Last updated: July 2026 • Reviewed by The Coop Score team
No, chicken wire does not stop predators. Raccoons can reach through its large diamond-shaped openings and pull chickens through or unlatch simple doors. Hardware cloth — welded wire mesh with small, rigid openings — is the minimum standard for a genuinely secure coop.
Why Chicken Wire Fails
Chicken wire is thin, twisted wire designed to keep chickens in, not to keep predators out. Its openings are typically 1-2 inches wide — plenty of room for a raccoon to reach through and grab a bird, or for a determined predator to simply bend or tear the thin wire strands. It was never engineered for predator resistance; it was engineered to be cheap and lightweight.
The Mesh Size and Gauge That Stops Predators
| Material | Opening Size | Predator Resistance |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken wire | 1-2 inch openings, flexible | Fails — raccoons reach through and can tear it |
| Hardware cloth (light) | 1-inch openings, 20-gauge | Weak — still allows small predator paws through |
| Hardware cloth (recommended) | 1/2-inch openings, 19-gauge or heavier | Stops raccoons, weasels, and most digging predators |
Where to Install It
- Every window, vent, and door opening — not just the main run fencing.
- Under the coop floor, if the coop is raised, to stop predators from tunneling up from below.
- As a buried or apron skirt extending at least 12 inches outward from the coop’s base, to stop digging predators like foxes.
- Double-check seams and corners — predators target the weakest joint, not the center of a mesh panel.
A small coop typically needs $30-50 worth of 1/2-inch, 19-gauge hardware cloth to fully upgrade every opening. See our Best Predator-Proof Chicken Coops guide for coops that already meet this standard out of the box, or Best Chicken Coops Under $300 if you’re budgeting for a coop plus this upgrade.