Fencing of some kind is essential around your coop and/or chicken yard to keep your chickens in and to keep pests and predators out. Pests (mice, rats, snakes, etc.) want your chickens’ dinner. Predators (dogs, raccoons, foxes, hawks, etc.) want your chickens for dinner. There are a several kinds of wire and fencing, and I’ll talk about a handful of them here:
Galvanized hardware cloth. This is the best material for enclosing a chicken coop or enclosed run. In particular, you want 1/2″ galvanized hardware cloth (usually 19 gauge). Smaller openings could be too brittle, and larger openings will not deter against rats or snakes. Hardware cloth comes in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-foot rolls—with 3′ and 4′ being the most common—and in roll lengths anywhere from 5, 25, 50 to 100 feet. The mesh is made by weaving or welding steel wires together, then hot-dipping it in zinc (galvanizing it) to protect it from rust. It’s a stiff product, but you can bend it by hand, cut it fairly easily with a pair of wire snips, and attach it to your frame or posts with 3/4″ galvanized poultry fencing staples (Avoid using staples from a staple gun. They can rust easily, and if/when they slip out, they will get pecked at.) Once bent into shape, hardware cloth holds its shape well.
Chicken wire. Maybe because of its name, this is what most people think to use first on their coops. It’s made of thin wire woven together to create hexagonal openings. It’s relatively cheap but rusts quickly. And while it will keep your chickens in, it won’t keep the raccoons out. . . . Chicken wire could work fine as a fence for a daytime yard, where you can keep a watchful eye on your chickens. Some people use this on the upper parts of their coops/enclosed runs to save money. Just keep in mind that if a rodent climbs up there, it too can get through the openings.
Chain link. This type of fencing is strong and easy to come by. It will keep chickens in and a dog out, but the hands and arms of a raccoon can reach through and cause a terrible scene. So make sure your chickens have a place to retreat too should they be threatened.
Rabbit wire fencing. This is a heavy-gauge welded wire fencing with 3- or 4-inch square or rectangular openings. It works well to provide added security when attached to the floor of a chicken ark or tractor, like The Garden Ark. Because of the larger openings, it keeps predators from entering from below, but lets the chickens graze and scratch at the ground more naturally. Like chain link, rabbit fencing could also work to border a daytime yard—there are variations just for this purpose that have narrower openings at the bottom of the fence and wider openings at the top.
Electric net fencing. Some farmers let their chickens free range by creating a wide perimeter of electric net fencing around their henhouse. You hook the fencing up to a portable power source, and it provides a shock to any creature that touches it, effectively keeping them on their side. If you have the space, this is an economical option for defining a large run and protecting from ground predators.
Basically, I’d suggest attaching 1/2″ hardware cloth to all open-air sides of your coop and enclosed run. Secure it so that there are no gaps larger than 1/2″, and bury it at least a foot. The other materials could come into play for the chickens’ daytime run.
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- Will hardware cloth rust if I bury it?
Thank you for the info. My dad was seriously losing sleep over this!!! I found it oh yeah he’s gonna be soooo jealous!!! Thanks a bunch!!!
Thanks for posting this. I am in the process of building a backyard coop and run, and I’m trying to weigh the pros/cons of all the types of wire, cost vs. durability, mostly.
You are right about the chicken wire. Last year we had a coon actually rip a hole in the chicken wire and destroy several of our best layers.
Do you have any advice about the PVC hardware cloth? It is much cheaper and lighter, and I was wondering if it is any good at keeping the chickens safe.
Melody, there are a couple things you might be referring to. The first possibility is simply a plastic mesh or netting. This may be good for keeping small birds away from your chickens’ feed or keeping your hens from flying out of an area, but it is worthless at keeping predators out. A raccoon can chew right through it.
The second possibility is PVC- or vinyl-coated hardware cloth. This is galvanized welded-wire mesh that is then coated in vinyl. It is quite strong and, because of the added vinyl coating, should hold up even longer than uncoated galvanized hardware cloth. Though pricey, it is fine option for keeping your chickens safe inside a chicken coop or run. I recommend 1/2″ x 1/2″ openings (13 x 13 mm), 19 gauge or heavier.
Hello, thanks for the information. Sadly we already covered our entire coop in chicken wire, including ran it all underneath the coop and covered it with dirt. We have decided to add the hardware cloth so we can keep out rodents. What we are wondering is if we need to bury the hardware cloth down a foot as recommended above considering we have the chicken wire all the down and around. We are hoping you will tell us it will be okay to just put the hardware mesh above ground and fearing you will tell us to bury it!
Thanks so much.
Rats can tunnel into your chicken coop, and the chicken wire you have now is little deterrent. You can either trench and bury the hardware cloth or bring it down from the walls and out in skirt around the chicken coop, about 2 feet wide on all sides, and stake it down above ground. Let grass grow up through it or add mulch on top. Tunneling predators or pests have to start so far back to be able to dig down, they just give up. Hope this helps.
I used hardware cloth wire. A little pricey, but worth the money. Easy to install, very durable.
sweet! totally rocks!