[Kel of the Kirk clan]

Hi new to both the site and chooks and some advice is needed please !  
we are currently converting an old kennel and run which we haven't used only moved in, in august and our dog doesn't like kennels!! and i was wondering do cats tend to bother chooks only we have alot of them in our street and I was hoping to be able to let the girls out during the day??  Also can anyone recommend a cleaning agent for wood to get it all cleaned up before they arrive in a couple of weeks or so hopefully!!  Or are ex batts quite resilient to a bit of muck?

any reading fodder to recommend also?

Thanks for any advice it's appreciated, only we are excited the children, hubby and myself that I want everything to be right!!  

Thanks

[Vember]

Hi Kel

Welcome to the Hen House

I don't think you can go far wrong than a good scrub down with Jeyes fluid for cleaning the coop as you haven't got any hens yet it's got time to dry out before you get them

I have 6 cats not one bothers with my birds - although they get very interested in spring when I have chicks

Might be an idea to read through Bodgers post here :
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=19629
Gives a lot of info on first time chicken keeping, things to look out for when purchasing hens etc...


Sarah

[Kate and her Ducks]

My cats have never bothered my ducks at all (if anything it is the other way round). One of them is even scared of the day old ducklings but I wouldn't count on that being the case for normal cats!

[Jane-M]

I have two big tomcats, both  keen hunters, one takes rabbits up to full size and although he did have a little chase of the birds when they first arrived it was not a serious attempt to catch them and the novelty wore off after a couple of weeks. The noise of a scared hen in flight was quite a deterrent. 'tother one is completely uninterested in them unless they have bread crusts for him to steal. Next door cat ignores them completely and strolls through their enclosure happily. The giant semi feral tom that calls at our house to nick food totally ignores them also.

[andreadon]

the book i use most is
choosing and keeping chickens by chris graham 9780600614388

there are loads of other books out there, one of my other favourites is
living with chickens by jay rossier 9780715321980.  this ones very good if you skip the chapter on butchering your meat birds (it's a bit graphic)

and you can't go wrong by checking these pages every day!

[freda]

I have two cats (great ratters!) and initially we thought the chickens might be dinner! However, they sorted the cats out and now the pecking order is established and Dotty has even been honoured with sleeping in the coop on a cold day! Keeps any passing vermin out, eggs warm but the cat stinks!!

Have fun and enjoy your lovely girls! Spoil them with love and tit bits and they'll spoil you with funny moments!
P.s. the book by Chris Graham is EXCELLENT - I borrowed it from the library and read it cover-cover several times before getting my girls.