Don't worry about the snakes/rats or predators other than bears. If you're doing hardware cloth you're eliminating them. (I have hardware cloth on the bottom also, topped with cinder blocks so nothing can dig up, and flooding water can flow through. Always dry=doesn't smell) Make your coop/run big enough and with a roof over both(hawks!), so that all your chickens are happy when they have to be inside for prolonged periods. Rain, snow, floods, etc can keep them inside. Build that coop/run in the deepest shade you can find on the property. Chickens struggle with the heat far more than the cold. I have a fan running in the coop/run nonstop in our hot summer months. I freeze 16 oz. bottles filled with water and place them in their waterers, changing water several times a day in extreme heat. The chickens also have a foot bath available to help them cool off, they love standing in a few inches of water to cool off. I only do that in the coop part where there's sand, to eliminate chance of odors. The sand dries out pretty fast from the fan. They also appreciate A big chunk of cold watermelon on those hot days. Oh, forgot to mention open air coops instead of solid walls. You can wrap those walls in winter, but the most air flow they have, the better. Welcome to Kentucky, hope you love it as much as I do!
Ps. Your chickens will eat those ticks if you have them in your yard. Give them a few hours running around outside everyday.
