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Chuckov

Shaken up by cat attack!

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I thought cats and chickens were supposed to get on? The neighbourhood cat that I thought was just being curious about the hens today leapt off next door's shed and hared down the garden chasing the poor girls, it was only because I happened to be out in the garden and intervened that it didn't have one of them :cry:

 

The poor girls are now huddled up near the patio door. I thought cats weren't supposed to go for chickens? Or that chickens were supposed to defend themselves? How can I protect them, what should I do? I chucked a couple of stones in the general direction of the cat as it sat back on the shed sulking, but it looked pretty undeterred and I am sure there will be a next time :cry:

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Yes, this can happen - see some of the other threads on here about cats.

Bear in mind that the chicken would have in all likelihood beaten off the cat if they'd started fighting though. Most cats enjoy the fun of the chase, or are just "playing" when they pounce on a chicken (as really a chicken is way too big to be prey for any normal cat).

 

It is inevitably stressful for the chickens though, even if they're not in any real danger of getting seriously hurt.

 

The best scenario is that your chickens learn how to go on "high alert" when the cat is in the area, and the cat eventually gives up.

 

/\dam

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I've been trying to keep cats out of my garden for years with very little success. To be honest though, since we got the girls, we've barely seen a cat in the garden during the day. When a cat does brave the garden, the girls start bok boking the alarm which generally frightens it off.

 

I never let our girls free range unless I'm there to watch them. They have a large 'walk in' run http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=24385 where they're quite happy and then I let them out when I go out to poo pick the coop and if the weather is nice, I'll sit on the bench and let them mooch about for longer.

 

I'm afraid my suggestion would be only to let them out when you're there to keep an eye on them and if you don't have one, build or buy a large run for them.

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Thanks guys, I'm over the shock now having read about geb's fatal fox attack today and realise it could have been worse :cry: Sheik, am hoping that if left to it they would defend themselves, but as they're still not fully grown am probably just being a bit over protective!! Would love to build a big run, but not enough room in our semi-detached garden so will just have to be more watchful.

 

Would one of those cat scarers that only cats can hear work? Or would it frighten the girls as well?

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We've got one of those cat scarers and the bad news is it doesn't seem to work for all cats. Some of the neighbours cats now avoid our garden but there are two that regularly use the veg patch as a litter tray and happily sit feet away for the scarer.

 

The best way I've found to get rid of most of the cats is to give them a good blast with the hose, it doesn't have to hit them... just land near enough to get them wet. Our two current visitors bolt as soon as I go near the outside tap

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I would hose the cat, or use a water-pistol on it. It really won't do it any harm, I have a cat myself and love them but I wouldn't hesitate in this situation. A couple of good soakings and it won't try it on again.

 

My guess is that your girls would defend themselves, but perhaps they are still quite young, or maybe they were just startled into flight before they realised what it was.

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The chasing really is the problem, as someone else here said, the chooks would probably be quite good at defending themselves if it came to actual fighting, but if a cat pounces from somewhere and the chooks start running, then it can become an endless chasing thing and the chooks get scared...

My five cats are fine with the chooks, but some cats can be very aggressive (some unneutered tom cats can be really vicious, not all of them, just some - I've known a couple and they really are terrors), so it's worth being extra careful... hosing the cat seems like it's worth a try...

Hopefully if the cat came close enough once to the chooks without startling them with a pounce first, the chooks would not react by running off and might give the cat a serious 'stay away' treatment...

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I have two cats - one is scared to death of the chickens and now avoids the back garden, the other watches them too closely and I would not trust him - though I am sure the girls would see him off - My girls are always inside the omlet netting if out, with us close and the cats cannot get through that.

 

Tracy

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Perhaps your girls are just a bit young at the moment - it's all still new. I remember thinking they were quite full grown looking when mine were first delivered by Omlet, but now they are much bigger and their personalities have changed a little.

 

We have a fair few cats that venture into our garden but they tend to avoid the chooks and they don't seem to be agressive, just passing through. The chooks know the cats are coming even before I see them, they stand stock still in alert mode and then go back to their business. Sometimes they start up a noisy "bok bok" which gets rid of the cats.

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