The General Poultry Chat Forum

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cats

is there any way of keeping cats away from fowl i found one of the nieghbours chasing mine today and imm worried if she will come back

dougal
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

shotgun or tell your neighbours to get rid if they cant keep it off your premises

pat cody
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

do you not have a fence dougal? i know theyre fairly agile but surely if u have a wire mesh fence and put the mesh over the run too therell b nowhere for them to get in.

John Ryan
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

you shouldnt have to fence out peoples cats or dogs or any other animal if they cant contain them they shouldnt have them

pat cody
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

the gun i think best option they took a lot of pullets on me last year had to go down that rd

Purebreedpoultrycrannagh
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

you can get stuff from pet centres and garden centres that puts cats off areas but it needs to be freshly applied after rain (its pepper based so quiet pungent)but i would think the chasing instinct would be stronger then the smelly stuff.
can you use electric fencing or a stip of electric wire across were they come in, if your about during the day an extra strong water pistol or hose on standby.
if the neighbours are approcable see if between them and you can come up with a solution. would they but a load bell on the cat and only allow out at certain times when your hens are in.
you can also get a door bell thats non-wire and on pressing the bell its a pack of dogs barking, think B&Q have them.

little chick
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

u have to keep in mind pat, fences are needed to protect your flock from foxes and other prey animals too, so not just about keepin out cats but about the general welfare of the animals in our care and protecting them :)

John Ryan
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Pellet gun . It will just give em a sting :)

micheal501
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

by the way pat, when i said "your" i wasnt making any accusation against you personally i meant people in general and didnt mean to single u out , which is what it sounds like now that im reading it back lol

John Ryan
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Tell your neighbours if you think its their cat and if they dont act reasonably then i would shoot the offending cat if it can be done safely.your entitled to protect your property and at least you can say that you warned them

Robbiemc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

micheal501 think it will do more then sting

little chick
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Probably illegal too!

Jemsey
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Cats are a real problem I've had 2 young hens killed by a neighbours cat and as Pat said people should control their pets

PaulM
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

No it won't do more than sting . Airsoft guns are under 1 joule of power ie. Power required to break skin . And no airsoft pellet guns are not illegal .

micheal501
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i realise that they need to be protected john and no offence taken but cats are very good climbers and could easily climb onto a roof and into your run, it would be very unlikely any wild predetor would be as agile a climber and therefore there isnt (or shouldnt be) the need for fully enclosed runs unless your birds can fly away , its up to yourself how to deal with the problem but my way is a zero tolerance policy, if it gets in it doesnt get out

pat cody
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Zero tolerance here too !

PaulM
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Paul i,m not disputing the fact that cats can be a problem but i don,t think recommending shooting them with a pellet gun is a good idea.Yes people should control their pets but trying to keep tabs on a cat is difficult i,d imagine compared to a dog.
If you keep poutry the onus is on you to make sure they are protected(with appropriate fencing etc) from predators domesticated or not,thats the way i see it anyway although i,m sure plenty would,nt agree.

Jemsey
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Lots suggesting shooting the cat, not so nice.
Why not get yourself a dog for the yard?

Susan Mc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

What you need are 4 or 5 xbatterys on patrol,i have 3 cats and 3 dogs here and none of them will go into their space,i have had to pick one of my dogs up to get them off her,if one goes theyl all gang up on whatever poor unfortunate passes through,and their legal.

Ruby
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

If you keep an animal of any kind -be it a hamster or a black mamba snake the onus is on you the owner to control your animal

PaulM
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

I think most cats are after an easy meal so maybe you could try the nice approach and maybe leave some food out for the cat and then it might do you a favour and keep mice and rats away from your girls. :)

titch_20002002
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

well said susan mc , shooting cats isnt legal , my cats love sleeping in with the hens , and i havent had any killed in 20 years of keeping fowl and cats

ian cats
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

shooting cats is not illegal they have no protection under irish law fact
if it is killing your hens you are entitled to protect them

landkeeper
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Its still someone's pet. Somebody thinks as much of the cat as we do are hens!!

titch_20002002
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Jemsey, in all fairness it would be very difficult to protect your flock from a cat if they're free ranging. A fox maybe but i doubt you could keep a cat out.
If a cat or any other animal takes my chooks there won't be any questions asked about it on here or anywhere else either.

jaymac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

then they should keep it under control then shouldn't they cats are the bane of my life admittedly most of them are feral but if people treated their dogs the way cats are then there would be war in the countryside
two weeks ago one morning i went outside cos the dogs were kicking up a racket and there was a big tom cat in the shed in a pen with a welsummer in its mouth that's about the 4th time in a couple of years it's happened
christmas day a few years ago i had a bloody cat get into my silkies and killed every one
if it's your pet and it's rambling and doing damage don't be surprised when it doesn't come home

landkeeper
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

The owner takes responsibility for their pets safety and well being -keeps them under control and everybody is happy !

