Can I have chickens if I have cats?

[Catswhiskers8]

I want to adopt three rescue hens. I also have three cats. The hens will be free range during the day and in their house overnight. Does anyone else have cats? Are they ok together?

I have 5 hens and 1 cat. Also a springer spaniel.
The cat is terrified of them. She pretends she isn't ever aware of their existence, but we all know if they looked at her wrong she'd crap herself.
Hens are not meek and mild, my 5 pinned the dog in a corner and attacked him when he attempted to eat their food! They are the closest living animals to the T-Rex and it bloody shows 😂

We have both. We had chickens first and tbh our cats are quite scaredy cats and are intrigued by them but there hasn't been any incidences! when they used to go out free range in the summer time next doors cat used go into crouch/pounce position and watch them but have never seen it actually chase or attack them.
I believe they should be kept in their pen at all times at the moment anyway because of avian flu.

We got chickens yesterday. I was worried about this but the chickens are bigger than my cats and more fearsome looking. Cat had a bit of a gawk and now ignores them.

I call mine the feathered terrorists! Honestly it’s your cats that should be worried! We have a dog whom is tolerated by them, our dog things she’s a chicken and wants to sit with them but they have other ideas! Next door has a cat and he no longer comes into our garden 😆

I can only speak from my own experience but my cat was afraid of them, she got curious one time and got pecked and after that didn't want to know. She was fairly young at the time, around 2, so I don't know how she would behave nowadays at 15.
Your cats may not be the same, and your chickens may also not be as feisty as my wee bantams were.

Great. Thanks. That all sounds really promising. I will closely supervise at first but hopefully will be okay 🤞🤞 I also have a lovely staffie dog although I doubt she’d be any threat as she’s a total wimp always getting bossed about by my cats. 😆

Another cat and chicken owner. We have 1 cat that tried to take one down last year when he was very young. Luckily he’s also greedy and not very bright and went for our Brahma (they are huge) and she ran away with him trying unsuccessfully to hold onto her. I told him off a lot and he hasn’t done it since though I wouldn’t totally trust him with my lovely little booted bantam if she was on his own and he was hungry. 3 other cats have been absolutely fine with chickens, even bantams, but have each got very skitty around chicks, including ones that are essentially young feathered little chickens and cockerels. Full grown rescue hens I don’t think will cause any issues.

Watch out for foxes though if free ranging - late spring and summer are worst for this.

It’s strange how I’ve never seen a fox since moving to the countryside. We are adjacent to fields too. I used to see them all the time in the suburbs. My garden is fenced in so hoping chickens stay within it. They will go on their secure hen house overnight.

We had cats and chickens growing up.
Cats (and dogs) have enough sense to leave chickens well alone, particularly if they have met a protective mother hen.

I have twelve chickens that free range, and three cats and a dog. The cats and dog have all been beaten up by various mother hens when they've got too close to the chicks, so they don't mither them.

Cats are a good complement to keeping chickens, because they keep on top of the rats and mice.

@TheLeadbetterLife

I have twelve chickens that free range, and three cats and a dog. The cats and dog have all been beaten up by various mother hens when they've got too close to the chicks, so they don't mither them.

Cats are a good complement to keeping chickens, because they keep on top of the rats and mice.

Rats and mice? I hope not 😬

My cats are scared of my chickens. They are fine together in the garden. Please make sure your coop is big enough to keep the hens locked in for four months a year as we keep having avian flu lockdown and the chickens aren’t allowed out at the moment. Looks like lockdown is going to be extended to at least mid April.

@BonnyandPoppy

My cats are scared of my chickens. They are fine together in the garden. Please make sure your coop is big enough to keep the hens locked in for four months a year as we keep having avian flu lockdown and the chickens aren’t allowed out at the moment. Looks like lockdown is going to be extended to at least mid April.

Lovely photos 🥰

My cat is afraid of the hens but i did find one of the neighbours cats cuddled up to one of our hens once, they both looked very disgruntled when I disturbed them so im fairly sure they were plotting world domination

Rodents are definitely attracted to chickens, the food and the mess I think.

Hens have very good eyesight & will peck at a cat's eyes if push comes to shove. But it never does come to that! A running, flapping, squawking hen puts the fear of god into most cats. And dogs. We've had cats & hens for about 15 years & there's never any trouble at all. The cats give way to the hens every time.

My cats are wary of my hens and give them a very wide berth. I have witnessed the hens ganging up on and chasing a cat down the garden on more than one occasion. The hens (when not in 'flockdown' due to avian flu) are usually kept in a fenced off area of garden and the cats don't choose to spend much time in there!

@Catswhiskers8

It’s strange how I’ve never seen a fox since moving to the countryside. We are adjacent to fields too. I used to see them all the time in the suburbs. My garden is fenced in so hoping chickens stay within it. They will go on their secure hen house overnight.

Make sure that you are aware of the rules around avian flu. Chickens can’t be out in your garden at the moment.