Funny Thing About Cats and Chickens

When David commented about Mel and the chickens getting along it reminded me of a story Alan recently told me.

Alan and Ani have been adopted by a stray cat. They call him Mel. Mel is a young, but large, yellow cat. (Herman and Mel pictured to the left) Earlier this summer Mel was very curious about Alan's newly hatched chicks in a not so friendly way. He was thinking they looked like a pretty tasty snack. So Alan went about the task of keeping him out of the chicken coop and protecting the chicks. Time passed and the chicks began growing up.

As the chicks grew Mel showed less and less interest in them, (nearly grown chickens are not nearly as tempting as little new born chicks - probably because they fight back!). So Alan stopped paying such close attention to Mel and his activities with the chickens. Then, just a week or so ago, Alan went into his freshly cleaned coop to collect eggs. There, laying all stretched out a-top the nesting boxes, was Mel. Just below him in the nesting box was a hen going about her business of laying an egg. What a site! (chickens and Mel pictured above) Alan got a big kick out of it and from what I gather the new found friendship between cat and chickens continues.

I know my cats gained a healthy respect of chickens from the get-go. My chickens had no problem putting the cats in their place if they even looked at the chicks they were tending, (and I'm talking hen screeching, fur flying action!). My cats now visit the coop regularly but only to scout out mice or to find a warm corner to snooze in. While they will catch wild birds, (the evidence is everywhere), they do not bother the chickens. They actually hang out together. (rooster, Peaches and Winslow pictured below) It is like the cats know that the chickens are part of their community and are supposed to be here so they make the best of it. I imagine they tell each other, "Why fight 'em when we can join 'em?" I'm not sure what benefit it is to the cats or the chickens but they seem to co-habitate in peace. Funny thing, isn't it? . TTFN :)

Egg Production - The Final Decision

Well, I may never know exactly how light and dark effect egg production, but I am satisfied that hours of darkness do play a significant roll. Alan may have put it best when he simply said in an email to me that, "What this means is that you can't leave the light on all night. They need a period of darkness." Well Alan, the experts agree with you!


A group of scientist went so far as to put one group of chickens under strobe lights, another under constant light, and yet another in darkness. While they decided that chickens lay best when they have 14 hours or more of light a day they also determined that without a period of darkness their egg production actually dropped. So folks, I am satisfied now that darkness plays a role in stimulating egg production, (although there are many other factors!). I thank you all for sharing in my dilemma. It was great getting your comments and it was fun to see how much everyone had to say about such a simple subject. Love you all! TTFN :)

How Does Light Effect Egg Production?

It is not uncommon for egg production to go down as the nights get longer and the weather gets colder. Any chicken farmer will tell you to leave a light on to increase egg production in the winter. I once mentioned this to my friend John. I told him that in my experience it really does make a difference. What he said next has me bewildered.

John said that when he was studying agriculture he was taught that it isn't the daylight hours that is responsible for growth and production but rather the dark hours of the night. WHAT!? He tried to explain to me that growth and production was stimulated not by longer daylight hours but by short, dark periods. WHAT!? I think that is kind of like saying, "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" Maybe someone who is smarter than I am can explain this to me. Please comment and thanks :)