Are you looking for ways to predator proof your chicken coop? Have you had a close call with a raccoon or fox? Are there mice or rodents stealing your chicken’s food? Maybe squirrels, crows or jays stealing your eggs?

A chicken coop that is predator-proof is one of the most important—and often most overlooked—aspects of keeping a happy, healthy flock. Unfortunately, predators are incredibly persistent and creative when it comes to getting to your hens. They can dig under, climb over, squeeze through gaps, reach through wire, and even chew or rip apart weak materials. From raccoons with nimble fingers to coyotes that can jump fences, and hawks circling from above, your chickens face threats from nearly every angle. The good news? With thoughtful planning and layered defenses, you can build a coop and run that keeps your flock safe day and night.

Table of Contents

1. Identify the Predators in Your Area
2. Floors: Digging Animals
   • Digging Around the Coop
   • Digging Around the Run
   • Visual Deterrents
3. The Roof: Overhead Predators
4. Walls: Considerations
   • Your Coop and Run
   • Closing All Gaps
5. A Few Additional Considerations
6. Create a Wildlife Corridor
   • How to Channel Predators Away from the Chicken Coop

Identify the Predators in Your Area

It seems like everyone wants a piece of your chickens! From tiny mice and rats to raccoons, skunks, snakes, foxes, hawks, crows, bobcats, coyotes—even mountain lions—your flock can attract a surprising range of predators. It’s not enough to guard against just one threat; successful and responsible chicken keeping means planning for them all.

Even if you haven’t seen certain predators yet, don’t assume you’re in the clear. Word travels fast in the wild when there’s an easy meal to be had. Knowing which predators are around your area will help prioritize the strategies you choose to implement in your defenses when you predator-proof your chicken coop.

Why the Coop Needs Extra Protection

Your chickens need more than just a cozy home. They require a well-secured setup that includes a coop, a run, and possibly a foraging or free-range area. Of these, the coop should be the most secure, as it’s where your flock sleeps at night. When sleeping, hens are completely vulnerable and without their primary natural defense: alertness and skittish behavior. The run should come next in terms of security. It should offer safe daytime access to fresh air, sunshine, and space to scratch and explore.

When a chicken goes to roost in your coop at night, they go into a kind of stupor. They have no night vision and they are balancing their weight on a perch. On top of that, even the feistiest of hens will turn into a sack of potatoes at night. Many predators like raccoons and skunks are nocturnal. This combination makes unprotected coop chickens easy prey.

The run area also needs to be secure. Especially if you leave the connecting door between the run and the coop open at night. The forage area, if available, is much harder to secure, but will be the place where you will be present and monitoring your chickens and any interloper activity. However, you do need at minimum a perimeter to keep the birds in and dogs and other diurnal animals out.

Knowing which of the animals are likely to be around your neighborhood and what their habits are is key. This will help you prioritize your fortifications for both your coop and run. Talk to your neighbors, compare notes, and then do as much research as you can.

Read on for some ideas on how to predator proof your chicken coop.

Floors: Digging Animals

This is one of the more common breaches which can happen to backyard coops. There are so many kinds of animals that are able to dig to get at chickens and chicken eggs. Of all of the recommendations on this page, probably the most important are to protect from digging animals.

Diggers often dig at night, hindering identification and capture. Rats, mice, skunks and raccoons in particular can be tenacious. When you think you have addressed one spot, they will come back night after night trying new vulnerable areas.

The coop area should have no space underneath the floor. Or, if you do have space, it should be a minimum of a foot high. Enough for you to easily see under. This is enough to make it an unpalatable hiding place for smaller burrowing rodents. If there is any more narrow space, mice, rats, gophers or chipmunks could build a nest there. It is a good location from the burrowing rodent perspective, because of the close proximity to the chickens and their food.

Once the dirt around the coop is compromised by small diggers like gophers, mice or chipmunks, it becomes loose and easier to dig. This makes it more easily accessible by larger predators who also dig, like foxes or skunks. A coop apron will resolve digging by large predators outside your coop. However, there are plenty of other animals that could penetrate a simple coop apron, as I discuss below.

Digging around the Chicken Coop

If you are just building your coop, think about the floor. No matter what type of floor you have, consider investing in a horse stall mat.

Stall Mat: A horse stall mat is basically a very think and heavy rubber mat. 3/4 inch thickness offers good protection. Make sure to select solid rubber, not foam, and an anti-fungal/anti-microbial version. It is much softer on hen feet, especially for wood and cement floors. It will protect them from bumblefoot or other foot conditions. And it is generally not penetrable by digging, chewing or burrowing animals. If you have wood or dirt floors, make sure the inside perimeter around the mat is secured if the mat does not reach all the way to the edges of the coop.

