How to Predator-Proof a Chicken Coop and Run

Our buying guide already flags predator-proofing as the cost first-time keepers most often underestimate. This guide covers what that actually means: which predators to expect, how to tell them apart, and what genuinely stops each one.

Chicken wire isn't predator wire

This is worth knowing before you build anything: University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance is specific that the least weasel — the smallest living predator, weighing just 30 to 55 grams — can squeeze through a hole as small as 1/4 inch in diameter, and “consequently, they typically can get through chicken wire.” The same 1/4-inch threshold applies to snakes: an enclosure with gaps that small generally stops snake predation, since a snake has to fit both in and back out after eating. Standard chicken wire's hexagonal gaps are wider than that, so it's a barrier against larger predators only, not the smallest ones.

Reading what happened tells you what you're dealing with

University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance gives a genuinely useful diagnostic list, since the right fix depends on the actual predator:

• Adult birds missing, no other disturbance: a dog, coyote, fox, bobcat, hawk or owl — these can kill, carry off and eat a chicken with nothing left behind.
• Head missing, body left behind: often a raccoon, which can pull a bird's head through the wire of an enclosure and eat only that, sometimes working in pairs.
• Birds dead, not eaten, bloodied: likely a weasel, which often eats internal organs specifically.
• Eggs missing, opened at one end and drained: a skunk's signature, and skunks rarely carry eggs more than about a metre from the nest.
• Eggs simply gone, no shells left: possibly a snake, which swallows eggs whole.

Bury the fence, not just build it tall

University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance recommends burying hardware cloth at least 30.5cm (12 inches) into the ground around a run to stop diggers — a genuine requirement if birds have access to the run overnight, not something to skip because the visible fence looks secure. A predator that can dig under a fence doesn't care how tall the fence above ground is.

Aerial predators need a different defence

Hawks and owls are the two predator types ground-level fencing does nothing against. University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance recommends removing nearby perch sites the birds hunt from, housing the flock indoors at night (most flocks can be trained to come in at dusk if fed or watered indoors then), and, for persistent problems, a fully covered run — specifically orange netting, since hawks and owls see that colour well and are more likely to notice and avoid it rather than fly into it. Both hawks and owls are federally protected in the US, so exclusion is the only legal response, not trapping or shooting.

Electric fencing, if used, should stun rather than kill

For free-ranging flocks protected by a movable electric fence, University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance recommends setting it to stun rather than kill — safer for people, and more effective long-term, since a dead predator is quickly replaced by another one while a stunned one is more likely to simply learn to avoid the flock.

What this means for your setup

• Use welded wire or hardware cloth with gaps of 1/4-1/2 inch for any run predators have access to, not standard chicken wire, and check how much space a chicken needs to plan the run around a genuinely secure perimeter rather than retrofitting one later.
• Bury the fence line at least 12 inches, especially anywhere birds have night access to a run rather than being locked into a coop.
• Lock birds into a secure coop at night as the single most effective step against nocturnal predators — most of the species covered here hunt after dark.
• Budget predator-proofing as a real, specific line item using plan my setup, not an afterthought once the coop itself is built.

Source: University of Kentucky, Small and Backyard Poultry Extension (Dr. Jacquie Jacob), “Predator Management for Small and Backyard Poultry Flocks”: poultry.extension.org. Sources checked: September 2026.

Common questions

Does chicken wire actually keep predators out?

Not reliably. University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance notes that a least weasel can squeeze through a hole as small as 1/4 inch in diameter, and "consequently, they typically can get through chicken wire" — the wire's standard hexagonal gaps are simply too big to stop the smallest common predators.

How deep should I bury fencing around a chicken run?

University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance gives 30.5cm (12 inches) as the minimum depth to bury hardware cloth to deter diggers — if birds have access to the run at night, this is treated as a genuine requirement, not an optional extra.

What can identify which predator is attacking a flock?

The condition of the flock, according to University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance. Missing adult birds with no disturbance points to a dog, fox, bobcat, hawk or owl; a raccoon often pulls a bird's head through the wire and eats only that; a weasel typically leaves bodies bloodied with internal organs eaten; and eggs opened at one end and drained usually mean a skunk.

How do I protect free-ranging chickens from hawks and owls?

University of Kentucky poultry extension guidance recommends removing nearby perch sites the birds hunt from, housing the flock at night, and using a covered run for persistent aerial predators — orange netting specifically, since hawks and owls see that colour well and are more likely to notice and avoid it.