urbanhen Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 In the past 2 weeks I have spyed the neighbours cat 5 times in my garden while I have the girls out of their run to roam around the back garden. The hens don't seem to be bothered they just ponder and s"Ooops, word censored!"e as if they haven't a care in the world. The cat just sits/lies watching them. Yesterday and the day before when I went out to check on the hens the cat was sitting on the run roof watching them. The minute the cat sees me she vanishes. The 3 girls are all laying now however in the past 2 days there has only been 1 egg a day and the last egg was the weirdest shape (all wrinkled with rings around it but as hard as goats knees). I'm wondering if this could because of the cat, maybe they were scared and this is the effect its having?? Would the cat attack them or is it just being curious??? We only let the hens out into the garden while we're at the house (usually between my morning and afternoon jobs and longer at weekends) and for the first few months we either stood outside with them or stood at kitchen window and watched them (I personally could do that all day if I didn't have to go to work lol) but now when we let them out, I get on with things around the house and they seem to be grand and we just check on them every so often. Not so sure about that idea, now that I know the cat's in the garden too! I'm not really a cat lover but if I knew it wasn't going to attack the girls it wouldn't bother me so much! Any suggestions would be great Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roobaloo Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Most won't attack....some will. My biggest concern for my girls isn't foxes, the way our gardens are set up, it'd be very difficult for a fox to get to them while they're free ranging (they can't dig into our garden, might be able to climb over the fence but they'd have to cross one of two gardens and two public footpaths - which are always busy when the girls free-range) my biggest free is cats. Well, one cat in particular...as he attacked my biggest hen, Toph, last summer. I don't know if she proved too strong for him or he gave up when he heard me crashing through the house and the sound of her screams...but judging by the amount of feathers across the floor, he gave it a good go. We have a LOT of cats in the neighbourhood and they're all very interested in the hens. I sat out with them on Sunday and three different cats appeared in the garden in the space of 10 minutes. One seems of no threat and she just boldly walked between them, sniffing them and looking in our windows...the others were showing hunting behaviour. Either way, If I can't be sat watching the girls, the dog does. He's actually scared of cats...but he's easy to buzz up. So we get him excited when there's a cat in the garden and open the door...he runs out (not at them but they don't know that!!) barking madly...they're all terrified of him. So cats stay away if he's about!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Our own cat has learnt to be afraid of the chickens - and the neigbouring cats, just peer fearfully over the fence! That's the most usual reaction of cats to chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&T Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 A couple of cats near us take a very interested appraoch in the chooks. But nothing has ever happened - the chooks are a lot bigger up close then they are from a distance! We have the ultra sonic cat deterrents in our garden as well, for when the chooks are in the run. They work really well for us, the cats don't come into the garden at all anymore (and leave their gifts lying around), and stay up on the fences just watching. Bit like live TV for cats... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry to say but a neighbours cat did attack one of my girls, luckily she put up a good fight, lots of noise, I came running out in time to see him disappear, but there was a lot of feathers. Luckily she was ok, she is very fluffy so he didnt get to her skin. Previous to that I kept a few water balloons outside the back door which didn,t seem to deter him but since his run in with Gertie he hasnt been back. My own cat takes no notice ofthe girls but this cat was showing hunting behaviour so I guess you will have to keep watch. There was a thread on deterring unwanted cats to your garden. Good luck anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 As Roobaloo said, most cats will not attack chooks, but it would be unwise to trust them all. My neighbourhood is riddled with cats, however for me it's not as much of a problem as you may think. 'My' cat (his teritory includes my garden, but he's not mine! ) has been taught not to attack my girls, and because cats are teritorial he protects his turf and doesn't let other cats in. A water pistol proved very useful when teaching him not to go near my girls. I just shot a burst of water at him whenever I saw him 'stalk' them (my hens were in the Eglu at the time though). It look about a week before he stopped dropping to a crouch when he was near the hens, and my hens are bigger than they were back then so I don't think he would bother to try his luck now. I'm pretty confident that he wouldn't hurt them now, but even so I don't leave it to chance. I would never leave them unsupervised when they FR, and I still keep a small water pistol by the door just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanhen Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 I'm only after chasing the cat again. I have the afternoon off and thought this will be great letting the girls have a bit of freedom for longer than an hour. I was in the kitchen baking and when I looked out there was the cat right smack dab in the middle of the garden with the hens only a few feet away from it I waited a minute or 2 to see what it was going to do and to me it was in the crouching and ready to pounce position! I eventually had to bang on the window and the cat just looked at me! My mother and father in law live directly behind me so I phoned them and told them to get a glass of water ready because when I go out to it, it would run in their direction! Lets just say it did and got half soaked and ended up climbing the 6ft fence between me and my neighbour and into their yard ( and thats not even the neighbour that owns the cat). That's the cats route: through our garden to watch the hens and to use the garden as a large litter tray, into other neighbours garden out their front gate past the front of ours, up the path to sit at its own doorstep or sometimes even ours! I'm sure it will be back again but will keep trying this technique a few more times to see. Are the sonic cat deterrents expensive and how do they work? Thanks again everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 If the sonic cat deterrents work on cats because of the noise (pitch?) does this trouble the chickens? If not then it might help us as we have a ferral tabby about who has been threatening my doves (so far the chickens do not seem troubled). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hasnett Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 we've had to stop our girls free ranging in the garden unless we are with them (we used to let them free range during the day whilst we were in the kitchen) as our neighbours cat chases our cockerel into neighbouring gardens. George is very aggressive (unfortunately we won't be able to keep him much longer) he won't allow myself, daughter or my husband into the garden or anywhere near the run but is petrified of cats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimmyCustard Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I have the opposite problem and wonder if anyone has any ideas?? We got our girls on Saturday and they are in a 3m x 2.5m WIR . Our cat is about 12 years old, (she arrived in the back garden 4 years ago, all bedraggled and flea-ridden and more or less moved in there and then!) and she has gone a bit 'peculiar'. She doesnt seem to fancy going into the garden, (the chooks are at the end of the garden, about 70 feet away), she is sniffing the air and seems to realise her garden doesnt smell like it did! She's eating OK but isnt happy if you see what I mean. Is there anything I can do to show her the girls are not a danger and that nothing has changed or do I just give it time and she will sort that out for herself? I know it seems a little over the top, but I love my cat and dont want her upset ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzieLloyd Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I have three cats and they have a very healthy regard for my 5 banties. I think a few well placed beaks have taught them that chooks are not an easy target and they also make a hell of a racket which cats dont tend to like. I have a problem with my cats being far too interested in the chooks house! I was cleaning the girls out yesterday so had let them out in the garden to FR and the WIR door open whilst I went to get supplies from the garage. On return I found my silkie sat outside the coop making and absolute racket and falpping about. As I got nearer one of my cats came trotting down the ramp as bold as brass after having had a bit of a poke around in chook poo. I cant see the attraction myself but seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Is there anything I can do to show her the girls are not a danger and that nothing has changed or do I just give it time and she will sort that out for herself? I know it seems a little over the top, but I love my cat and dont want her upset ...... Could you maybe feed her in the garden on nice days? after some days you could move the dish further in to the garden Fab to see you again! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimmyCustard Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Could you maybe feed her in the garden on nice days? after some days you could move the dish further in to the garden Fab to see you again! x Thanks Redwing, you too!! I'll give that a go, she is a bit better, still got a face like a smacked bottom though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
