How to keep raccoons out of a chicken coop

Raccoons are the predator most backyard setups are least prepared for, for one reason: they have dexterous hands and they are persistent. A fox tests a fence and moves on. A raccoon will work at a latch for an hour, and it has all night. Everything below follows from that.

What raccoons actually do

• Open latches. Hook-and-eye catches, simple slide bolts and twist catches are all routinely defeated.
• Reach through chicken wire. A one-inch hexagonal opening is enough for a hand. Extension guidance notes chicken wire's openings let ground predators reach in and do damage.
• Climb. Fences, coop walls, trees overhanging a run. Height alone is not a barrier.
• Dig, though less determinedly than a fox.
• Come back. A raccoon that has found food returns, and brings young.

The five changes, in order of effect

1. Replace every latch with a two-step one

The highest-value change on this page and the cheapest. A self-locking gravity latch requires lifting and pulling, which is beyond most raccoons. A spring bolt holds itself engaged under pressure. Add a carabiner through the latch for certainty — inelegant and effective.

Do every opening, not just the main door: the pop-hole, the nest box lid, the cleaning hatch, the run gate. Raccoons find the one you forgot.

2. Re-skin everything within reach in hardware cloth

Half-inch, 19 gauge, on the lower half of the run and on every coop opening including vents and windows. Extension guidance recommends exactly this split: hardware cloth on the lower half, ordinary netting above. A raccoon cannot get a hand through half-inch mesh.

3. Shut the door at dusk

Raccoons are nocturnal. A coop closed before dark is a coop they cannot work at. If you cannot be there at dusk reliably, an automatic door does it for you.

4. Remove the food

This is the part people skip. A raccoon is at your coop because there is food there, and an open feeder is as attractive as the birds. A treadle feeder, feed stored in a metal bin, and spilled feed raked up daily removes the reason to visit at all. Keeping rats out of chicken feed covers the same ground and the measures are identical.

5. Close the gaps and the climbing routes

• Gaps under walls — a hardware cloth apron laid flat and pinned round the perimeter.
• Overhanging branches that give access to the run roof.
• Compost heaps and bins near the coop, which are a food source in their own right.
• Pet food left out overnight anywhere in the garden.

What to buy

Two latches, the hardware cloth, an automatic door, and the treadle feeder that removes the food reason.

#1 · Replacing the hook-and-eye your coop came with

$8.99·on Amazon

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Self-Locking Gravity Gate Latch, Steel

Generic

8.6/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

A steel self-locking gravity latch. The two-step action is what matters: raccoons solve hooks and slide bolts, and a latch that must be lifted and then pulled is beyond most of them.

Published specifications

Material	Steel
Action	Self-locking gravity lever
Finish	Black
Type	Fence and gate latch

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Self-locking means it latches when the door swings shut, with nothing to remember
• A two-step action defeats the raccoons that routinely open hook-and-eye catches
• Steel, not the pot metal most coops ship with
• Costs less than a bag of feed and is the highest-value security upgrade available

Where it falls short

• A truly determined raccoon can still work a simple lever — add a carabiner for peace of mind
• Needs correct alignment or it will not drop into the catch
• Not weatherproof-rated; a drop of oil each season keeps it moving

Our rubric

Predator resistance

8.0

Install effort

9.0

Durability

8.0

Reliability

8.0

Value

10.0

#2 · The mesh that actually stops raccoons

$79.99·on Amazon

$98.98 19% off

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Amagabeli Hardware Cloth, 1/2in Mesh, 48in x 100ft, 19 Gauge

Amagabeli

8.4/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

Hot-dipped galvanized-after-welding half-inch hardware cloth in 19 gauge. This is the specification to buy: half-inch openings keep weasels out, and galvanized-after-welding means the weld points do not rust first.

Published specifications

Mesh	1/2 in
Gauge	19
Size	48 in x 100 ft
Coating	Hot-dipped galvanized after welding

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Half-inch openings are small enough to stop weasels, which 1 in mesh is not
• Galvanized AFTER welding — the welds are coated, so the mesh does not rust at the joints first
• 19 gauge resists a raccoon's hands, which hexagonal chicken wire does not
• 400 sq ft covers the lower half of most runs

Where it falls short

• Several times the price of hexagonal chicken wire for the same area
• Stiff and sharp to work with — gloves are not optional
• Heavy: a 100 ft roll is a two-person lift

Our rubric

Predator resistance

10.0

Install effort

5.0

Durability

10.0

Reliability

10.0

Value

7.0

#3 · The automatic door that has earned its reputation

$129.99·on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

RUN-CHICKEN Door T50 Automatic Coop Door

RUN-CHICKEN

8.2/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

A battery-powered weatherproof aluminum door with app and timer control. Aluminum rather than plastic is the specification that matters: a raccoon can work at a plastic door for hours, and it has all night.

