its all going wrong - disaster

[angelat]

hi all

well it seems to be all going wrong. had the hens for about 12 days now and as you know they layed for the first time a couple of days ago.

I let them free range out of their area and the cat who had caused a fuss at first but had since calmed down, saw them out of their area, his eyes were like saucers. got the girls back into their area but he wont leave them alone, keeps stalking them and they get stressed, he can get in and out of their area as he can climb the fence, i just want them to peck him to put him in his place. what has made it worse is that now the girls have been 'over the other side of the fence' they have jumped it twice, lucky the cat wasnt waiting for them, if i' m not there and they jump who knows what will happen. everything was going so well, perhaps i should nt have let them free range, but i was only trying to be a good chicken keeper! any ideas anyone? i am going to get a collar with a big bell for the cat.

angelat :

[MaureenHall]

I doubt very much if the cat will hurt the chickens, honestly. My cat stalked mine for about 3 weeks till one of them stood up to her tallest possible, flared her neck feathers and flapped her wings, scared Ebony half to death but she's not gone down that route again, in fact I'm sure the chooks think she's just a strange type of black chicken

I think a bell is a good idea, not just to warn the chickens but to warn other birds too

[lynda66]

ok you need to go and get a water pistol, preferably a long range powerful super soaker type, then every time the cat goes near the chickens give him one big squirt, don't say anything, and make out you are doing something else, so he doesn't associate you with the water, but he will associate the water with going near the chickens ...... he should get the idea pretty quickly.

[BrideXIII]

ok you need to go and get a water pistol, preferably a long range powerful super soaker type, then every time the cat goes near the chickens give him one big squirt, don't say anything, and make out you are doing something else, so he doesn't associate you with the water, but he will associate the water with going near the chickens ...... he should get the idea pretty quickly.

I definately recommend this, it is about the only way to train a cat, as far as they can be trained, they hate the water on their fur, and when they can't figure out where it is coming from, they soon avoid the situation that prompts the soaking.

[di]

Angelat,it's still early days & they're probably each trying to let the other know who's boss.As the chooks are still relatively new they possibly feel not quite up to asserting themselves,but I'm sure given time(or if the cat does get to close)they'll soon let your cat know they're not to be messed with!!
We used to have bantams & I used to get so worried about neighbouring cats~one attempt to sneak up on them was all they needed to be scared off!!Good Luck!& I'm sure it will work out.

[shirlthegirl43]

I definately recommend this, it is about the only way to train a cat, as far as they can be trained, they hate the water on their fur, and when they can't figure out where it is coming from, they soon avoid the situation that prompts the soaking.

It doesn't seem to work with our dozy cat then - been soaking him for two years to keep him off the veg patch!

[BrideXIII]

It doesn't seem to work with our dozy cat then - been soaking him for two years to keep him off the veg patch!

well I wouldn't say it's foolproof, it is about the only thing I have found that works at all though, depends on the amount of temptation though, and your veg? well, bound to be too tempting for kitty to ignore.

[lynda66]

lol, theres always one ...... ok i should have said 99.9% of cats

[Flummery]

They'll soon include the cat in the pecking order - and he'll be surprised how far down it he is!

[shirlthegirl43]

lol, theres always one ...... ok i should have said 99.9% of cats

I can't wait to sit and watch cat and dog with chooks on Saturday - should be hilarious - might even dig out the video camera and if anything really funny happens stick it on YouTube (I am sure elder son will know how to). When we kept chickens when I was young, we never worried about the cats though - the hens always put them in their place if they got too close.

[digthatchick]

Don't worry
My cat did this for a while, now she wont come out of the house if the chooks are out
One thing to remember though, if the cat can get in the run so can a fox

[Two_Sheds]

I agree with the Water Gun option. It might seem cruel to the cat, but they don't understand reasoning.

At least if your cat is stalking your chickens, it's leaving the wild birds alone

[Strepsy]

They'll soon include the cat in the pecking order - and he'll be surprised how far down it he is!

That's very true, my Mally cat is definitely bottom, he gets straight out of the way when any of them approach, and Paro who has always enjoyed the challenge of winding them up is probably 2nd. He won't go near the top chook but still likes to tease from afar or if she's out of the picture.

[lettucegrow!]

This is all very useful info. will keep watching and waiting to see how it all works out.Have always been under the impression that animals will sort themselves out with out too much harm!!!

[Two_Sheds]

It (water) doesn't seem to work with our dozy cat ... been soaking him for two years to keep him off the veg patch!

He's not got wet enough yet then, Shirl
My neighbour got fed up with moggies pooing on the veg, so he left a small gap in the netting and securely pegged down the rest.
Cat got in, couldn't find it's way back out quick enough ... because neighbour was waiting with a big bucket of icy water