Feral Cats and Chickens

[spotnnotfarm]

We have a terrible rat problem. I have been unable to get a cat because we had a dog that would have killed it. He passed away last month and I am thinking of getting a few feral cats. Our shelter gives them away for free and I am not looking for a pet.

However, my husband has 8 chickens he LOVES! He is worried the cat will hurt the chickens. They free range part of the day almost everyday. We have a mixed group of Easter Eggers, Barred Rock and two I am unsure of. We also have one Rooster but he is friendly.
Just wanted some COTH advice!

[JB]

We had (still have) cats who spent most days outside, and most of those years had anywhere from 3-4 to 20 chickens. Once the chickens were pullet/cockerel size, the cats had no interest. One cat thought it was fun and games to run through a gathering to watch them scatter, but had no intention at all of actually catching one. Occasionally a rooster would half-heartedly go after a kitty but nothing worse than that.

[Texarkana]

We have two “volunteer” barn cats that I think have a proper home elsewhere but spend the majority of their time hanging out at our place. Knock on wood, they leave the chickens alone when they are free-ranging. No interest at all.

Although, they also have no interest in the rats. I can’t say I’ve ever had luck with cats deterring rats.

[Simkie]

Cats in general don’t rat. Some do, but it’s not terribly common.

But if you do get a couple kitties, nope, they should not bother your adult birds. Chicks could be pretty fair game…

[luvmyhackney]

Cats won’t take care of rats. They catch mice and smaller things.

My feral cats don’t bother my neighbors chickens.

You need a black snake of decent size and a bucket trap.

[OzarksRider]

@luvmyhackney

Cats won’t take care of rats.

I used to have a cat that would kill rats almost as big as she was.

As for cats bothering chickens–I have 4 cats that co-exist with free range chickens, and it’s never been an issue.

[luvmyhackney]

@OzarksRider

I used to have a cat that would kill rats almost as big as she was.

It happens but isn’t the normal for cats.

[trubandloki]

I have three cats that I consider mine (all are very good hunters) and some occasional feral cats that stop by to have some cat food - When the chickens walk towards the cats, who are eating their wet food I just put down, the cats walk away and give the chickens their wet food.

Chickens are scary.

I have to agree that if your problem is actually rats and not mice, you might find that even feral cats will not get rid of them. Rats are big, the cat does not want to get hurt killing them.

[TheDBYC]

It’s incredibly unlikely that a cat will hurt or kill an adult standard breed chicken. Even bantam breeds are able to bring more smoke than your average cat wants to deal with. Especially if you have a banty rooster or two.

We’ve had as many as 1000 chickens at a time (yes, I’m crazy). Have always had multiple cats. Never once have had an issue with cat on chicken aggression. Have occasionally intervened when chicken on cat aggression got a little too close for comfort Chickens are basically backyard velociraptors, after all. I just keep the cats away from the chooks when they are chicks.

If he’s really worried you could get a few heritage breed turkeys. Not only are they incredibly fun personalities; but the adults are capable of exacting mayhem on most other animals. Once had to rescue our half-blind pug from the center of a turkey “cheer circle”. On the up side, they love to hunt down and kill snakes.

[Mosey_2003]

@TheDBYC

We’ve had as many as 1000 chickens at a time (yes, I’m crazy).

My people

[SusanO]

Gretel may be little but she is mighty. She is a rat killing machine. She gets mice too but she has killed rats about as big as she is. She doesn’t eat them, nothing eats dead rats except for crows. She is on canned cat food but I try to give her a can of Fancy Feast when she brings me a dead rat.

This isn’t even one of the big ones. Baby chickens might not be safe around her though. I will take Gretel over a chicken any day.

[TheDBYC]

Good Gretel!!!

You might be surprised. My “wild child” – a male Turkish Van that we adopted as a semi-feral barn cat from a tiny rural shelter that had shockingly realistic, reasonable ideas about finding cats homes – is my ninja warrior assassin. It’s not unusual for him to bring us more than one rodent a day. His kills are so plentiful that he was single-handedly (pawed?) the saving grace of a mortally injured juvenile raccoon – it ate what he left on the doorstep for the the few days it hung around until animal control could trap it.

Same cat has never once gone after a chicken. He just doesn’t view them as prey. I guess because they’re part of “mom” and his human fam? Sort of like how none of the cats bother DD17’s pet rabbit even though they’ll chase wild bunnies if given the opportunity. (They’re forking TERRIFIED of the pet rabbit even though she’s a small breed and like 1/10 their size.)

[SusanO]

Gretel is a ditch cat, actually a pasture cat since she was dumped in my pasture as a kitten. No fancy cats get dumped out here. Killing small animals is embedded in her DNA. I would not trust a bunny or a chicken around her. No squirrels or chipmunks around here and I have to admit I am happy to not have them in my garden. If rodents want to live they need to stay out of my barn, house or surrounding pasture areas. I am surprised at how big some of the dead rats are. I throw them out in the pasture and the crows seem to like them. The resident possums will not clean up the dead rats which surprises me. So yes - some cats will go after rats. She is well fed so she goes after them for fun.

[2DogsFarm]

@trubandloki

Chickens are scary.

THIS!
My barncat was a dedicated Hunter who regularly left me parts of her kills.
But she gave my small freeranging flock a very wide berth.