Chicken wire keeps chickens in, but it does not keep predators out. For real protection, use ½-inch PVC-coated hardware cloth on the run and windows, with a 2-foot dig-proof skirt around the base. That is what we put on every coop we build.
Here is why the difference matters, and why the skirt is just as important as the mesh.
Why chicken wire fails
Chicken wire was made to fence birds in. It was never meant to hold predators out. The wire is thin and only twisted together, not welded, so it pulls apart. The hexagon holes are wide enough for a raccoon to reach a full arm through and grab a bird against the mesh.
In practice:
- Raccoons pull it open or reach through it
- Foxes and coyotes chew and bend it
- Weasels slip through the gaps
- Snakes and rats get through 1-inch wire for eggs and chicks
That is why so many store-bought coops fail. They ship with chicken wire, and they rarely have anything to stop digging.
What hardware cloth does differently
Half-inch hardware cloth is a heavier gauge and welded at every crossing, with ½-inch square openings. Compared side by side:
- Construction: chicken wire is thin and twisted; hardware cloth is heavier and welded
- Hole size: chicken wire runs 1 to 2 inch hexagons; hardware cloth is ½-inch squares
- Reach-through: chicken wire allows it; hardware cloth stops it
- Chewing and tearing: chicken wire gives way; hardware cloth resists it
We use PVC-coated hardware cloth, which also resists rust. It goes on every run and every window we build. We never use chicken wire.
Why the skirt matters
Great mesh on the walls does not help if a fox can simply dig under it. That is where the skirt comes in.
A predator skirt is a 2-foot-wide apron of hardware cloth laid flat at ground level around the entire perimeter of the coop and run. When a fox or coyote starts digging at the wall, it hits wire. It cannot tunnel through, so it gives up.
You do not have to bury it. A skirt laid flat on the ground works as well as a buried one. We can bury it if you prefer, but most of our customers do their own landscaping over it. Rock gardens and mulch beds over the skirt are a popular look, and the protection is the same either way.
The other layers
Mesh and a skirt are the two biggest pieces, but a predator-proof coop has a few more layers:
- Latches a raccoon cannot open. Raccoons work simple hook and slide latches. Spring-loaded or two-step latches stop them.
- A covered run. An open run is easy pickings for hawks and owls. A solid roof or overhead cover closes the top.
- Sealed gaps. Weasels can fit through an inch. Every window and vent gets hardware cloth, and gaps around doors and the roofline get closed.
Of all the predators we deal with, raccoons worry us most. Hawks circle first, foxes scope things out, and bears usually go for the garbage can before the chickens. Raccoons give no warning. Our guide to predator-proofing a coop in NJ covers each predator in more detail.
An honest note
We do not guarantee any coop is predator-proof. Wildlife is unpredictable, and a hungry, determined predator will keep trying. What we can do is build every layer of defense in, so your coop is a much harder target than everything around it.
Read more in is chicken wire predator-proof, or get a quote on a coop built with every layer standard.