Types of Floors: Of three types of floor: dirt, wood and concrete, the concrete will obviously be the very safest. Concrete effectively prevents any animal from getting in at night via the floor when the girls are most vulnerable. Just make sure to soften hen landings when they jump down from perches. If a solid concrete floor is not an option, there are ways to fortify a wood or dirt coop floor.

Dirt Floor

If you are planning to have a dirt floor for your coop, lay down a base of hardware cloth. Lay the hardware cloth below the entire floor inside. Top that with an inch or so of dirt. The dirt is important to protect little hen feet. If you aren’t using a stall mat, make sure to tamp down loose dirt. Cover everything with a some good thick bedding, such as shavings.

Don’t use poultry netting, as that is too thin and will rust through within a few years. (This is the same advice as for your raised vegetable beds). Hardware cloth is much sturdier and will last longer. It is a bit more expensive at the outset. But considering you won’t have to replace it, it will be cheaper in the long run. Half inch hardware cloth provides a good combination of tight spacing and flexibility.

The hardware cloth should extend out from the perimeter of the coop by at least 6 inches. The reason I recommend extending the hardware cloth from the inside out past the perimeter is that gophers, moles and voles can easily circumvent an apron when placed only on the outside of the coop.

You should overlap any seams of the hardware cloth by about 6 inches. Many people will then reinforce the hardware cloth by securing it to a second layer of welded wire. The welded wire is very sturdy and is very slow to rust. This will add structure to the hardware cloth and protect the edges and the seams.

Wood Floor

If you have a wood floor under your coop, first inspect the wood flooring. Ensure there are no mouse holes or cracks which could be chewed into little rodent access points to your coop. Close or cover up any gaps, cracks or knot holes.

Once you have secured or replaced the wood floor, you need to address the perimeter. A mouse could easily dig from the outside under the coop and then chew a hole in your floor. Trust me on this – it happened to us. Installation of the horse stall mat resolved this for us. While mice aren’t the worst animals to have near the coop, they certainly are a nuisance. They can spread disease and will eat through your chicken food much more quickly than the hens would. They may also damage or steal the eggs.

A few options to reinforce the apron around the perimeter:

Bricks: The fastest retrofit for an existing coop is to line the outside with bricks. This is also a good option for the inside of a run. For the most protection, if you have enough bricks, face the bricks perpendicular to the wall. This provides an apron of at least 6 inches from the coop. Alternatively, you could also lay the bricks lengthwise but in two rows.

Concrete: A great option for the outside perimeter of the coop is to backfill with concrete. You’ll want to dig a trench around the coop at least 6 inches deep by about 6 inches wide. This method has been the most effective for our coop to prevent digging problems.

Gravel: Another option is to add base rock (or large gravel) around the outside of the coop. It should be about a foot wide and several inches deep. Our neighbor’s coop leverages large drain rock for this purpose. This method is quite effective. Digging animals do not like to contend with the bigger rocks.

Digging around the Run

You should also predator proof your chicken coop ‘s run area from diggers, too. In many instances, once nocturnal digging animals penetrate the run, they can then more easily gain access to the coop. Even if you close the connecting door at night, an unsecured run invites predators to gain access during the day.

Also, your girls will like to dust-bathe and often like to do that near the run’s perimeter. They themselves are actually digging the gaps to allow predators in. Make sure your chickens build their dust baths away from the perimeter to prevent compromising their own security.

First, line the perimeter similar to the options above for protecting the coop: with brick, concrete or base rock. Brick and cement can be used either on the inside or outside of the perimeter. Base rock should only be used on the outside. Otherwise, the chickens themselves will scratch and remove the base rock.

Also consider building your girls a raised dust bath area away from the edge of the run. You could build a simple raised box, or just use a kiddie pool filled with dirt. This will encourage them to dig away from the run’s fence line and further predator proof your chicken coop.

Visual Deterrents and Plantings

I’m also a fan of adding one or more 2×8 or 2×12 boards along the base of the run. This simple addition works on multiple levels. It acts as a visual barrier that discourages many larger predators from trying to dig near the edge. It also blocks raccoons from reaching through the wire. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for raccoons to injure or even kill chickens by grabbing them through large wire openings. Installing a solid wood base helps prevent this kind of attack while still allowing your flock access to sunlight and a view of their surroundings.

We put down a layer of hardware cloth lining the ground with the 2×12 board on top.

To help create a visual deterrent, put 12-18 inches of wood around the base of your run. Use a 2×12 board as on the left, or use fence boards as in the right image.

I also advocate planting around the outside perimeter of the run. As the plants get bigger, they act as both a visual deterrent and space cushion from predators. Plants gives the chickens something natural to look and peck at, and is pleasant for you as well.

