How to Predator Proof Your Chicken Coop

I’ve lost A LOT of chickens to predators over the past 10 years, so I’m going to sound like an awful chicken owner in this article. However, that’s why this article is going to be SO incredibly helpful for you. I’ve dealt with intense predator pressure over the past 10 years and have overcome each one. Knowing what I know now, we haven’t lost a single chicken in nearly 2 years!

The tricky thing with chickens is that they are prey to many different kinds of predators and each one has a different hunting strategy that needs to be addressed:

• Fox, coyotes, and neighbor dogs are fast and can burrow under coops.
• Aerial predators like owls, hawks, and eagles can swoop in from overhead.
• Small critters like rats, weasels, and mink can squeeze through small cracks.
• Crafty raccoons can open latches.
• Large and strong predators like bears, cougars, wolves, and even neighbor dogs can push down weak structures.

If this feels overwhelming to think about, don’t worry! I’ve been through it all and will walk you through how to predator-proof your chicken coop so that (hopefully) you don’t have to face the same heartaches that I have. Let’s do this!

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products (including Amazon). I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you! Regardless, I only link to products that I personally use on our homestead or believe in.

7 Tips for a Predator Proof Coop

#1: Choose a safe coop location

If you have a lot of aerial predators (hawks, eagles, etc.), then consider placing the coop under some mature trees to provide a visual block to those flying overhead. The chickens can also fly up to the low branches for safety if a fox or neighbor dog runs through. Lastly, the trees provide much-appreciated shade during the hot days of summer. All good things!

One thing that I’ve learned the hard way is that keeping the coop next to the woods can be trouble. Predators like coyotes and foxes can creep up close while staying hidden by the brush before they swoop in and grab a few. After we put up a fence along the wood line (more on this later), our loss to predators declined significantly.

So, the ideal situation would be placing the coop on high ground (no one likes a muddy, wet coop!), with a few mature trees surrounding it and at an adequate distance from dense undergrowth or woods.

#2: Ensure solid construction

This one is pretty straightforward, but make sure that your coop is built with solid construction in mind! If it’s lightweight and wobbles when you push on it, then a large predator like a bear, wolves, coyotes, or even an enthusiastic neighbor dog will certainly be able to break in.

Flooring

Having a dirt floor inside the coop is not only a recipe for a dirty, dusty coop, but predators will be able to burrow their way in. Use something solid for coop flooring like plywood or concrete. My personal favorite is plywood with linoleum over it for easy cleanup. Learn more in my article Ultimate Guide to Chicken Coop Flooring!

Covered Run

Even if you build the strongest coop out there, it will all come to nothing if the run is flimsy and insufficient. Chickens need protection during the day, too! Make sure that the run is covered with a roof (ideal) or netting (good enough). 

Check for gaps!

Don’t forget to check for any gaps! It’s amazing how easily small critters like rats, minks, and weasels can squeeze through small cracks in walls, windows, or fencing. Fill any gaps that measure less than ¼”.

#3: Use hardware mesh

We learned this one the hard way. Chicken wire is meant to keep chickens IN, not keep predators OUT. In 2014, we left our homestead and came back to find several teenage chicks gone and the chicken wire on our chicken tractor had been pushed in by a fox. So sad! 

While hardware mesh is significantly more expensive than chicken wire, it really is the only way to go when it comes to protecting your flock. To save some cost, we’ve found a happy medium by using hardware mesh for the bottom 4 feet of the chicken run, and then using chicken wire up top where it’s less likely for predators to break in. So far, so good!

Be sure to secure it in place with U-nails and not staples. Another great move is to bury the hardware mesh 1 foot under the ground to prevent predators from digging their way underneath the run. While it’s a bit of work, it’s well worth the effort.

If you’re using a mobile coop or a chicken tractor, consider building my no-dig skirts! That’s what we came up with for our meat chicken tractor after a fox dug underneath it and took ALL 23 of our teenaged meat chicks. Since installing these, we haven’t had a single issue!

#4: Secure windows

I feel like a bad chicken owner with all of these stories, but hopefully, you’re learning from all of our mistakes! Here’s another one for you…

We installed nice, residential windows in our previous poultry palace, and in the summer, we opened the windows and utilized the standard window screens for ventilation. We thought it would be fine because the windows were 5′ off the ground so the chances of a coyote or neighbor dog getting in was quite low…

We failed to consider aerial predators – Oops!

One day, a hawk flew through the window screen, into the coop, killed one of our chickens, and flew back out. I couldn’t believe it. So, now I cover all of my windows with hardware mesh. I’d recommend doing the same!

#5: Install a chicken coop door

This one is so important and can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. A chicken coop door is installed on the coop so that the chickens can be safely locked in at night, which is typically when predators like to do their dirty work. 

A manual door using a rope pully system is pretty easy to construct and that’s something that we’ve made for several of our coops. The downside of that is that you have to be there twice a day to operate it (morning and night).

If you’re someone who is away from home a lot, an automatic chicken coop door can be a lifesaver! I’ve used a few models over the years and they are wonderful. Many of them run on batteries or solar, so if you don’t have power in your coop, you can still give these a try. *Check out my review article: The 5 BEST Automatic Chicken Coop Doors!

Watch me install one in this video!

