Predator Proofing: Hardware Cloth vs Chicken Wire

Cornell Cooperative Extension puts it bluntly: predation is the most common cause of mortality in small poultry flocks. Raccoons, foxes, coyotes, weasels, mink, opossums, skunks, rats, snakes, hawks, owls and neighborhood dogs all show up in extension lists of chicken predators. The material you wrap the coop and run in is the first line of defense, and the most common shortcut, chicken wire, is the one extension specialists warn against.

Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not predators out

Chicken wire is thin, twisted hexagonal mesh. It is light, cheap and easy to bend, which is exactly the problem: a determined raccoon or dog can tear it, and small predators can reach or squeeze through the openings.

The University of Kentucky's housing guide (AEN-161) recommends hardware cloth or welded wire with sufficient spacing, for example 1/2 inch, to deter predators, and specifically not chicken wire. A UC Cooperative Extension presentation on layer coop design says to use nothing less strong than hardware cloth, and that exposed openings on coops set on the ground should not exceed 1/2 inch.

Hardware cloth: what to buy

Hardware cloth is welded or woven steel mesh with square openings, usually galvanized. For coops:

• 1/2 inch openings for windows, vents, the run walls and the buried apron. This is the size Kentucky and UC extension name.
• 1/4 inch openings where snakes or rodents are the threat. Kentucky's predator guide (ID-245) notes that gaps of 1/4 inch or smaller are too small to allow snake predation. Purdue Extension notes that mesh should be small enough to keep out mink and weasels.

Fasten it with screws and washers or with fence staples close together, not with a few staples at the corners. A gap at the edge is as good as no mesh.

Stop the diggers: bury it or add an apron

Foxes, coyotes, dogs and rats dig. Extension guidance on how deep to go:

CoopSizer's cost estimate includes a 12 inch strip of mesh around the run perimeter, matching the deeper Virginia and Kentucky guidance. Turning the bottom of the mesh outward, as Virginia suggests, means a digging animal hits wire when it starts at the fence line.

Under the coop itself, Utah State suggests heavy gauge wire mesh beneath the subflooring. Oregon State recommends raising the coop at least 1 foot off the ground as part of its predator protection advice.

Cover the top

Hawks and owls come from above, and raccoons climb. Options from extension sources:

• Virginia: a grid of mesh or twine 3 to 4 feet over the pen.
• Oregon State: netting or wire over the top of the run.
• Kentucky (ID-245): orange netting, since hawks and owls see orange well. Keep it secure, because hawks can get in through loose spots. Removing perches within 100 yards of the flock also helps.

Netting stops birds of prey but not climbers. If raccoons are common where you live, a mesh top on the run, or locking the birds in the coop every night, matters more.

Lock the coop every night

No mesh helps if the door is open. Kentucky's predator guide says to roost birds in a secure place overnight, close and lock all the doors of the roosting area, and remove all feed from the run at night. Most birds can be trained to go in at dusk if you feed or water them inside. Cornell adds that the best defense against owls is to have birds inside covered areas at night and in the early morning.

Raccoons have nimble hands, so choose latches that take more than a single push or lift to open, and check them every evening. Penn State says to make sure predators cannot get into the coop and to close birds in securely at night.

Seal the small gaps

Utah State notes that small rodents can get in through holes the size of a nickel or a quarter. Walk around the coop and look for gaps at the floor line, under the eaves, around doors and where the roof meets the walls. Cover them with hardware cloth or fill them.

Reading the signs

Kentucky's ID-245 includes a table of predator signs. A few of them:

• Adult birds missing, no other disturbance: dogs, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, hawks or owls.
• Birds killed but not eaten, often bloodied: weasels or mink.
• Birds dead with heads missing: raccoons, hawks or owls.
• Eggs gone with no trace: snakes.
• Eggs eaten, shells left: skunks, rats, opossums, raccoons, jays or crows.

If you lose birds, the sign tells you where to reinforce first: the floor and apron for diggers, the top for birds of prey, the latches and small gaps for raccoons, weasels and snakes.

Electric fencing

Virginia suggests an electric wire about 4 inches off the ground and 1 foot out from the main fence. Kentucky says electric fencing should stun rather than kill. Cornell's predator article calls electric netting very effective for pasture flocks, against everything except hawks.

Checklist

1. 1/2 in hardware cloth on every window, vent and run wall. No chicken wire as a barrier.
2. 1/4 in mesh where snakes are a problem.
3. Mesh buried at least 12 in, or an apron turned outward.
4. A top on the run: mesh, or netting where only birds of prey are a concern.
5. Raccoon-proof latches on every door and nest box lid.
6. Birds locked in every night, feed removed from the run.
7. Gaps the size of a nickel sealed.

The coop calculator includes the mesh for the run walls, apron, top and vents in its materials estimate. See how that adds up in how much a DIY coop costs.

Frequently asked questions

Is chicken wire enough to keep predators out?

No. Chicken wire keeps chickens in but is not a predator barrier. The University of Kentucky recommends hardware cloth or welded wire with openings of about 1/2 inch instead of chicken wire.

What size hardware cloth should I use?

1/2 inch openings for coop windows, vents and runs. A UC Cooperative Extension presentation says exposed openings near the ground should not exceed 1/2 inch, and Kentucky notes that only gaps of 1/4 inch or smaller stop snakes.

How deep should I bury the fence around a run?

At least 12 inches, per Virginia Cooperative Extension and the University of Kentucky. Virginia also suggests turning the buried wire outward about 6 inches.

What is the single most important predator habit?

Shut the birds in a locked coop every night before dark. Kentucky and Cornell extension both put night lockup first.