Building a Chicken Coop: Choosing the Correct Wire Mesh

When building a chicken coop, one of your primary concerns should be your choice of wire mesh. The wire mesh is one of the most significant design considerations in keeping your chickens safely secured inside the chicken coop or run while keeping pests and predators away from your precious pets.

There are many types of wire mesh commercially available to the urban smallholder or chicken keeper. The most common of these being galvanized, twisted ‘chicken wire’ or ‘chicken mesh’.

It is made from a thin galvanized wire of approximately 19 (1mm) - 22 (0.7mm) gauge which is woven or twisted into a mesh with hexagonal openings. Mesh sizes vary according to requirements but for chickens a mesh size of about 1” (25mm) is ideal. As a general rule though, smaller openings make the overall mesh panel a little stronger so using ½” (12mm) is one simple step towards providing better protection.
Galvanising ensures the wire is weatherproof and not prone to degradation through rusting or exposure to the elements.

This standard chicken wire has many advantages and is usually more than adequate for use on a small urban chicken coop or run.
It is usually relatively inexpensive, is readily available and is easy to cut and handle so its an obvious choice for most when building a chicken coop at home.

But while standard chicken wire is effective at keeping chickens in, it isn’t always effective at keeping larger predators out.
A fox, mink, coyote or even a family dog, given enough time undisturbed, will eventually paw its way through the thin wire and easily make a hole big enough to gain entry to the chicken coop.

So while this might not be too much of a problem for an urban coop that’s easily watched from the window , a more secluded or detached coop could well benefit from using a stronger and therefore more durable and secure type of wire mesh.

In general, building a chicken coop is a relatively inexpensive undertaking so it makes sense to spend a little more money on using a quality welded mesh that will ensure the safety of its occupants once finished.

Welded wire mesh is not only much stronger but gives a much more attractive finish to the chicken coop when used correctly and neatly fitted.

Unlike chicken wire, welded mesh is made by laying evenly spaced strands of steel wire at 90 degrees and welding each individual joint securely in together. The finished welded mesh is then dipped in hot galvanise to prevent rusting.

Welding the wire together ensures there is no movement in the mesh when pressure is applied and therefore makes the mesh panel much stronger overall.

No matter how strong a mesh you use however, It will be of little use if its not securely fixed to the inside of the wooden frame. Failing to get this right is one of the most common reasons for foxes getting inside the chicken coop.

When building the chicken coop you can easily fit the wire to the frame using staples but to make it as secure as possible its essential to fix a sturdy wooden batten or lath over the wire mesh where it meets the frame and secure it in place with nails or screws.

If your chicken coop is in a very visible area such as a small urban garden you will probably want to pay more attention to the aesthetics of the finished coop. A nice touch, and a simple inexpensive one, to enhance the visual appeal of your chicken coop is to paint the wire mesh with a matt black paint once it is fixed in place on the timber frames.

This has the effect of reducing the amount of light reflected by the wire and at a distance, the mesh appears almost invisible, making your chickens much easier to see inside the coop.

The benefits of using a better quality wire mesh in your coop will far outweigh the small additional cost so before you begin building a chicken coop, paying some attention to these small details in design will not only produce an attractive coop but will keep your chickens safe from predators for many years to come.

See also ~ Choosing a roofing material  for your chicken coop