#6: Consider fencing

Sometimes, you just can’t get the perfect coop together and I get that. When we moved to our new homestead, our chickens lived in a carport for the summer until we could build them a coop that fall. It definitely wasn’t predator-proof, so we added electric poultry netting around it and that worked well. I don’t recommend this as a long-term solution, but it works in a pinch!

You can also use electric poultry netting to provide a safe area for your flock to free range outside of their main coop. We had to implement this one summer at our last homestead when a sneaky fox moved into the neighborhood and was swiping chickens anytime they were out free-ranging.

I really didn’t want to lock them up all summer, so we went this route and it worked well until the fox moved on elsewhere.

Anytime there are woods nearby, there will be predators. The dense undergrowth provides natural habitat and cover so they can creep up to your flock without anyone noticing. If this is happening to you, adding a fence along the treeline works wonders! We installed basic cattle panel fencing affixed to T-posts and our losses declined dramatically afterward.

#7: Add a game cam

While a game cam doesn’t necessarily add protection for your chickens, it certainly helps you figure out what you’re up against. If you don’t what kind of predators are stalking your chickens, it’s really hard to formulate a game plan. Your intervention for addressing the occasional hawk during migration season is wayyyy different than a neighbor dog frequently visiting. Plus, it’s always good to have proof if it’s the latter.

Chicken Predator Deterrents

While predator-proofing your chicken coop is an absolute must, adding some deterrents is always a good move as well, especially if you let your chickens out to forage for the day. You can have the best-built coop around, but it won’t help them at all while they are out free.

Keep a rooster around.

While roosters can be noisy and aggressive, not all of them are bad. With good breeding and selection for good temperament, roosters can be a wonderful addition to the homestead by fearlessly protecting their ladies and providing fertilized eggs for hatching chicks in your incubator or via a broody hen. I highly recommend keeping one around if they are legal in your area!

And if it doesn’t work out, roosters make for delicious rooster soup! So you really can’t lose by giving them a try.

Wavy tube guy

This was a tactic we added on when we had the fox move into our neighborhood at our last homestead. We used electric poultry netting around the coop for a few months and when it was time to take it down, I was sooooo nervous!

So, we added a wavy tube guy and the transition was a non-issue! The unpredictable movements and noise from the fan are enough to make any predator think twice before approaching. We kept him up all fall until winter hit and by then, the fox had enough with the whole situation and moved on. 

We also used wavy tube guy starting on day 1 at our new homestead until we had a good understanding of the predators in the area. We didn’t lose a single chicken despite being surrounded by thousands of acres of dense forest. Woo hoo! Now, I just keep him on hand until a situation arises.

Shiny things

Aerial predators are a whole different deal and are much harder to deter and protect against. Of course, the best defense against them is leaving your chickens locked in their coop and run, but you probably like to let them out to forage (which they love!). In that case, placing shiny, moving things in the chicken yard is the best deterrent for aerial predators.

This could be anything from pie plates strung up in a tree, using shiny streamers strung on fence posts and allowed to wave in the wind, or even shiny pinwheels stuck into the ground. We used the pinwheels when we first moved to our new homestead and never had an aerial attack!

Motion sensor lights

Hopefully, you built your coop well so you don’t have to worry too much about nighttime break-ins, but it doesn’t hurt to be extra cautious. Adding a motion sensor light is an excellent way to spook off anything that tries to poke around in the dark. With egg prices at an all-time high and chicken nabbing becoming more common, it would be a good move to deter humans, too!

Radio

Using sound is a simple, inexpensive, and very effective way to keep predators away. The best sound is the human voice since most predators are afraid of humans. Set a waterproof radio on a talk radio station and you’re almost guaranteed to keep the other critters away! It also helps your flock get acclimated to the human voice if you aren’t around them a lot.

I love these models because they offer a solar panel to charge on sunny days, but also a hand crank so you can juice it up as needed on cloudy days. If it’s really dead, you can quickly power it up by using the USB port in the house.

Livestock guardian dog

A good livestock guardian dog (LGD) is likely the very best protection strategy that you can implement. However, this decision shouldn’t be made lightly. LGDs are giant dogs that need to be kept busy with jobs to do, otherwise, they can become trouble. Often, a small flock on a small acreage won’t cut it.

A livestock guardian dog should not be viewed as a traditional pet and instead be allowed to carry out their work 24/7. They typically live outdoors year-round and they love it! They are fierce protectors of their flock and not very welcoming to visiting dogs, or the postman. 

Lastly, be aware that LGDs have a tendency to “patrol” the surrounding area and often engage in nighttime barking to deter predators. Therefore, if you are on a small acreage, your neighbors may not appreciate this. LGDs are best used in rural farm areas.

Other Chicken Coop Articles You’ll Love:

• How to Make a Predator Proof Chicken Tractor
• How Much Space Do Chickens REALLY Need?
• The 5 BEST Automatic Chicken Coop Doors
• How to Build a Covered Chicken Run (Step-By-Step!)
• Chicken Coop Winterizing (6 ESSENTIAL Steps!)
• Inside a Chicken Coop: 5 Required Items (and 3 to AVOID!)

*Information in this article was referenced from personal experience and/or from my favorite chicken book Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens unless otherwise noted.