Reply to: Feeling a little chicken?

[sasguru]

Invariably.

That's where having a (fully grown) cat around can actually help your chicken keeping.

Foxes tend to stay well clear of cats' territories. They just can't afford to suffer the damage that a fight with an adult cat would inflict. Whereas the mog would most likely be patched up at the vets, the poor old fox could easily be fatally disabled, or die a lingering death from infected wounds.

Plan B- Pay per view Cat vs Fox fights?

But my spirit of fairness would oblige me to provide a vet for the foxes.

[ace00]

Who's been talking? I was drunk so and that chickhen was well up.











igmc

[bogeyman]

You haven't seen the monsters we have around here. Have been told (by the vet) to keep my cats away from foxes as they may be seriously injured - mine will have a go at anything.

I'm guessing you live in an urban area Zippy. If so then yes, the foxes are generally bolder and more aggressive and the cats a lot softer. In the countryside, the foxes tend to be more wary and the cats tougher.

With the ban on hunting though, rural foxes will likely become more of a nuisance in the years ahead. Hunting wasn't really much of a control on foxes but it was better than nothing - which is what we have now.

Back on topic: chickens will attract rats!

[Zippy]

Invariably.

That's where having a (fully grown) cat around can actually help your chicken keeping.

Foxes tend to stay well clear of cats' territories. They just can't afford to suffer the damage that a fight with an adult cat would inflict. Whereas the mog would most likely be patched up at the vets, the poor old fox could easily be fatally disabled, or die a lingering death from infected wounds.

You haven't seen the monsters we have around here. Have been told (by the vet) to keep my cats away from foxes as they may be seriously injured - mine will have a go at anything.

[bogeyman]

Foxes on the otherhand generally do kill them

Invariably.

That's where having a (fully grown) cat around can actually help your chicken keeping.

Foxes tend to stay well clear of cats' territories. They just can't afford to suffer the damage that a fight with an adult cat would inflict. Whereas the mog would most likely be patched up at the vets, the poor old fox could easily be fatally disabled, or die a lingering death from infected wounds.

[voodooflux]

Get a trendy run http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Eglu&sub=Cube

We have one of these (very easy to keep clean) and three chickens, which we let wander around the back garden.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

They have only slightly more brain power than cybertory which means they are very good at getting lost run over and generally killed - and you only ever lose the good ones.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Go for it. Everybody who keeps hens thinks they are great. Lots of work though, but I suppose you can eat them if you can't be bothered any more.

I don't - we had some for a while but although the eggs were nice, it isn't worth the bother. They will wreck your garden. Unless you have the guts to keeping killing the ones who aren't productive you will wind up with expensive pets. Throwing corn about doesnt half attract rats. They fight amongst themselves for no apparent reason.

[BoredBloke]

Chickens are great, if you have the space. They will mess up your lawn if that's where you intend to run them.

Their poo stinks - possibly the worst thing that came out of our muck spreader back in the day. I fell Over in a huge sloppy load of this stuff and it bloody horrible. My dad literally turned the hose onto me to wash it off.

Cats will generally chase them around for a bit of fun, but will rarely, if ever kill them.

Foxes on the otherhand generally do kill them

Don't get a cockerel, otherwise it will fight with the cat and piss off the neighbours.

We had one on our farm in Aberdeen. It used to stand right outside my window trying to make the cock a doodle do noise it was supposed to but couldn't and made some whiny squalk instead. It did this when the sun came up i.e. about 4 am in summer and mid day in winter. I was quite happy on the day when we found that a fox or something had got it.

[bogeyman]

We have been discussing getting chickens (battery rescue ones) but I am worried cat will kill chicken (and get hurt in the process).

Why don't the cats try to kill the chickens?

Too much hard work.

Cats are lazy and unless very hungry would rather kill something smaller.

Some cats get on very well with chickens in fact. For some reason they don't seem to see them as prey animals.

Large, hungry, feral tom cats however, are a different proposition.

[SizeZero]

[*]A four foot run is a smaller than I would be happy letting them run around in.

I believe the run is just until they get used to their new home, then you can let them out into the garden after a week.

[thunderlizard]

Go for it. Everybody who keeps hens thinks they are great. Lots of work though, but I suppose you can eat them if you can't be bothered any more.

[BrilloPad]

Plan B!

Chickens, cat, webcam, pay-to-view.

I think I prefer the idea of a webcam for the bankers being executed.

[RichardCranium]

We have been discussing getting chickens (battery rescue ones) but I am worried cat will kill chicken (and get hurt in the process).

Why don't the cats try to kill the chickens?

Plan B!

Chickens, cat, webcam, pay-to-view.

[BrilloPad]

Cats will generally chase them around for a bit of fun, but will rarely, if ever kill them.

We have been discussing getting chickens (battery rescue ones) but I am worried cat will kill chicken (and get hurt in the process).

Why don't the cats try to kill the chickens?