[Ag-eq] Chicken Killer

Thu Oct 17 02:59:42 UTC 2013

Susan:

Would your husband be comfortable shooting the ones you don't want?

I don't like the idea of shooting them, but there's really no good answer.  I
would rather have them shot than to have them keep reproducing.

One of my neighbors had several cats that were not fixed and of course they had
lots of off spring.  The coyotes have taken care of most of them now.

I hope you figure out a way to take care of the problem.

Nella

Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:

> Yes, there are programs like that around here along with a waiting list
> since they only take in one trapping a month and that could be several
> months for a location.  My biggest problem with this program is that they
> trap, fix and then release them back to the same area.  I do not want 50 to
> 75% of these cats back!  The only way this might work is to capture a few at
> a time, picking from the small number captured the ones we want, getting
> them fixed and taking the ones we don't and telling them they are farel
> strays and don't belong to me.  I have been told that one of my neighbors
> have taken 8 farel cats that have been pushed out of this group, had them
> fixed and found homes for them.  I can't have neighbors doing that and then
> possibly turning to me and complaining that they have to take care of my
> cats and want compinsation.  These are not my cats and I have been told that
> outside cats will roam as far as 1 mile as long as they are finding easy to
> get food.
>
> When the outside cats were being fed by my uncle ever since March 99, he
> would put hot water on dry cat food in order to fill a good sized bucket and
> then just dump the food out onto long boards and they just helpped
> themselves.  Well, needless to say, he was feeding more than just our cats,
> half the neighbor cats and a few wild critters as well.  When he had to go
> in the hospital, we'd do the feding for him and it was the most creepyest
> thing I had ever done.  It was like the cat version of the movie "The
> Birds".  They wouldn't come close to you, but they wanted that food, so as
> you put the sloppy food down, they would dart up, grab a bite and then dart
> back, about 5 feet away from me until I stepped away from the food.  They
> would not make a sound except for their feet on the gravel which sounded so
> wierd all around me.  Matt stood back and kept an eye on them and he said it
> almost felt like they were watching you and debating on which would be
> easier, the sloppy food on the ground or me.
>
> They have been thinned way out since then because right after my uncle
> passed away, a vet told us to stop feeding them and those that didn't truely
> reside on the farm would leave.  It work, however, we have one female who we
> call Gizzy or sico kitty and she decided she would just feast on the 5 month
> old kittens.  She is not called sico for nothing and I made them start
> feeding the cats again.  I couldn't stomach that.
>
> This time, we moved their feeding location across the proberty to our barn,
> fed them only once a day with dry food and only fed them enough that they
> would finish it within 10 minutes.  That worked well until the past couple
> of years we had 3 or 4 big toms show up from about April to October.  We
> didn't feed them and they were always chased away from the barn.  They had
> become bold enough that they had started bullying less dominent cats.  No,
> no, that wasn't happening either.  Now my cat program will start November,
> trap, sort, fix or boot!
>
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
> To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 11:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Chicken Killer
>
>
> >
> >
> > Susan:
> >
> > There are several feral cat trap, alter and release programs around the
> > country.
> > Try asking your vet, local animal control or animal rescue groups in the
> > area.
> > I used one here in Phoenix.  I trapped 3 cats, 2 were spayed and 1 was
> > nuetered.
> > It was quite inexpensive to have it done.
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> > Nella
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting Susan Roe <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>:
> >
> >> We haven't seen the orange cat since we've been putting the hens up, but
> >> I'm
> >> sure he has not gone on yet.  We are pretty watchful during evening
> >> feeding
> >> time that none of the roaming cats eat with our barn cats.  Now that Matt
> >> is
> >> home, the hens will be put together where they will be the safest in coop
> >> 1.
