The main chicken predators, and what stops each one

Predator protection is much easier once you know what you are protecting against, because the measures are specific. Hardware cloth stops a weasel and does nothing about a hawk. Netting stops a hawk and does nothing about a raccoon's hands. This page is an identification guide with the matching fix.

The quick reference

Identifying what visited

Raccoon

Hand-like five-digit prints. Latches opened without damage. Birds killed inside an intact coop, often with head and neck injuries, sometimes pulled partly through mesh. Returns on consecutive nights. Full guide.

Fox

A bird carried off, often with little left behind. Digging at the base of the run. Dog-like prints in a narrow, purposeful line rather than a wandering one. Typically at dawn or dusk.

Weasel or mink

The worst signature: multiple birds killed in one night with small wounds and little eaten, inside an apparently secure coop. Extension guidance notes least weasels squeeze through quarter-inch openings and typically get through chicken wire. If you have lost several birds through intact hex mesh, this is why.

Hawk

A kill in the open during daylight, plucked, carcass partly eaten on the spot. Hawks are federally protected — see the hawk guide.

Dog

Several birds killed and left, often scattered over a wide area, with the enclosure damaged by force rather than opened. Dogs frequently kill without eating.

Rat

Feed disappearing far faster than the flock can eat it, droppings along walls, gnaw marks, worn runs through grass. Takes eggs and chicks rather than adult birds. Full guide.

Snake

Eggs disappearing with no shell fragments, occasionally a chick missing. Warm months, and quarter-inch hardware cloth is the exclusion.

The five measures that cover almost everything

1. Half-inch hardware cloth on every opening and the lower half of the run. Covers weasels, raccoons reaching through, rats and snakes.
2. A two-step latch on every opening. Covers raccoons, opossums and skunks.
3. The door shut at dusk. Covers raccoons, foxes, owls, skunks and opossums — the majority of all losses.
4. An apron or buried mesh around the perimeter. Covers foxes, dogs and skunks digging.
5. Overhead netting on the run. Covers hawks and owls.

Add electric netting if you free-range over an area, which is the only measure that stops a fox, coyote or dog before it reaches the coop.

The kit that covers the list

Hardware cloth, a latch, an automatic door, electric netting, overhead netting, and deterrent lights as the final layer.

#1 · 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

#2 · 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

#3 · The automatic door that has earned its reputation

$129.99·on Amazon

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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 · Keeping foxes and dogs out of the whole yard

$223.00·on Amazon

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Premier 1 PoultryNet Plus Electric Fence, 48in x 100ft

Premier 1 Supplies

7.2/10★★★◐☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

100 feet of 48-inch electrified poultry netting from the company that defined the category. Electric netting is the only thing on this page that stops a fox before it reaches the coop.

Published specifications

Height	48 in
Length	100 ft
Type	Electrified poultry netting
Energizer	Not included

Specifications per Premier 1 Supplies published specifications, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• 48 in is tall enough that a fox will not jump it and hens will not fly out
• Moves in minutes, so you can rotate grazing without rebuilding a fence
• Premier 1 netting is the reference product — the posts and clips actually hold up
• Stops the predator at the perimeter rather than at the coop door

Where it falls short

• Needs an energizer, which is a substantial separate purchase
• Must be kept clear of grass or it shorts and stops working
• 100 ft encloses a small area — most yards need two or three rolls

Our rubric

Predator resistance

10.0

Install effort

5.0

Durability

8.0

Reliability

8.0

Value

5.0

#5 · Covering a big run against hawks

$29.99·on Amazon

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Bird Netting for Chicken Run, 50 x 50ft, 2.4in Mesh

Generic

7.4/10★★★◐☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

2,500 square feet of 2.4-inch poultry netting. A covered run is the only thing that reliably stops a hawk, and at this size it covers a run most people would consider too big to net.

Published specifications

Size	50 x 50 ft
Area	2,500 sq ft
Mesh	2.4 in square
Type	Poultry / aviary netting

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

What it does well

• Covering the run is the only genuinely effective answer to hawks
• 2,500 sq ft is enough for a very large run with spare
• 2.4 in mesh stops raptors while letting rain and light through
• Cheapest per square foot of any barrier here

Where it falls short

• 2.4 in mesh does not stop anything smaller — it is a hawk net, not a predator net
• Needs a support structure or it sags onto the birds
• Snow load will tear netting that is not pitched

Our rubric

Predator resistance

7.0

Install effort

6.0

Durability

6.0

Reliability

8.0

Value

10.0

#6 · A night deterrent with a long track record

$39.95·on Amazon

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Nite Guard Solar Predator Control Light, 2-Pack

Nite Guard

7.2/10★★★◐☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

Solar flashing red lights that read as a predator's eyes to nocturnal animals. A deterrent, not a barrier: useful as a layer, never as the reason you leave the coop door open.

Published specifications

Pack	2 lights
Power	Solar
Type	Flashing red predator deterrent light
Target	Nocturnal predators

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

What it does well

• The longest-established product of its type, and the one most keepers reach for
• Solar, so install it and forget it
• A genuinely useful extra layer around a coop you already secured

Where it falls short

• A deterrent only — animals habituate to it, especially a hungry one
• No effect on daytime predators, which is when hawks hunt
• Two lights covers two approach directions; most sites need four

Our rubric

Predator resistance

4.0

Install effort

10.0

Durability

8.0

Reliability

6.0

Value

8.0

After a loss

1. Secure the survivors first. Into the most secure space you have, now.
2. Work out what happened from the evidence above. The measure you need follows from the animal.
3. Expect it to return. A predator that has fed comes back, usually within a night or two.
4. Fix the specific route, then walk the whole enclosure looking for the next one.
5. Check the feed. A food source is often why the animal was there at all.

A realistic expectation

Nobody keeps chickens outdoors for years without losing a bird. The aim is not zero risk, it is removing the easy routes — because predators are opportunists and the coop that is slightly harder than the neighbor's is the one that gets passed over. The five measures above, done properly, remove nearly all of the easy routes.