More backyard flocks are lost to predators than to anything else, and almost always to the same avoidable gaps. Predator-proofing isn’t the glamorous part of coop building — it’s the part that decides whether your birds are alive next month.
A couple of links below are affiliate links (disclosure) — we only point to gear we’d genuinely suggest, at no extra cost to you.
Size the run first
Give each standard bird 8–10 sq ft in the run as a minimum — more is always better, and crowded runs turn to mud and trigger feather-picking. A bored, cramped flock is an unhealthy flock. If a covered run isn’t big enough, supervised free-ranging time helps.
The one rule everyone gets wrong: skip the chicken wire
“Chicken wire” sounds like the obvious material — and it’s the classic, costly mistake. It’s built to contain chickens, not exclude predators. Raccoons reach through it and pull birds apart; weasels and rats squeeze through the hexagonal gaps.
Use ½-inch galvanized hardware cloth anywhere a predator could reach — run walls, vents, and windows. It costs more, but it’s the single highest-value upgrade you can make.
Close the three classic gaps
- Digging (foxes, dogs, raccoons). Bury hardware cloth ~12 inches down around the perimeter, or lay a ground-level “apron” extending 12–18 inches outward. Diggers hit it and quit.
- Climbing & reaching (raccoons). Cover the run top, and never rely on a simple latch — raccoons have nimble hands and open them easily. Use locking latches, carabiners, or barrel bolts.
- From above (hawks, owls). A solid or netted roof stops aerial predators and doubles as weather protection.
Lock up at dusk
Most predators hunt at night. Closing birds into a hardware-cloth-secured coop at dusk — manually or with an automatic pop door — removes the majority of the risk. Pair a secure coop with a properly proofed run and you’ve defended against nearly everything that hunts a backyard flock.
Common questions
- Is chicken wire or hardware cloth better for predator-proofing?
- Hardware cloth, every time. Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in, not predators out — raccoons can reach through it and tear it, and weasels slip through the gaps. Use half-inch galvanized hardware cloth for any opening a predator could exploit.
- How do I stop predators digging under the run?
- Add a dig barrier: either bury hardware cloth about 12 inches down around the perimeter, or lay a horizontal 'apron' of hardware cloth extending 12–18 inches outward at ground level. Diggers hit the apron and give up.
- Does a chicken run need a roof or cover?
- Yes, if you can — an open-topped run is vulnerable to hawks and owls by day and climbing predators like raccoons by night. A solid roof, wire mesh top, or aviary netting closes the biggest gap most keepers miss.