When planting, use evergreen plants that will not get too tall. You still want to be able to see inside. Rosemary has worked very well for us, growing dense and only about a foot tall with trimming. Not only drought tolerant, but the aromatics make it unpalatable to deer and may provide some masking of the scent of the chickens.

Predator-deterrent plantings shouldn’t be relied on as your sole line of defense when you predator proof your chicken coop. Instead, think of them as a supportive layer that makes a well-fortified coop less attractive to predators, while also adding beauty to your space.

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The Roof: Overhead Predators

Most commercially available chicken coop/run combos come with overhead protection for the hens. If you are building your own coop, you must account for the fact that chickens are vulnerable from overhead predators. Hawks, vultures and owls are all known to carry chicks and even full grown hens away. Smaller breeds such as bantams and silkies are easy targets. However, it is a myth that hawks will not attack a large hen. Larger hawks such as the Red-Tailed Hawk will also attack an unattended, full-grown chicken on the ground. It will hold the live chicken with its talons and peck at it right there for a high protein meal.

Additionally, opossums are great climbers and would love to have your chicken as a tasty gourmet dinner. They could easily climb fencing and get in from the top of an uncovered run. Even squirrels and corvids, such as jays and crows will swoop in to attack your coveted eggs. Broken eggs attract bigger predators, and invite bacteria which could introduce sickness across your entire flock.

Both your coop and run should have secure roofs on them with no gaps between the walls and the eaves. You can often retrofit a run by sinking 4X4 posts and adding 2×4 cross pieces. Metal sheets are easy to install on top of your framework. Just make sure there are no gaps; or, if there are, just cover the open area securely with hardware cloth.

While a solid roof is by far the best option, another option is to cover the top of the run with hardware cloth. This option is less effective but often utilized because it is considered easier to implement. If you choose to go this route, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• First, the chickens should have some shade to protect them from excessive heat during the hottest summer months. If you are not building a solid roof, you should site your coop under some shade. A mature tree or grove of trees would be ideal. You could also plant a vine. But keep in mind that mice and rats like to live in many vining plants, such as ivy, honeysuckle, wisteria or grapevine. Also be aware that some vines can get very heavy after just a few years. They could compromise the integrity of seams and the support.
• Second, make sure the wire roof has plenty of support. Climbers like raccoons or opossum will get up onto the roof. Unsupported wire will sag under their weight at best. The animal could fall through the roof right into your run at worst.
• Lastly, always overlap the edges of your wire to prevent small rodents from getting in through the seams.

Walls: Considerations

To predator-proof the walls of your chicken coop and run, start with understanding that most losses happen through weak points, not obvious openings. Coop walls should be built from solid materials—wood siding, plywood, or other rigid panels—rather than wire alone, as solid walls deter chewing and prying. It also acts as a safe place that your birds can go if a predator does show up. The solid walls reduce stress on the birds.

Windows and ventilation are essential, but every opening must be fully covered on the inside with securely fastened hardware cloth, not chicken wire, which predators can tear through. Pay special attention to seams, corners, and joints where panels meet, using screws and washers instead of staples wherever possible.

The trap door between the coop and the run is another critical access point and should be designed to close tightly and lock securely at night; an automatic coop door is an excellent option, as it removes human error and ensures the opening is reliably secured at dusk and dawn.

For the run, wall design should assume constant pressure from predators attempting to dig, climb, or reach through. Half-inch hardware cloth is the gold standard for run walls, as it keeps out raccoons, rats, snakes, and other small predators while remaining durable and long-lasting.

To add an extra layer of protection, incorporate a solid board or kick plate at least 12 inches high along the bottom of the run walls. This prevents predators from reaching through the wire, adds structural strength, and reduces wear from moisture and debris. As with the coop, hardware cloth should be attached with screws and washers and extend fully to the ground or be buried or skirted outward to deter digging. Thoughtful material choices and careful construction at the wall level go a long way toward keeping a flock safe.

Walls: Closing all Small Gaps

Rodents and snakes can fit through some extremely small gaps. These all need to be identified and addressed. Some of the more likely spots:

• The door frame
• Small holes in the hardware cloth.
• Where the hardware cloth connects to the framing (use more staples than you think you need!)
• Any warped boards
• Along the soffit or facia boards, where the eaves connect to the walls

The Doorway

One highly effective trick to protect doorways is to add a fence board across the inside of the door opening. See the photo below. The chickens have no problem hopping the fence board when the door is open and they are allowed to free range. But it pretty effectively prevents against snakes and rodents getting through the doorframe. Just make sure not to impede proper operation of the door.

