Predator-proofing, as numbers rather than adjectives

Predator loss is the most common way a first flock ends, and it almost never happens the way people expect. It is not a dramatic break-in. It is a raccoon reaching through a two-inch mesh aperture, a rat tunneling under a run wall, or a coop door that was never latched with anything a paw could not work.

The good news is that this is an engineering problem with three known answers, and all three are cheap relative to the coop. The bad news is that no coop in this category arrives with all three, and most arrive with none.

Weak point one: the mesh

Chicken wire is a containment product. It is thin, it is woven rather than welded, and its hexagonal apertures are typically an inch or larger. It keeps chickens where they are, which is what it was designed for. It does not exclude a raccoon, which can tear it, and it does not exclude a weasel or a rat, which can pass straight through.

Half-inch hardware cloth is welded rather than woven, comes in 19 or 23 gauge in the useful sizes, and its aperture excludes anything larger than a mouse. It is the single most important purchase in coop security and it is what the whole of hardware cloth against chicken wire is about.

Weak point two: the latch

Raccoons have dexterous forepaws and they are patient. A simple hook-and-eye, a spring clip or a turn button is a puzzle they solve. What they do not solve reliably is a fastening that needs two different motions at once, or one secured with a carabiner or a padlock through a hasp. That is the whole of the latch problem, and it is covered in detail here.

Weak point three: the ground

Foxes, dogs, skunks and rats dig. A run wall that stops at ground level is a wall with a door under it. The two answers are a buried perimeter, which is hard work, and a wire apron - hardware cloth laid flat on the ground extending outward about 12 inches from the wall and pinned down. The apron is easier, works at least as well, and disappears into the turf within a season. Digging predators has the method.

What comes for each predator

• Raccoon - reaches through mesh, works latches, climbs well. Beaten by half-inch cloth and a two-motion fastening. See raccoon-proofing a coop.
• Fox and loose dog - dig at the perimeter, and push at weak panels. Beaten by an apron and by solid framing.
• Weasel and mink - pass through anything larger than about an inch, including welded mesh sold as secure. Beaten by half-inch cloth, and only by that.
• Rat - tunnels under, and comes for feed rather than birds, but will take chicks and eggs. Beaten by an apron plus removing spilled feed at night.
• Hawk and owl - take birds from an uncovered run in daylight. Beaten by a covered run or netting overhead.
• Snake - takes eggs and chicks through small gaps. Half-inch cloth stops most; quarter-inch stops the rest.

Products that actually fix these

Top pick · The single most important predator purchase

Amagabeli 1/2" Hardware Cloth, 48in x 100ft

Half-inch aperture, 19 gauge, hot-dipped galvanized after welding. This is the specification that actually keeps raccoons out.

What the numbers say

The manufacturer does not publish the dimensions this calculation needs, so we do not print a number.

Figures from Amagabeli published specifications (Amazon listing)

Half-inch aperture is the number that matters. A raccoon can reach through 1in mesh and a weasel walks through 1in chicken wire; half-inch stops both.

Galvanized AFTER welding, not before, is the second specification to check. Welding burns the coating off, so mesh galvanized beforehand rusts at every joint - which is exactly where it needs to hold.

19 gauge is the practical minimum for a coop perimeter. Thinner mesh sold as hardware cloth exists and bends open by hand.

Good

• Half-inch aperture excludes raccoons and weasels
• Hot-dipped galvanized after welding, so joints do not rust first
• 48in width covers most run walls in a single run

Not so good

• Cutting it is hard on the hands and on your snips
• 100ft is more than a small coop needs
• Edges are sharp and need capping or folding

Skip this if: only if you already have half-inch hardware cloth. Do not substitute chicken wire - it is a containment material, not a security one.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded

Pick 2 · A latch a raccoon cannot work

Alise 4in Slide Bolt Latch with Padlock Hole

A slide bolt with a padlock hole. The padlock hole is the whole point - raccoons defeat simple bolts.

What the numbers say

The manufacturer does not publish the dimensions this calculation needs, so we do not print a number.

Figures from Alise published specifications (Amazon listing)

Raccoons have functional thumbs and genuinely do open simple slide bolts, hook-and-eyes and turn buttons. This is the most commonly underestimated failure point on a coop.

The padlock hole is what upgrades this from a catch to a lock. A carabiner through it is enough; it does not need an actual padlock.

Fit two on a large door - top and bottom - so the door cannot be flexed open at a corner.

Good

• Padlock hole defeats the raccoon problem
• Works with a carabiner, no key needed
• Steel construction rather than cast zinc

Not so good

• Needs a second one for a tall door
• Requires accurate fitting to slide freely after weathering
• Black finish will need touching up where it is scratched

Skip this if: your coop door already takes a padlock or a two-step latch. Otherwise this is the cheapest meaningful security upgrade you can make.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded

Pick 3 · Aprons, skirts and patching

Gbekery 1/2" Hardware Cloth, 16in x 25ft

Same half-inch, 19-gauge, galvanized-after-welding specification in a narrow roll - the right shape for a buried apron.

What the numbers say

The manufacturer does not publish the dimensions this calculation needs, so we do not print a number.

Figures from Gbekery published specifications (Amazon listing)

A 16in width is awkward for walls and ideal for a predator apron: laid flat around the base of a run, it is exactly the skirt that stops digging.

Same specification that matters as the wide roll - half-inch aperture, 19 gauge, galvanized after welding.

25ft covers the perimeter of a small run without buying 100ft you will not use.

Good

• Right width for an apron or skirt
• Same protective specification as the wide roll
• Sensible quantity for a small coop

Not so good

• Too narrow to sheet a run wall efficiently
• 25ft goes quickly on anything large
• Still needs pinning down or burying

Skip this if: you are sheeting walls. Buy the 48in roll for that and use this width for the ground apron.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · how this is funded

Where to go next

• Coops that are closest to secure out of the box
• Hardware cloth against chicken wire - gauge, aperture and how much you need
• Latches a raccoon cannot open
• How to predator-proof a coop, step by step