Every backyard chicken keeper eventually meets a predator. The question is not whether but when, and how prepared the coop is when it happens. A flock that takes ten months to build up, source heritage breeds, and reach laying age can be wiped out in one night by a single raccoon or fox. This guide walks through the major predator categories, the attack patterns each uses, and the coop and run hardening that stops them. The single highest-leverage decision is the hardware cloth rule, but it is one of many.
The hardware cloth rule
Use 1/2 inch (or 1/4 inch) galvanized hardware cloth, not chicken wire, anywhere a predator could push, pull, chew, reach through, or stretch the material.
Hardware cloth specs:
- 1/2 inch mesh for walls, vents, and run sides.
- 1/4 inch mesh for snake and rat exclusion in high-risk areas.
- 19-gauge or thicker wire.
- Galvanized (preferably hot-dip galvanized, not electro-galvanized) for outdoor life.
- Stainless steel for permanent saltwater-air installations.
Where to use it:
- All windows and vent openings (predators reach through 1-inch gaps).
- Run walls top to bottom.
- Buried 12 inches deep around the perimeter, or laid 12 to 18 inches outward as a ground apron.
- Reinforcement on the inside of any wood door, where a raccoon would chew through plywood.
- Under floor-level gaps in older coop conversions.
What chicken wire is for:
- Keeping chickens contained inside a yard space.
- Not for predator exclusion.
Chicken wire is hexagonal poultry netting designed to be flexible and lightweight. Raccoons can stretch the mesh, dogs and coyotes can chew through it, weasels can squeeze through 1-inch gaps. It has its uses (separating sections within a flock, temporary tractoring), but it is not a security material.
Raccoons: the primary threat in most regions
In North America east of the Rockies, raccoons account for the largest share of backyard chicken losses. They are dexterous, persistent, and intelligent.
Attack pattern:
- Investigates a new coop for several nights without attacking.
- Tests latches, doors, weak points.
- Returns nightly until something gives.
- Kills entire flock in one visit if successful, often eating only the heads.
Defenses:
- Hardware cloth on every opening.
- Two-step latches on every door (a single latch that swings up and down is not raccoon-proof, they figure it out within nights). Use locking carabiners, double sliding bolts, or padlock-style mechanisms.
- Automatic coop doors that close before dusk. The standard automatic door (ChickenGuard, Run-Chicken, Omlet) eliminates the human-forgot-to-close-the-coop loss pattern.
- Secure trash bins nearby. A raccoon attracted to garbage will scout your coop next.
Foxes and coyotes: the diggers and lifters
Red and gray foxes hunt at dusk and dawn, occasionally in daylight in suburban areas. Coyotes are similar but larger and often work as pairs.
Attack pattern:
- Daytime grabbing of free-range birds.
- Digging under runs at night or pre-dawn.
- Pulling birds through gaps in fencing.
Defenses:
- Buried hardware cloth or apron 12 to 18 inches outward at ground level.
- Run fencing minimum 6 feet tall (coyotes jump 5+ feet flat).
- Hot wire (single strand of electric fencing) at 6 inches and 18 inches height around the run perimeter, dramatically reduces fox and coyote pressure.
- Lock birds in coop overnight without exception.
- Free-range supervision. A flock free-ranging within sight of a human all day rarely loses to foxes. A flock free-ranging unsupervised in fox country loses birds weekly.
Weasels and minks: the smallest squeeze
Weasels (least weasel, long-tailed weasel) and minks are tiny mustelids that can squeeze through openings as small as 1 inch in diameter. They are uncommon but devastating when they hit.
Attack pattern:
- Squeezes through any opening larger than 1 inch.
- Kills multiple birds in one visit, often drinking blood from the neck without eating the carcass.
- Active mostly at night, sometimes day.
Defenses:
- 1/2 inch hardware cloth on every opening including vents.
- 1/4 inch hardware cloth around any high-risk gap.
- Seal gaps at the eaves, roof joints, and floor edges.
- Trap and remove if a weasel takes up residence (they often den near chickens once found).
Weasel attacks usually surprise keepers because the coop seemed secure against larger predators. A coop secure against raccoons and foxes can still be fully open to a weasel.
Hawks: the daytime air threat
Cooper’s hawks, red-tailed hawks, and northern goshawks all take backyard chickens, with bantams and chicks at highest risk. Most attacks happen midday.
Attack pattern:
- Diving attack from a perch.
- Takes one bird and lifts off.
- Free-range flocks lose birds slowly over weeks rather than all at once.