> >> Little Hen, my oldest, won't be too happy with 3 other hens in her
> >> private
> >> coop, but she will get them all straight.
> >>
> >> I've decided to start trapping the cats a few at a time and sorting out
> >> which ones we are going to fix and keep and which ones will be leaving
> >> and
> >> not returning.  I'll have to call around and see what will be charged for
> >> fixing the ones we want to keep.
> >>
> >> Susan
> >> dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Jewel" <jewelblanch at kinect.co.nz>
> >> To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 4:22 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Chicken Killer
> >>
> >>
> >> > Susan!  can you get hold of a trap cage from your local game and
> >> > fishery
> >> > department and bait it and,
> >> > hopefully, the feral cat will walk in, and then you can have him shot
> >> > or
> >> > destroyed by a  vet but why
> >> > spend more money on the gbastard?  he has cost you enough already!.
> >> > The bleeding heart brigade would throw their hands up in violent
> >> > protest
> >> > about killing the darling
> >> > creature, but they would take quite a different view if it was their
> >> > animals that it was tearing to
> >> > pieces!
> >> > I have every sympathy for the feral as it is only doing what a wild
> >> > animal
> >> > has to do:  that is:
> >> > hunting for its food, and in your captive chooks, he has found a source
> >> > of
> >> > easy victims, but those
> >> > captive chooks are in your care so they must be protected as they
> >> > cannot
> >> > fly out of harm's way;
> >> > therefore,  either the prey goes, or the predator, and if you don't
> >> > take
> >> > vigorous action soon, it is
> >> > going to be the former.
> >> >
> >> >        Jewel
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --------------------------------------------------
> >> > From: "Susan Roe" <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net>
> >> > Sent: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 8:16 AM
> >> > To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> >> > Subject: [Ag-eq] Chicken Killer
> >> >
> >> > Well, we definitely have uncovered our chicken killer.  Not a fox, but
> >> > a
> >> > large farel yellow tom that
> >> > comes around from spring to fall, spreading his seed and then leaves.
> >> > He
> >> > does not get fed with our
> >> > cats along with a few other roaming toms, so he has just decided to
> >> > start
> >> > helping himself.  In the
> >> > past month, he has killed 7 hens and my last rooster.  Him killing the
> >> > rooster is what gave him
> >> > away.  That night, he got into coop 3 and tore a hen to pieces.  The
> >> > rooster didn't go so quietly,
> >> > he died fighting and it was the marks he left on the cat that gave him
> >> > away.  The last hen that was
> >> > taken was on Friday morning about 5:30 a.m. and I heard it when it
> >> > happened.  When my sister went to
> >> > check a bit later, he had for the first time actually gotten the hen
> >> > out
> >> > of the coop, through the
> >> > hen yard and outside their enclosure.  When my sister turned the corner
> >> > behind coops 2 and 3, he was
> >> > pulling feathers out so he could feed.  He didn't run away from her
> >> > when
> >> > she approached, just
> >> > stood up and slowly walked away like he was telling you he'd be back
> >> > for
> >> > more later when he got
> >> > hungry again.
> >> >
> >> > I am now down to only 4 hens, 2 buffs, 1 bard and my one loan black hen
> >> > who is my oldest.  We've
> >> > even had to stop selling eggs.  My husband is coming home from Seattle
> >> > tonight and we are going to
> >> > put the 4 hens in coop 1 where nothing has been able to get in and we
> >> > will
> >> > continue to shut up the
> >> > coop at night.  Coop 2 and 3 will now have to go through a total strip
> >> > down to make it cat proof and
> >> > figure out a way so nothing can dig down under the coops to get to the
> >> > main yards.  All hens will
> >> > now have to be put up at night for added security.
> >> >
> >> > I will really have to get the two flocks of hens next year, 25 hens
> >> > each
> >> > and a rooster for each
> >> > coop.  I think Rhode Island Reds are going to be my choices, large
> >> > brown
> >> > egg laying hens and the
> >> > roosters are extremely protective.  I know without a shadow of a doubt,
> >> > that if I still had Big Red,
> >> > a Rhode Island Red rooster, the cat may have come in, but he wouldn't
> >> > be
> >> > leaving alive.
> >> >
> >> > Susan
> >> > dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
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