How to Keep Chickens Safe From Cats

Wondering how to keep chickens safe from cats and other predators lurking about your backyard? The first step is to build or buy a safe coop where your chickens can go to lay eggs and roost at night. In addition to a sturdy shelter, you'll need a protected yard space for flocks threatened by neighborhood pets, feral cats or any other predators during the day.

A simple, movable netting fence on stakes makes a great perimeter around a chicken yard, especially since it is easily repositioned to rotate the chickens' grazing area. This way, the grass will regrow while they scratch and range nearby. To protect the poultry from cats, electrify the netting with a battery- or solar-powered electrifier. This will both discourage predators and keep the chickens contained while still allowing them access to the grass they need.

To create a more permanent setup that doesn't involve moving fences or keeping them electrified, consider building two large pens on the grass outside your chicken coop. Having two separate areas allows you the benefit of pasture rotation, where they can be in one area for a time and then switched to allow re-growth. Chain link fence, built high enough to ward off cats or perhaps even continued across the top with more chain link to keep out hawks, is a very sturdy option.

Consider buying a livestock dog to guard the flock. Dogs bred or raised to protect sheep, goats, cattle and chickens are one of the best and least expensive way to ensure the safety and survival of your chickens. Shepherds, collie dogs, cattle dogs and other herd dogs are all good choices, but temperament, training and personality are more important than breed. Start with a puppy and introduce him to chickens from a very young age to help him develop a protective nature toward the birds. He will then protect them from cats as he grows up.

Vigilance is also key in keeping backyard chickens from coming to harm. Watch your chickens as they go through their day, and keep an eye out for prowling cats and other threats. If stray cats abound, call Animal Control or inquire with your neighbors to find out where they are from.

The final element to keeping hens safe from a cat is to give charge of them to a large, confident rooster. Roosters have a natural instinct to protect hens; they will fly at predators with spurs flashing and loud, strong squawking to discourage would-be attackers.

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