Defenses:
- Cover the run completely. Hardware cloth, deer netting, aviary netting, or solid roof. Hawks need open airspace.
- Provide overhead cover for free-range birds. Trees, shrubs, decks, picnic tables. Birds run for cover when they see a hawk shadow.
- A rooster acts as a sentinel. Roosters spot aerial predators and alarm-call, giving hens 5 to 10 seconds to dive for cover.
- Move free-range birds inside during raptor migration peaks (early fall and spring in most regions).
Owls: the nighttime air threat
Great horned owls and barred owls take birds at night, usually when birds roost outside or in poorly enclosed coops.
Defenses:
- Lock all birds in solid coop overnight.
- Cover any roost area visible from above.
- Eliminate outdoor nighttime roosting (some breeds prefer to roost in trees if allowed).
Snakes: the egg and chick thieves
Rat snakes, king snakes, and bullsnakes eat eggs and small chicks. They rarely kill adult birds but can be devastating to a brooder.
Defenses:
- 1/4 inch hardware cloth around brooders and any space holding chicks under 6 weeks.
- Collect eggs daily. Snakes follow scent trails and return to known egg sources.
- Seal gaps at floor and corner level. Snakes find 1/2 inch openings.
Rats: the silent damage
Rats eat feed, contaminate water, eat eggs, and occasionally kill chicks. They also attract larger predators.
Defenses:
- 1/4 inch hardware cloth under any feed storage.
- Tight feed bins (galvanized steel, not plastic).
- Remove spilled feed nightly.
- Limit standing water and uneaten table scraps.
- Rat-proof the coop floor with hardware cloth if the coop is on dirt.
Dogs: the most underestimated threat
Domestic dogs (often the keeper’s own dog or a neighbor’s) kill more chickens than wild predators in suburban environments.
Defenses:
- Solid run fencing minimum 5 feet, ideally 6 feet, secured at the base.
- Never trust an untested dog with the flock unsupervised, regardless of breed reputation.
- Train and desensitize over months, not days.
- Maintain visual barriers if a neighbor’s dog is reactive.
The coop hardening checklist
Before sundown on day one of a new flock, the coop should pass this list:
- All openings (vents, windows, run sides): 1/2 inch hardware cloth, screwed and washered to the frame (not stapled).
- All doors: two-step latches or padlocks.
- Perimeter: buried hardware cloth or 12+ inch ground apron.
- Run roof: covered with hardware cloth, deer netting, or solid material.
- Auto-door or strict manual close-at-dusk routine.
- No gaps over 1/2 inch at floor, corner, or eave seams.
- Feed in sealed metal containers, not in coop overnight.
See our methodology for the framework we use on poultry husbandry guides.
Frequently asked questions
Why is chicken wire bad for chicken coops?+
Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in, not predators out. The hexagonal mesh has 1 inch gaps that raccoons can pull and stretch through, and the wire is thin enough that dogs and coyotes can chew through it. Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth instead. It costs three to four times more per square foot but resists every common predator including raccoons, weasels, snakes, and rats.
What is the most dangerous chicken predator?+
Raccoons kill more backyard chickens than any other animal in North America. They are dexterous enough to undo latches, smart enough to remember a flock, persistent enough to return night after night, and capable of killing an entire flock in one visit. A raccoon-proof coop must have hardware cloth (not chicken wire), two-step latches, and a sealed perimeter.
Do I need to bury fencing to keep out diggers?+
Yes for foxes and coyotes, no for raccoons (which prefer climbing). Bury hardware cloth 12 inches deep around the coop and run perimeter, or extend it horizontally 12 to 18 inches outward at ground level (the apron method) which is easier and equally effective. A digging predator hits the apron and gives up.
How do I stop hawks from killing chickens?+
Cover the run with hardware cloth, deer netting, or a solid roof. Hawks attack from above and need open airspace to dive and lift off. A covered run eliminates that angle. For free-range birds, provide overhead cover (shrubs, deck overhang, dense trees) so birds can shelter mid-yard. Roosters often act as alarm callers and reduce hawk loss meaningfully.
Will a dog protect my chickens?+
Some dogs yes, most no. Livestock guardian breeds (Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd, Maremma) are bred for this role. Most pet breeds (Labradors, herding dogs, terriers) are themselves a predator threat. Even friendly family dogs can break and kill in pursuit mode. Train carefully, never leave an untested dog unsupervised with a flock, and accept that some breeds will never be safe with poultry.
Riley Cooper
Riley Cooper writes for The Tested Hub.