a sunny patch of the driveway. Younger one notices the hens and starts her stalk. She’s in a bed of irises butt just a wiggling as she crouches; debating on whether to charge one of the nearby hens. One of the other hens notices the cat in the irises. The hen starts closing in on the cat. Other hens notice and join her. Now picture the scene in Jurassic Park where the pack of velociraptors have one of the people surrounded and are closing in. The cat belatedly realizes she has gone from stalker to stalked. She is looking first one way then another as she tries to find an opening to make her escape. She no longer stalks the hens and is content to just watch them from a distance.

 

[Mavabird]

Five chickens in the yard scratching for goodies. My wife and I puttering around in the flower beds and garden. Our two cats outside with us. Older one sprawled out in a sunny patch of the driveway. Younger one notices the hens and starts her stalk. She’s in a bed of irises butt just a wiggling as she crouches; debating on whether to charge one of the nearby hens. One of the other hens notices the cat in the irises. The hen starts closing in on the cat. Other hens notice and join her. Now picture the scene in Jurassic Park where the pack of velociraptors have one of the people surrounded and are closing in. The cat belatedly realizes she has gone from stalker to stalked. She is looking first one way then another as she tries to find an opening to make her escape. She no longer stalks the hens and is content to just watch them from a distance.

That is hysterical!

 

[thomasboyle]

Five chickens in the yard scratching for goodies. My wife and I puttering around in the flower beds and garden. Our two cats outside with us. Older one sprawled out in a sunny patch of the driveway. Younger one notices the hens and starts her stalk. She’s in a bed of irises butt just a wiggling as she crouches; debating on whether to charge one of the nearby hens. One of the other hens notices the cat in the irises. The hen starts closing in on the cat. Other hens notice and join her. Now picture the scene in Jurassic Park where the pack of velociraptors have one of the people surrounded and are closing in. The cat belatedly realizes she has gone from stalker to stalked. She is looking first one way then another as she tries to find an opening to make her escape. She no longer stalks the hens and is content to just watch them from a distance.

I have cat hunting chickens as well. One of my barn cats was stalking a hen when all of a sudden the hen spread her wings making herself as big as possible. She run up to the cat and pecked her on the nose. The cat did a backflip and has never stalked a chicken again. I also raise mallard ducks, and two years ago my ducks were down by the mail box eating weeds by the side of the road. My neighbor watched as someone swerved onto the shoulder of the road and drive through the flock of ducks. Several were killed instantly, but one of my mallard hens was severely injured and limped back to the house. She laid down in the front yard by the front door and my neighbor said my two barn cats came up to her and lay down on either side of her. They stayed with her until she died. I came home from work and my neighbor told me about the whole ordeal.

 

[GitaBooks]

I have cat hunting chickens as well. One of my barn cats was stalking a hen when all of a sudden the hen spread her wings making herself as big as possible. She run up to the cat and pecked her on the nose. The cat did a backflip and has never stalked a chicken again. I also raise mallard ducks, and two years ago my ducks were down by the mail box eating weeds by the side of the road. My neighbor watched as someone swerved onto the shoulder of the road and drive through the flock of ducks. Several were killed instantly, but one of my mallard hens was severely injured and limped back to the house. She laid down in the front yard by the front door and my neighbor said my two barn cats came up to her and lay down on either side of her. They stayed with her until she died. I came home from work and my neighbor told me about the whole ordeal.

I'm sorry to hear about your ducks. That is so sweet of the cats, though.

 

[bigmrg74]

Five chickens in the yard scratching for goodies. My wife and I puttering around in the flower beds and garden. Our two cats outside with us. Older one sprawled out in a sunny patch of the driveway. Younger one notices the hens and starts her stalk. She’s in a bed of irises butt just a wiggling as she crouches; debating on whether to charge one of the nearby hens. One of the other hens notices the cat in the irises. The hen starts closing in on the cat. Other hens notice and join her. Now picture the scene in Jurassic Park where the pack of velociraptors have one of the people surrounded and are closing in. The cat belatedly realizes she has gone from stalker to stalked. She is looking first one way then another as she tries to find an opening to make her escape. She no longer stalks the hens and is content to just watch them from a distance.

Clever Girl!

 

[SirOfSilkies]

I've heard CHICKENS do well in general with cats, Chicks are another story. My cats are terrified to hear a peep though.. They wanted to mess with a broody Cochin.. Her friends came to help her

 

[funnyfarmmom]

My husbands cat ripped through chicken wire this morning to get into the pen with my 5 week old chicks...he was stalking them and they were panicking when we found him. I had
only used chicken wire because that pen is in a spot where we dont have to worry about predators...except that dang cat apparently. I ran to TSC and bought cage wire. If the cat gets through that he's finding a new home. He wont mess with the big chickens, he got pecked when they were about 12 weeks. But he seems to think chicks are fair game. After I put up the cage wire, the stupid cat left me a mouse on the back porch grrr