Published specifications

Material	Weatherproof aluminum
Power	Battery powered
Control	Smart app and timer
Type	Automatic coop door opener

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Aluminum construction — the single best indicator that a door will survive a determined raccoon
• Battery powered, so no mains run to the coop
• App plus timer means you can shift closing time with the seasons from indoors
• Shutting the door at dusk is the most effective predator control there is

Where it falls short

• The most expensive door here
• Battery-powered doors need a battery check before every winter
• An automatic door can shut a late bird out — always check the flock is in

Our rubric

Predator resistance

9.0

Install effort

8.0

Durability

9.0

Reliability

9.0

Value

6.0

#4 · A spring-loaded bolt on a coop or shed door

$14.50·on Amazon

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Heavy Duty Spring Latch Bolt, 1/2in Pin

Generic

8.4/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

A half-inch spring latch bolt. A spring bolt holds itself shut under pressure, which an ordinary barrel bolt does not when a raccoon leans on the door.

Published specifications

Pin diameter	1/2 in
Type	Spring latch bolt
Finish	Black powder coat
For	Shed, barn, chicken coop

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Half-inch steel pin will not bend under an animal's weight
• Spring loading keeps it engaged rather than rattling loose
• Powder coat survives outdoors without seizing

Where it falls short

• A single bolt is one action to defeat — pair it with a second latch on a predator-heavy site
• Needs accurate drilling to line up
• No padlock hasp built in

Our rubric

Predator resistance

8.0

Install effort

7.0

Durability

9.0

Reliability

8.0

Value

10.0

#5 · Stopping rats and wild birds outright

$219.95·on Amazon

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Grandpa's Feeders Automatic Chicken Feeder, 20 lb

Grandpa's Feeders

8.2/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

The treadle feeder everything else copies. The hen's weight on the step opens the lid; a rat is too light and a sparrow cannot work it at all. 20 lb is right for up to about six hens.

Published specifications

Capacity	20 lb
Mechanism	Treadle — bird weight opens the lid
Rodent resistance	Rat and rodent proof (manufacturer claim)
Waste	No-waste design (manufacturer claim)
Material	Not published by manufacturer

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• A closed lid is the only feeder design that genuinely denies rodents and wild birds
• Keeps feed dry in rain, which no open hanging feeder does
• Eliminates the billing-out waste that makes chickens look like they eat twice what they do
• Hens learn the treadle in a day or two with the lid propped open

Where it falls short

• Several times the price of a hanging feeder of the same capacity
• Bantams and very young birds may be too light to open it reliably
• There is a training period, and it needs the lid propped during it

Our rubric

Waste control

10.0

Capacity

7.0

Rodent resistance

10.0

Weather resistance

9.0

Value

5.0

Signs a raccoon has been

• Latches opened but nothing taken — a probe that did not pay off. Act on this immediately.
• Birds killed inside an intact coop, often with injuries around the head and neck, sometimes with birds pulled partly through wire. This is the signature of reaching through hex mesh.
• Hand-like prints in mud or dust — five long digits, distinctly like a small hand.
• Feed scattered and the bin opened, with the lid moved rather than chewed.
• Repeat visits on consecutive nights. Raccoons are methodical.

Biosecurity, as well as predation

Wildlife around a coop is a disease vector as well as a predation risk. USDA's Defend the Flock program notes that avian diseases spread through contaminated equipment, feed and water, and that wild animals can introduce disease to domestic flocks. Excluding raccoons from the feed and the coop is a biosecurity measure as well as a predator one.

A one-evening hardening job

1. Walk round the coop and run and list every opening and every gap.
2. Fit a two-step latch to each opening.
3. Staple half-inch hardware cloth over every vent, window and the lower run panels.
4. Pin a 16-inch apron flat around the perimeter.
5. Move the feeder to a treadle model, or start bringing it in nightly.
6. Close the coop before dark, every night.