hey everyone i am excitedly awaiting the time when i get my chickens!! which is in about 4 weeks time... i am getting 1 silkie, and 2 frizzle pekins. They will be pullets we are currently getting their future pen ready and it suddenly struck me.. cats! the yard will be on the back fence, (which is a brush fence) i thought maybe a cat would climb on top of the fence then jump in the cage? because they are small chickens they would be easy prey? so would they need a roof? or would they be able to defend themselves... they are the sweetest breeds in chickens ( i think haha . We live in Adelaide - VERY surburban.. and yes we are aloud to keep chickens were we are responses would be GREATLY appreciated!!! thanks
I live in the suburbs and have 7 Chickens, 2 cats and a dog. We got the chickens at point of lay and the cats were curious about them for a sort time but didn't attack the chickens and soon got bored with them. The dog was a worry for a while but when he got used to them he settled down but I still wouldn't leave him on his own with them. The cats actually have a positive benefit as they are great mousers (the mice and rats will be attracted by the feed so you have to keep an eye on that and keep the area clean) and they keep other cats away. I don't know what they would be like with smaller chickens and chicks though. We have large breeds like Australorps and Sussex hens.
Cats are not usually the big problem with chickens. Dogs and foxes are far bigger risks. Even in suburban areas you will get foxes. You must give them protection at night by locking them in their coop. They will need a waterproof area where they can get out of the rain, as chickens don't like to get wet and can get sick if they are wet for prolonged periods of time.
thanks heaps, we do have a good coop, which we will be painting with waterproof paint... do you think it could possibly be toxic?
You shouldnt have a problem with cats, its dogs getting in that you should consider. Not too sure about whether or not chooks are worried about being wet. One lot of hens we had decided they did not like the shelter I made for them and slept in the lemon tree all year round. They were protected from the cold wind though which I know they dont like.
If all else fails get some laying (full size) rhode island reds - they should thin out the local cat population.
Its all got to do with the spacing of their teeth - apparently cats don't have the right spacing to break a chicken neck. Our chickens are in an open coop in suburban Perth - we have some pretty large tom cats roaming our yard at night (due to the large rats and mice, and our pretty little puss cat) and they have never done any damage to the chickens. We even caught a huge feral tom in a cat cage a few weeks back (that was causing us grief peeing on everything) and it never touched the chickens. But our chickens at the moment are full sized Hyline Browns grown from City Farmer chicks, not your pretty little silkies. I have had experience with wild birds taking chicks though - a sea eagle flew off with a friends silky chicks once. And I've heard of quite a few sad 'my pet dog ate my chickens' stories Yay for chickens though - all the best. Chickens are awesome pets.
If anything my cat is afraid of the chickens. They intimidate him whereas my cat intimidates the dog. The dog weighs 46kg. The cat weighs 6kg and i think each chicken would not weigh much more than 2 kg. Also if you snakes in your area, they can be problem and for that reason you should have a roof on your chicken coop. A snake proof roof. Chickens can not see in low light. They are very vulnerable at night. Snakes seem to do their hunting at night. Stop worrying about the cats and start worry about dogs and snakes. I hope you haven't got any around to create problems but these are the dangers. Also if you are starting out, check out the deep litter option, its fantastic and means you do'nt have to clean out the chicken cage every week. My chicken cage does not even smell at all. I Love it. And to think i rejected this idea when someone first told me about it. Google it and see if you can find the little video on line if one. I buy a large round bail of hay stuff. doesn't need to the best quality. And just put some fresh stuff in about once a week or when the poop shows up. But once a week should probably do. At the end of a year you will have a fantastic pile of composted manure for your garden.