How to make a chicken coop predator-proof may sound a little tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. With the proper tools and supplies, predator-proofing your hens’ coop, barn, or shed has never been easier.
Why Predator-Proof?
Many chicken keepers never research how to make a chicken coop predator-proof until their flock has been attacked by a predator who gained access to the coop via digging, climbing, squeezing, or even ripping through a window screen.
If going out to find your beloved flock’s remains scattered through the coop and run is not on your bucket list, then predator-proofing the coop is a must. Predator-proofing the coop has saved many chickenkeepers’ hearts from being broken by preventing their flock from being destroyed in a nighttime predator attack.
While predator-proofing does require more time and effort on your part, having the peace of mind knowing your flock is safe is worth the effort.
How to Make a Chicken Coop Safe for Your Flock
To make sure your flock is safe from predators starts with having a safe coop, shed, or barn to house them in. There are many steps to ensuring a predator-proof coop, including roofs, windows, doors, and more, so let’s get started!
Coop Floors
How to make a chicken coop predator-proof should start with the floor. Coops usually have three flooring options: dirt, wood, or cement/concrete.
Concrete floors are the safest and best flooring option for chickens. While they may be more expensive than other flooring options, they are long-lasting and nearly indestructible. Another upside to cement is you don’t have to worry about rats or mice chewing through them.
Wood floors are safer than dirt floors, but they do not offer as much protection against predators as concrete. They may also rot and need to be replaced every couple of years. However, many poultry owners have solved both of these problems by setting the coop or shed on top of a cement pad to prevent predators from digging and floors from rotting.
Dirt floors offer no protection against predators and should be avoided.
Coop Walls
The coop walls are often overlooked when predator-proofing, but if your coop walls are rotting away or have missing boards or other holes, predators can gain access to your coop and flock. Covering the outside of the coop walls with metal siding is an excellent way to cover holes and gaps. Another plus to metal siding is that it is usually easy to install.
A more temporary, budget-friendly fix is to cover holes with 16-gauge, half-inch hardware cloth to keep predators out. Be sure to cover the wire with any spare lumber to protect your flock from the elements.
The Roof
How to make a chicken coop roof safe may be one of the trickiest parts of predator-proofing. While lining the roof with wood and shingles or metal roofing may be easy, ensuring there are no gaps between the walls and the roof can be challenging.
To protect against clever rats and raccoons and opportunist owls from sneaking in through the roof rafters to dine on your flock, cover gaps larger than one inch with 16-gauge, half-inch hardware c
Don’t Forget the Windows!
Did you know that birds of prey, foxes, and raccoons can rip through window screens and chicken wire and gain access to your flock while they are roosting?
Attaching half-inch hardware cloth to the window frame will prevent predators from being able to access the coop via a window.
Even though bugs are not considered a chicken predator, continuing to use window screens as well as hardware cloth will also help keep out mosquitoes and flies.
Coop Doors
Completely predator-proofing the human-size door may be one of the most difficult parts of ensuring a safe coop. The trick is to have a snug-fitting door with no gaps larger than a half-inch. However, if you are not handy with tools and building things, hiring a professional to install the coop door may be the best option to ensure the door fits snugly.
If you are lucky enough to have purchased a coop with a snug-fitting door, there is no need to worry, but if your door has gaps, consider adding wire to cover up the gaps or reframing the coop door.
Pop Holes and Nesting Boxes
Pop holes and nesting boxes are two often overlooked ways predators gain access to the coop. Snakes are especially notorious for sneaking into the coop through the pop hole, while clever raccoons have been known to open nesting boxes and steal chickens sitting on eggs.
Lock It Up
It may sound strange, but one of the best ways to keep your flock safe is by locking up the coop every night with a padlock on all doors, including nesting box doors, popholes and human doors.
Curious raccoons, strong wind gusts, or even accidentally leaving the coop door ajar can lead to an accidental predator attack.
Predator Skirts
Attaching predator skirts to the outside perimeter of the coop and run to prevent digging predators from gaining access is another great way to help keep your flock safe.
Predator skirts should be made of 16-gauge, half-inch wire buried twelve to eighteen inches vertically underground and another piece of wire eighteen to twenty-four inches horizontally laid out six inches below ground.
A Word on Barn Safety
When housing chickens in a barn, it is important to ensure that the entire barn is completely predator-proof, not just the section where the chickens live. This may sound extreme, but if a predator enters the barn, they are more likely to figure out a way into the chicken pen than if the predator is outside.
How to make a chicken coop predator-proof may seem difficult, but the peace of mind knowing your flock is safe from predators is well worth all of your hard work and effort.
This article about how to make a chicken coop predator-proof was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.