If you have chewers making gaps or holes, try adding angle iron or metal drywall corners to the edges of the door. You can add flashing strips to the facia boards or baseboards.

Corners and Other Gaps

You can fold hardware cloth or chicken wire into dense, thick masses to stuff into gaps.

Another tip for a quick fix to make ongoing repairs easier is to use gap filler. This works well for any warping boards or ends of eaves. This can be done in conjunction with the folded hardware cloth mass. Place the folded chicken wire into the gap and then spray the foam all around it.

Use a piece of metal to seal any hole too large for gap filler. You can buy a piece of metal flashing or a bracket. For recycled options, a tuna fish can top or a flat piece of roofing both work well.

Regularly inspect the eaves. Just because you did not have a hole last fall does not mean you won’t have one in the spring. Look for sawdust and dirt trails around the joists where the rodents have to scurry around the framing. These are tell-tale signs of activity.

A Few Additional Considerations

In addition to securing the coop itself, here are a few additional measures to predator proof your chicken coop. Plus a couple new ones that we’ve implemented since I first wrote this article:

• Use Secure Latches. Use sturdy, reliable latches on all doors and openings.
• Secure Feed. Make sure any storage containers are secure to avoid attracting rodents and other pests. 
• Consider adding a treadle feeder. This will slow or stop rodent, bird, chipmunk and squirrel activity around the feeders.
• Install motion sensor lights. Motion-sensor lights will help to deter nocturnal predators like foxes and raccoons. Make sure the lights are not near or do not shine toward a neighbor’s house.
• Collect Eggs Daily. Eggs left overnight attract squirrels and other pests. Collecting eggs regularly will decrease contamination and spoilage, too.

Create a Wildlife Corridor

A wildlife corridor is a path that many animals take to travel, usually at night. Many different animals often travel the same paths because they all want to go safely through an area with the least resistance. Examples might be between or behind houses, away from traffic, and wide open areas where they don‘t feel like they will get trapped.

If your property is smaller, it can be fenced. If your coop is inside a perimeter fence, away from the edge of your property, this is a great setup. While smaller predators like raccoons and opossums can climb the exterior fence, larger predators such as mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes will not likely penetrate the exterior fence.

Larger properties, ranches and homesteads are far more difficult (and costly) to fence. So we think in terms instead of diverting predators away from the coop and instead to a more acceptable part of your property.

If you do not have an exterior fence, or your coop is on the edge of your property, a good strategy for further protecting your brood is to channel the wildlife traffic away from the coop. You can do this by creating your own wildlife corridor. This method is not about eliminating wildlife, but instead moving their common routes to another area which is more acceptable and in less conflict with your hens.

Why A Wildlife Corridor?

This is an effective method for all livestock animals, not only chickens. Rabbits, goats, and other farm animals will all benefit from a wildlife corridor away from their enclosures. This in itself should not be your only method to predator proof your chicken coop. But when used in combination with a secure chicken coop it can be quite effective.

You may think that deer are harmless to livestock. Think again. Where deer travel, coyotes and mountain lions are bound to follow. Just because you have not seen a large predator on your property does not mean they are not there. Even in urban and suburban areas, large predators like mountain lions and bears are regularly being captured on video doorbells exposing how prevalent they really are.

Many mountain lions in my area are radio collared. When you start tracking them on public websites, you might see that they have extremely large ranges. They might only visit an area once a year, but several nights in a row. The first night is often to scout and the subsequent nights are active hunting nights. This is similar to coyotes who move their roaming territories frequently based upon available prey.

By discouraging deer from passing by your coop and encouraging them to travel another pass, you are also discouraging larger predators. If you like seeing the deer, you can still have them pass by or through your property. Just channel them to a different area of your property away from the coop.

How to Channel Wildlife away from the Chicken Coop

To encourage deer and other animals away from the coop, plant foods they would like to eat where you want them to move. Keep the area clear so they can see potential predators. Position obstacles or visual barriers where you do not want them to travel. A visual barrier will deter deer if they cannot see what dangers might lurk on the other side. Our deer are very good at finding gaps in fences. But when obstacles change positions frequently, they become less confident moving about them.

If predators have what they need in the sanctioned wildlife corridor that you create, planting their favorite food and providing water, they will potentially not spend as much time near the coop, or finding the gaps in your coop security.

Final Thoughts

There’s no single perfect solution when you set out to predator proof your chicken coop —it’s all about layering your defenses. What works for one coop or location might not be enough for another, so combining multiple strategies is your best bet. Strong construction and flooring, secure latches, buried fencing, and even thoughtful landscaping all play a role in keeping predators out and your chickens safe. By taking a multi-layered approach, you greatly increase your odds of outsmarting even the most determined intruders and ensuring your flock can live safely and comfortably.