PaulM
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

I was plagued with cats last summer, they would spend an age prowling around my fence looking for a discrete spot to get in, then make a sudden burst for the nearest chicken.
All I could do was run at it as quick as I could and fire a basin of water at it.
For all their attempts, I never lost a chicken to a cat and they have stopped prowling around as much

smithcity
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

lost count of the number of young birds i lost here to cats, was picking them off one by one. i sat on the roof of the shed for hours one day till the big black cat came along 34g 4s sorted the problem out nicely! shot 3 more the same month. they seem to come in bursts

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

I have a cat next door which i,ve seen taking an interest in my birds but as soon as i let the dogs out it legs it,if they happen to catch it too bad,what i,m saying is if the thing has to be dealt with don,t injure it with a pellet gun.A good dog is a great deterrent..Mine do freerange Jaymac,only when i,m there though but yeah i know what your sayin.

Jemsey
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

cats,dogs,all the same to me.once it's on my land i'll do what i have to do.i'v had cats kill my birds and i'v had neighbours dog kill my birds.i shoot any cat i see,thats if the dog's not got to it first!

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Each to their own mate,we all have our own way of dealing with things.

Jemsey
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

never a truer word spoken jemsey

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i've just let my cat keep all her kittens, she is spayed now,, she was feral,, and a great hunter but is now very tame. i deliberately kept all the kittens cos i wanted to keep hens again and they are a great ally in keeping vermin at bay. wouldnt be without them.
how can you stop a cat from going on neighbours land? dont be silly. of course its a different matter if they actually kill fowl, but until they do, why shoot them? why not be like dogs being allowed at least one bite?
i can sympathise with you guys that lose chickens to them, never happened to me, the wild cats come and sleep in the hen house at night and as long as thats all they do, i am more than happy to have them around.
one did kill one of my cats though last year, i was furious. one solution to feral cats is go to the animal rescue place, they will lend you a cat trap, then take it to them and they will castrate it free of charge. isnt that more humane guys?

paddymc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

cats kill 70% of our song birds every year,every one that let's a cat out all night is responsible for a good lot of them

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i have four cats and 6 bird feeders and loads of birds, must admit when they fledge it is a problem so extra care is needed. i dont think animals, cats,, dogs, etc are the problem,,, the problem is a lack of responsibility on the part of humans,, be it owners or those of us who would like to take the easy way out and just do away with the problem rather than deal with it, my opinion only guys, and ladies,,,

paddymc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

at least one bite ha ha good man paddymc

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

castrate it?any of the cats that killed my birds didnt use it's balls to kill them!lol

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

hows castrating going to stop them killing , are you suggesting folk can't keep a cat on their own property as it's too hard ,yet expect the guy with the fowl to put up fences to keep out the cat !!!!!!bit of a double standard there

landkeeper
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

you like your cats paddymc and thats fine

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

most feral cats that have caused probems to me are agressive males,,, castrating calms them down, makes me a little less agressive and perhaps less inclined to go after larger prey. just a thought, at least that was what the vet told me when a feral tom killed my tomcat.
might work with other species too, hahhahahahaahh , lol

paddymc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

paddy the cats causing me problems didn't want to ride my hens !!they were intent on eating them

landkeeper
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i'm a dog person really, just got the cats to help me with the rodents and got fond of em benny,,, now foxes are a different matter, grrrrrrrrr

paddymc
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i know paddymc it's just that i'v got to hate them over time

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

We have a lot of feral cats, Mayo cat rescue released some here the weekend just gone & I have found cats sleeping in the nest boxes of the old run, while hens have been in there laying too, have chicks free ranging all the time & never lost a single one to a cat.. Never lost a single one full stop.. But then I don't have the large scale of birds that some of ye have.. As Paddy says though there are no entire males here though, there was one but he was neutered & left back again, perhaps he is right in what he is saying..

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

perhaps

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

why would they releas them?thats like releasing mink.i'll never understand!

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

They trap, neuter & release them. They do it on studs & around farm yards to keep mice & rats down & to stop them reproducing.. Say you had a problem with them on your land, they would come & trap them & then release them somewhere where they would be welcomed..

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

thanks for sll the replies i have a dog who is mad for chasin cats but he was out on a walk when it happened and the pen is to akward to put a roof on also i live in an estate so i cant really shoot it no matter how much i want to. Also is it normal for a cock even a bantam one to stand up to things like cats because the cock who is the hardest to catch out of all of them was the only one hurt

dougal
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Or if you're happy to have them they will trap & neuter & release them back where they trapped them from..

