Can Cats Kill Chickens?

Cats are carnivores and natural-born hunters, so it’s safe to assume they will be interested in chickens. However, cats aren’t dumb and always evaluate their odds of winning the fight.

Chickens have means for defending themselves, such as their claws and knob. However, that doesn’t refer to baby chicks, which you must protect from cats.

Fortunately, there are many ways to keep chickens safe from cats. One can even train a cat to get along with chicks if they’re dedicated enough.

Cats Are Carnivores

Cats are obligate carnivores who feed primarily on animal protein. They are also natural-born hunters – even domestic cats that have never seen another animal in their lifetime.

The feline hunting instinct is extremely powerful – you likely know it from playing with your furry friend. Most cats hunt mice and small birds when roaming outdoors, particularly if they don’t perceive it as a food source but as instinct relief.

However, some cats enjoy challenges and attempt hunting larger prey, such as chickens. It’s important to note that whether a cat will attack a chicken or avoid it depends on the cat’s personality.

Calm, quiet domestic cats are unlikely to come close to a chicken. But if your cat is energetic and courageous, it might chase it or even attack it.

Either way, cats, whether feral or domestic, typically perceive chickens as too challenging prey and hunt smaller animals. If they do attack a chicken, it’s either because of extreme hunger or the chicken being small or sick.

Chickens Can’t Fly

Chickens might seem like easy prey for cats because they can’t fly. Yes, technically, they can fly short distances in search of food or perches, but their flying capabilities are insufficient to escape a cat’s claws.

Chickens aren’t fast runners either. They run at about nine miles per hour at most, whereas cats can run at a maximum of 30 miles per hour. That’s almost the speed of a car in the city center.

The real power of chickens is in their agility. They can turn at lightning speeds, which helps them stay safe from predators. The problem is that cats are very agile, too.

In other words, chickens would be fairly easy prey for cats if not for their claws, beaks, and size.

Aren’t Chickens Too Big for Cats?

Yes, chickens are big compared to animals cats usually hunt for food. Felines are intelligent creatures. They don’t take unnecessary risks and understand that hunting mice or small birds are more effective and safer than chickens.

Even if a cat has never interacted with a chicken before and doesn’t know it can be dangerous, it will learn after trying to attack it for the first time.

It’s enough for a cat to be chased away by an adult chick or cockerel to avoid them for its remaining life. Most adult cats avoid alterations with chickens if they can help it.

The fact that chickens are large doesn’t mean a cat can’t kill one – if the cat chooses the right moment to attack or the chicken is sick or old, it has little chance against the predator.

Still, smaller chicks are in much higher danger from cats than adult chickens. These tiny yellow fluffy creatures are easy and irresistible prey for felines.

Even if you think your cat is the sweetest and wouldn’t hurt a fly, keep it away from baby chickens. Every cat is a natural-born hunter that won’t miss a chance to attack something so small.

And while a large adult chicken might survive a cat’s attack if it doesn’t bite through the arteria, the interaction won’t end well for a baby chicken.

Whether a cat will attack a chicken also depends on the cat’s size. Kittens are likely to be afraid of adult chicks and especially cockerels. Medium-sized adult cats might risk attacking one, but it is unlikely.

Large-breed cats like Maine Coons, on the other hand, can easily kill a large adult chicken. They won’t be intimidated by the size, so keep your large cat away from chickens at all times.

Do Cats Eat Chickens They Kill?

Cats don’t always eat the prey they kill. Felines are playful, energetic creatures that love hunting for fun, perceiving it as mental stimulation and physical activity rather than survival means.

Sure, stray cats primarily hunt for food. But even they will sometimes catch a smaller animal, then paw it until it’s dead and leave it uneaten.

Chicken is a valuable source of meat, containing significantly more meat than mice or small birds. However, chickens are also harder to catch, so a cat is unlikely to hunt a chicken for fun unless it’s a baby chick.

In most cases, cats will eat the meat but leave the wings and feathers. Because there is too much meat in an adult chicken for one cat, it might share with its stary peers, but usually, cats kill baby chicks and eat them entirely.

Thus, the odds of a chicken surviving a cat’s attack aren’t high unless it fights back and makes the cat run away, leaving only a few scars.

Do Cats Attack Chickens Frequently?

Domestic cats rarely attack adult chickens because of their size – chickens are often bigger than cats and have equally sharp claws (and knobs).

Furthermore, chickens live in groups and can defend each other if necessary. Cats are more likely to avoid adult chickens, but there could be exceptions – for instance, if the cat is very big or hungry.

Baby chickens are in more danger because they are vulnerable. Killing a baby chicken is a no-brainer for a cat. If a cat lives in close proximity to baby chickens, it is highly likely to attack and kill them.

In other words, cats rarely attack large chickens but frequently attack baby chickens. If you keep chickens, you must take preventative measures to protect baby chickens from domestic and stray cats, but adult chickens can walk in the free range under supervision.

Don’t assume that your chickens are safe because you know your cat won’t hurt anyone. Even the sweetest domestic cats have hunting instincts and can attack a chicken.

Can Cats Live Peacefully with Chickens?

If you or your neighbors keep chickens, you might wonder – can cats coexist peacefully with chickens? Can cats and chickens be friends? While the latter is unlikely, the answer to the first question is a definite “yes.”

Cats and chickens can live together peacefully if you teach you to train them to get along. It will take time, but eventually, your cat will learn that chickens aren’t a source of food or chasing targets but equal.

Introduce the cat to chickens when they’re still young. Don’t rush things – first interactions are crucial because they set the track for the future relationship. If the first impression is poor, the animals won’t get along.

When introducing the animals, use a mesh barrier to prevent sudden attacks. Don’t attempt a face-to-face meeting until your cat is perfectly calm and doesn’t attempt to attack the chicken.

After the first face-to-face meeting, allow your animals to be together for short periods, but always supervise them. Gradually increase the meeting duration until your cat and chickens are comfortable being around each other.

Still, always supervise your chickens when they’re on a free range and the cat is walking nearby. And since you can’t spend time training your cat to get along with your neighbor’s chickens, they would still have to take safety measures.

How long it takes to train a cat not to attack chickens depends on its personality and age. Some cats get along with chickens from the first go, whereas others might need months of training.

How To Prevent Your Cat from Attacking Chickens

If you don’t want to spend months training and supervise your animals every time they walk outdoors, learn how to prevent a cat from attacking chickens.

The most secure and easiest way to protect your chickens is to keep them in an enclosure with no gaps for the cat to get through. Whenever you let the chickens walk free-range, keep your cat indoors, ensuring the windows and doors are shut.

If the cat isn’t yours, talk to your neighbors and ask them to keep the cat indoors at specified times of the day.

Another way to protect chickens from cats is to get a rooster. The rooster will defend his chickens whenever a cat comes close. However, if the cat is too persistent, the interaction might end poorly.

Plus, roosters are noisy, so you might want to ask your neighbors first. Getting a dog is a good idea only if the cat attacking chickens isn’t yours because otherwise, you would have to teach three animal species to get along instead of two.

Furthermore, dogs kill chickens, too. Thus, the best way to keep a cat away from chickens is to invest in quality fencing and cover the brooder.

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