Gap Size?

[5am]

My new coop has just gone up and I'm going to move the existing coop (right hand side) inside it to get the birds used to the new coop. My question is how big of a gap is predator proof? There are gaps of up to about an inch between the boards and around the doors (not pictured). I can put hardware cloth on the inside of the boards but the doors may need more work.

 

[NatJ]

My question is how big of a gap is predator proof? There are gaps of up to about an inch between the boards and around the doors (not pictured). I can put hardware cloth on the inside of the boards but the doors may need more work.

Covering all the gaps would be a good idea, but I would start with the ones closest to the roosts, and deal with the door last.

As regards how big a gap is predator proof, it really depends on the predator.

A dog cannot go through a one-inch gap. It cannot fit its mouth through either, and does not usually reach through with a paw to grab things.

A raccoon cannot crawl through a one-inch gap, but can reach through and grab chickens if any chickens are close enough to grab. Other animals that reach with their paws can also be a danger (example: cat).

A weasel can probably crawl in through a one-inch gap, so it would definitely be a danger.

Some snakes can crawl through a one-inch gap. That size snake is more dangerous to eggs and young chicks than to larger chickens.

A rat might crawl through a one-inch gap, and a mouse certainly would. They are more likely to eat the chickens' food than the chickens themselves, although rats certainly can be a danger to young chicks too.

Small chicks might also walk through a one-inch gap (especially likely with bantam chicks), but this would not matter if you do not brood chicks in that pen.



I would say that a one-inch gap near the roosts, where the chickens sleep at night, is a BIG problem. (The gaps between the boards might fall in this category.) They would be vulnerable to small predators (like weasels) and predators that reach through (like raccoons.)

A one-inch gap in just one place, away from where the chickens sleep, would be a smaller problem (just as much danger from weasels, but a raccoon can only reach so far: chickens who are awake can move out of reach, and chickens sleeping well away from the gap will also be safe from a reaching raccoon at night.)

Edit to add another thought:
1/2 inch gaps are usually considered small enough to keep out the paws of raccoons, along with the body of a weasel or a rat. Small mice can sometimes squeeze through a 1/2 inch gap, but would be stopped by 1/4 inch.

People often recommend hardware cloth with 1/2" holes as a good solution: keeps out almost all things (except small mice), and is fairly sturdy. In this case, where you have the boards, you might consider lining it with 1/4 inch hardware cloth (not as strong as the 1/2" stuff, because it's made from thinner wire, but even better at keeping out small creatures. Because the boards are already there, you have plenty of protection against big creatures in that area, so the small holes might be more valuable in this case, rather than the stronger wires/bigger holes of 1/2" hardware cloth.)

 

[tlcmurphy]

 

[5am]

Fantastic - thank you, @NatJ!