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Yup, he probably stood up to the cat, my rooster stood up to a car going down the ave the other day, I almost died laughing at him. He was going to take the car on & wasn't backing down, I had to chase him under the hedge so the person could go past!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Im with you paddymc,all mine are spayed and neutured and couldnt be arsed chaseing anything but their tail,when you see kittens given free when you buy a bird at a poultry sale by an ignorent mutant i know who needs to be shot,id settle for neuturing tho as long as the low life wasnt sedated,dont take it out on the animals,next time you see some animal been sold out of the boot of a car remember whos to blame for them becomeing a nuisance,better still put on the camoflage gear and take pot shots at them..oh wait,no that would be to hard and ilegal,sooo much easier to shoot the animal.

Ruby
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Yer dead right Ruby, any wandering animal be it cat or dog that comes near my birds will be shot. Easy.

jaymac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

thats mad as a box of frogs.well i never,i'll just keep doing what i do!sorry dougal,i,v never seen one to stand up to a cat

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Have you never seen a rooster stand up to or attack anything benny mac? Never had a crow get too close to the girls or anything?!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Another reason they release cats back to the same place after their neutured is because cats are teritorial and by putting them back it stoppes another group mouveing in and starting the whole breeding cycle all over againn,rescues wouldnt have the money to waste doing it if it didnt work.

Ruby
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

no,after fox attack, mink, pine martin,dog and cat attack,they just run like hell!

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Surely if people fed there cats they wouldn't be hungry

tom boyd
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

if filling the countryside with cats is the way to make it work, then i dont get it!!

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

You must just have scaredy cat (excuse the pun!) roosters, mine stand up for their girls like something else. They chase other birds away, growl when other birds fly over head.. My dog has a habit of sticking her nose under their bums & flicking them forward & that earns a telling off by the boss too.. The Auracana that lives with the layers goes for me when I pick them up to check for lice & whatever..

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

id love to see neigbours face when cat landed home with its bits removed

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Haha allanah ur roosters are crazy lol:)

tom boyd
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

They'd probably be delighted, save them a few quid getting it done!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

We breed them tough here in Meath Tom ;-)

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

No need for a guard dog then so :)

tom boyd
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

wtf did ya do to your balls cat? ha ha

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

have shamos here 30 inches tall wouldnt look at you when i catch a hen, there this little **** of an old english game bantam that goes for me every time! hes hardly 4 inches tall!

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

im off to the nest.oh and i hate cats!good night

benny mac
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

No she guards the chickens from the bullocks.. Ya know those big vicious bullocks you get that eat chickens for their lunch? We have lots of those here- or so the dog thinks...

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i could have set you some oeg today conor knight rider was collecting his new zapcat and wasn't too far from here but it was a bit too late when i found out

landkeeper
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Night Benny! Yeah Conor my little Pekin lad doesn't realise he's too small either!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Bullocks allanah aren't those castrated bulls. Meath must be a bit of a crazy place bullocks eating chickens lol :)

tom boyd
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

i was going to go with him landkeeper, never even taught of it. he will be well wound up these days! headin back to the big launch tommorow. gas how the little ones have the biggest attitude, they take on everything allanah

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Yes that's them Tom! When they were let out of the shed last year the Rottie walked up & down the fence line growling out the side of her mouth at them while "her" chickens were scratching around on the lawn! She was convinced one of them was going to steal a chicken!
Conor they are great Craic to watch though very hard to take seriously!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Right lads I'm with Benny & heading to bed.. Well not literally with Benny ;-) night all, sweetdreams, sleep well!

Allanah
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

awfull funny alright bouncing around like a mini angry mike tyson. the minute something big pecks them back they run like the clappers tho

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Yes time to hit the hay I can hear the alarm ringing already zzzzzzzzzz

tom boyd
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

alarm on sunday is bad!

conor o
Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Apparently its called the" joys of farming"

tom boyd
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Get a pup, raise him with the hens so he'll be used to them and won't try to attack them etc. and he'll be well able to scare a cat off even when he's only young or just ask the neighbours nicely to keep their cat away from your hens.

conormc96
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

make or buy a cat trap they catch them live then you can bring the cat to the neigber so you can prove thays it there cat and tell the how much they owe you for lose of hens and keep the cat untill payed

edward
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

You could be done for Catnappin though!

Jemsey
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/dogs/2914149

gem
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

we have one dog and 7 cats around the place , as well as the 23 birds, and low and behold no fights.
in fact i think the birds scare off the cats. the dog loves to walk around after the hens she is intrigued by them, probably has no idea wat thet are.

tommy c
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

get em with the gun the bigger hole you put in it the better .sly little c###S ,Worse than a fox

Gerard hannon
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

sorry friend posted that messing .. no need for that!!!

Gerard hannon
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

dont be sorry,i'd be all for that

benny mac
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012


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