[MikeM]

like some of the others have said, most domestic moggies generally won't mess with full grown hens (our hunting mad cat has always shown an interest in them, but the hens show her very short shrift). But she happily takes pigeons, so I can see bantams being at risk. Your ragged eared scrapper of a feral cat on the other hand is a much more desperate and canny operator. I'm sure they will take a full sized hen if the opportunity presents.

[cloddopper]

Our mog OSCAR was a big cat who weighed 10 pound plus and there wasn't a bit of fat on him .  He managed to drag full grown partridges , pheasants rabbits young and older , mice , rats and bloody big rats through the cat flap into the sun lounge.
In the mornings if he wasn't home we would whistle to call him and hear him meow back and then see him coming up the single track road with any of the above in his chops usually with their legs and head dragging on the road either side of his head .

He was wary of Leopold the goose but not bothered about or by Rasputin the goat , so I reckon if he was hungry he would have snaffled one of Pauls chooks if he'd left them out and the foxes hadn't got to them first .

 One time before we moved out to the sticks ....Around lunch time we saw him take a flying leap over the fence ,. take two bounds across next door's lawn and see him launch himself over another  four foot chain link fence to land vertically on the wire of old Bills budgie aviary,  then hang there for a while looking at the budgies whilst pawing towards them before we managed to call him back .

[HesterF]

I've got two big hunting cats too - both 12 or 13lb of pretty solid muscle. One loves rabbit hunting and will happily bring in full sized rabbits, the other brings in pigeons and magpies on a regular basis. They both, however, steer well clear of the LF poultry. One did take a chick last year and looked mighty proud of himself  . Having said that, I'm sure they would be capable of taking an isolated adult hen who didn't have a cockerel close by to protect them - but they would have to be very hungry and desperate.

[chrismahon]

Cats have always bothered me Badger. Our little Bantams I think would stand little chance against a standard domestic cat. Our Wyandotte large fowl encountered one yesterday and all just stood upright and stared at it. The cat ran off, but I have no doubt that the chickens would have attacked it if it came any closer- they see them off as a group and I have witnessed it several times in the UK.


However a feral cat will be a whole different issue. They are hunting to survive and I can easily see one taking a chicken. I would treat them in the same way as mink and foxes.

[northfifeduckling]

Not in my experience or in anyone else's I know who owns both cats and hens. All my neighbours do and even the local cat sanctuary owns hens to raise funds through eggs. I'd say it's not likely a cat it the killer of your hens. 

[kipper]

Hi there from my experience I have 2 Feral cats that catch and eat the Rabbits,pigeons and smaller birds but never looked near my hens.Last year i had a problem with my fencing and the hens and ducks were wandering around and the cats stayed well clear

[Marches Farmer]

We had a couple of British Shorthair neutered toms that caught squirrels, rabbits, moorhens and wood pigeons (they pulled one of them in through the cat flap - kitchen was covered in feathers).  They also cornered a stoat on one occasion.  They're the reason we no longer keep cats - we keep wildlife alive instead!

[Badger]

Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to reply. Caught the cat this morning, but somehow he squeezed out of the trap before we got there. I am going to make an alteration to the trap to make it harder for a  captive to escape. We still feel, that this cat anyway is not the culprit....but we could be wrong. Will keep you posted of any developments.


Badger

[JEP]

there was a cat that would come around and killed some of are hens killed a large marrans cock