Barn Cat Help

[DrakeMaiden]

I'm in the market for a barn cat. I know a lady who homes ferral cats as barn cats, so I think it will be easy enough to find a cat. However, I'd like to hear opinions and any advice you may have for training the cat to protect our ducks at night. We believe we have a weasel that is getting into our barn and there is no practical way to plug every hole in the duck pens. Right now one of our older cats is working the barn shift, but she is probably not best-suited, although she IS very gentle around the ducks.

 

[FarmerChick]

A cat can't handle a weasel. If anything, that weasel might eat the cat....it would kinda be a stand off in a way.

Cats don't protect well. They don't see life in that mode. If anything, a cat will catch mice and do that type of damage.

You know cats---they live for themselves!!! LOL

My barn cats are great rat catchers, snake catchers and good to have around in general but I do not ask much out of them at all...cause a cat usually won't be a protection device. They protect themselves and a weasel can be quite nasty.

No....the best line of defense is bury your fencing a bit. That helps. And set traps for that weasel. They are a sneaky critter for sure.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thanks for the feedback, FarmerChick. The trap is not working. I think we need bloodier bait.

Do weasels climb? I think they can climb trees. Otherwise I just see evidence of digging. One of our pens has a concrete floor and that is the only one I am keeping ducks in at night right now. But during the day, I can't keep the rest of the ducks (that don't get along with the ones in the main pen) confined elsewhere, so I am hoping the cat will deter the weasel during the day. :/ There isn't much we can do to fix the pens right now, because we are both working and taking an evening class. We have to tide over until the weekend.

I have heard that cats will kill weasels, but had not heard that weasels can attack full grown cats. Hmmmm . . . .

 

[FarmerChick]

yea I hear you--it is a constant battle to save the livestock from any predators out there.

oh yea weasels are rough!

google weasels and see just how nasty those suckers are..LOL---and google them to find the best way to trap them! there must be good weasel trap info out there.

feel for you having to combat them. they are not stupid either...hard to trap and such.

a cat might deter if it hangs around....problem with a cat is they wander. they like to do that. so a cat might be a good defense if he hangs around...most times they don't. so that weasel still could have the run of the place as the cat is off doing his cat thing.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Yeah, we read all about trapping them. My husband bought chicken hearts, but apparently they had no blood in them, as they are for human consumption? I read that liver should work. We haven't had a chance to look for liver.

We locked the cat in the duck pen that the weasel is getting into. Hopefully she will scare it and it won't try to attack her. :/ I hate to lock her up like that, but I just don't know what else to do right now.

 

[FarmerChick]

yea if you have the cat locked in with the ducks that should deter the weasel enough right now. the cat would love to sneak up on that weasel and do the cat stalking thing I am sure.

so hard isn't it? always fighting some problem....never easy..LOL

she should not get attacked. if it is trying to get in...and the cat is on the other side doing the cat thing, probably would be a good way to scare off the weasel....GO KITTY!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thank you, FarmerChick. I feel better now.

I guess I know what we will be doing this weekend.

 

[Blackbird]

I agree, cats are not good protecters. The most they would do, if that, is deter the predator. Our cats are actually friends with all the local skunks we try to get rid of.

We've always had a lot of cats and have still had weasel, fox, raccoon, coyote, owl, etc. attacks.

I actually, personally, add cats to the list predators. If a cat felt like it, it could take doen a full grown chicken or duck.

I'd choose wisely about this new feral barn cat when you get it.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Thanks Blackbird. I figured that integrating a barn cat would take time. All our other cats are very good around the ducks and they know not to mess with them. But I do think a new cat might try to take advantage.

 

[big brown horse]

(Sounds like you need a rat terrier!)

I don't have any experience with weasels, sept my ex husband. I do however have experience with ferral cats. I've had 3 in the past that were rehomed to my stable in Houston. (Houston rats are enormous.) All three were fantastic mousers and each finally befriended me enough for me to maintain their shots etc. They preferred to stay in the barn where the rats were too.

Despite what everyone told me, I also fed those kitties. It never stopped them from working. They even kept the pigeon population down.