Chickens/Hens - and predators

[deezyb]

I have a very small/med garden -a chunk is for veg growing, (mostly gravel but I'm converting it all slowly to a greener garden)but I've thought of having hens for eggs...i also have cats x 3! and there are other cats in the area. whilst i want to have chucks, i wouldn't do this if it would cause stress to the chucks ie by having cats! any views on this from the other grapes? can chucks in runs live alongside predators without stress? i'm sure this seems a very naive question!

[bigal123_123]

In my view cats dont seem to bother my chucks and there are loads here so i would'nt worry about them do you have any fox's as they are the things to worry about but they can be avoided by burying your chicken wire about a foot and having a covered run you know you have to get them its the law.lol.

[deezyb]

i live in a small town but it's very rural at the same time...when i lived in edinburgh city, i saw more foxes than i do now! weird eh? i'mkeen to have chucks so will investigate a wee bit further re their safety...but i think chickens can give a cat a run for their money?? any views? just don't want a chicken run that is being stalked by the cats!

[vicky]

I've a big black cat that brings home rabbits, pigeons, moorhens, ducks and partridges - behind our conifer hedge is a wildlife graveyard....but he takes no notice of the chickens! I think they are too sure of themselves and don't run. They are protected in a run but when we go in we leave the gate open and he will sit there pretending he doesn't see...how humiliating!

[yoanbob]

chooks can definatly hold their own against cats, its the dogs and foxs you need to worry about

[Eyren]

Our old cat is scared of my chickens - and they're only bantams! It's the Jurassic Park stare, I think - either that or cats can sense that chickens are fellow territorial predators* and give them respect

* mine killed a mouse once - the first thing I knew was them chasing one another around the run squabbling over ownership of the corpse

[deezyb]

thanks for the advice fellow grapes - most useful. now I just need to decide which part of my garden is going to be freed up for a run!

[Sue]

Further to cats v chickens, when I got my new kitten I got given some special kitten biscuits in a large white lidded bucket. Ah very useful down the allotment I thought and took it with me. I first used it for poo picking but it caused great alarm when I went in the hen run - all round the outside of the bucket are printed photographic illustrations of cats! I've moved it to other allotment duties now as they seemed most upset by it.
Sue

[MadamJoJo]

My cats definately protect the girls. My favourite (but don't tell the others) died last year, and I swear he used to see the fox off - one month after he'd gone I had a severe fox attack on the girls: prior to this, there was no sight or sound of any predators. They look on the chucks as part of the 'family'....strange but true. MJJ

[Keep It Green]

I find it very strange. Even with a dog we use to get loads of cats in the garden but since we bought chickens I haven't seen any.

The dog on the other hand has tried to wipe the chickens out on more than one occasion. We more have a fence keeping them apart.

[JanieB]

Ex-farmers wife here. Close to the farmhouse are (usually) cats, dogs and poultry. They all seem to get along with each other. The dogs and cats keep down/away rats, mice and foxes. A sort of domesticated symbiotic relationship .