Hardware cloth to block mice

[Justso]

I'd be interested to know your opinion on whether hardware cloth will block out mice or not. I have a sensitive area that has repeat infestation. Thanks for your contribution!

 

[NanaKat]

1/4 inch is better than 1/2 inch. Any hole thru which a mouse can get its head, the body can follow. So inspect carefully and plug or cover any areas in question.
Nothing is foolproof for the these gnawing little buggers.
Best defense is a barn cat.

 

[DobieLover]

I'd be interested to know your opinion on whether hardware cloth will block out mice or not. I have a sensitive area that has repeat infestation. Thanks for your contribution!

I use 1/2" and don't have a problem but young mice could get through.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The larger your coop and run the harder it is to keep all mice out. Doors, windows, and corners where materials come together can be a weak point. Mice can really climb well. They can dig under ground. If you let them out to forage a mouse can get in when the gate is open. So can snakes and other things. I had a possum do that once. It's not just how you build it but how you manage it.

Is it possible? Yes. Is iot easy? No.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I use 1/2" and don't have a problem but young mice could get through.

Same, but we don't have a big mouse issue. Rats on the other hand...

 

[ColoradoPip]

I've had mice continually get through hardware cloth. I even found one glutton stuck in the hardware cloth trying to escape after it had eaten a bit too much the previous night!

 

[Justso]

Same, but we don't have a big mouse issue. Rats on the other hand...

 

[Justso]

I've had mice continually get through hardware cloth. I even found one glutton stuck in the hardware cloth trying to escape after it had eaten a bit too much the previous night!

I hope your chickens ate it! I've had that happen, very brutal and makes me think of dinos.

 

[Mimi13]

I have 1/2” HC and I have only noticed a tiny black snake weaving in and out through it. Open doors/pop doors are an invitation to larger varmints, but they usually aren’t out roaming during the day when they are open. Except for a dang rattlesnake last year! Yeah, he slithered right on in through the door of my coop that is built on the ground. No foundation like my other one. Even though my chickens love that dirt floor, I would rethink that type flooring if doing it again.

Look for all the spots the HC joins. If there is any gap at all in the connection, anything is game. Nice, rats, snakes and more.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Except for a dang rattlesnake last year!

I enjoyed your entire post. I'm kind of surprised your chickens didn't try to eat that black snake. probably didn't see it. Mine love to catch and eat frogs and small snakes among other creepy crawlies. If I toss them a mouse I catch in a snap trap they'll eat it but they often don't go after a live mouse. Unless they are in the open those mice are really quick.

I once found a possum in my coop late afternoon, pretty much at dusk. Came in through the pop door. I've found a few black snakes in there too, sometimes in the morning but also during the day. A snake often tries to get back out the way it came in. That can help you find weak spots if you surprise them more than they surprise you. While predators are more of a risk at night that's not because they are not out as much. Many like bobcat, fox, coyote, dogs, and snakes are out a lot during the day and I've trapped a raccoon right at lunchtime. Human activity tends to keep them away during the day but I've even seen a possum eating at my compost pile in the middle of a bright day. I'll admit that one really surprised me.

Snakes can climb really well. A few times when I go down there at might I've seen a pretty big black snake clinging to the outside wall of the coop, practically to the roof, I think looking for a way in. I would not expect elevating a coop to provide that much protection, not after seeing that.