New Here, and Building a Coop

[Mother of Chaos]

This, or similar brand, is what you want:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Acorn-International-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-10-ft-Hardware-Cloth/1001876728

19 gauge or smaller number (weirdly, smaller number is better, so 19 is better than 23, for instance), 1/2” square openings, of whatever height and length you want.

Gauge (again, lower number is stronger/ better) is more important than opening size, as long as the size is small, not 1”x2”, for instance. So generally, the choice is between 19-gauge 1/2” openings vs 23-gauge 1/4” openings. The bolded one is better.

For other readers, 1”x2”, etc, is not good as the sole fencing. Raccoons can and will reach through these openings and grab a chicken by its leg or head, pull the body part through the opening, and eat it while the chicken is trapped against the fence. 1”x2” etc can be good as reinforcement, but not on its own.

 

[billrigsby]

Squirrels, birds, mice, rats, snakes. Raccoons can reach through. If you're doing electric that should help exclude anything bigger though.

My top suggestion would be to swap out the chicken wire on the coop for hardware cloth so that's more secure, to keep out rodents and snakes. You can often get by on a run that's less secure, but coops should be as secure as possible since nighttime incursions are harder to deal with, and chickens are sitting ducks at night.

At my elevation snakes are kind of a non-existent phenomenon with the exception of maybe garter snakes but I'm yet to see one.
Newbie question but are mice, meaning field mice, never seen a rat here either but are mice and basically rats and actual threat to chickens?
I think from what I've been reading my biggest concern is going to be the raccoons and the fox, I've only seen one I can tell from his markings but I'm sure there's more than one.
Coyotes, I hear them off in the distance never seen one on the property.
I think I've mentioned a bear roamed through the property last year, but based on all the camera angles I caught he wasn't interested in anything around here he was just walking through.
I'll add the hardware cloth on the inside of the coop as an additional deterrent.
Probably also will add some around the base of the chain link run again just as a deterrent.
I appreciate everyone's comments since this is my first go at a chicken coop, fortunately I've got all winter to get this sewn up tight.

 

[billrigsby]

This, or similar brand, is what you want:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Acorn-International-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-10-ft-Hardware-Cloth/1001876728

19 gauge or smaller number (weirdly, smaller number is better, so 19 is better than 23, for instance), 1/2” square openings, of whatever height and length you want.

Yes, just like wire (I guess technically it is wire)
22 is very small 2 is about a half inch round!
Thank you.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I ended up putting a brick or two under my ramp to reduce the slope to make it comfortable for the chickens after I had it all built. They enjoy it better and don't mind the jump even as they, when chicks, first got introduced to the coop.
So, build it and put something under the ramp to elevate it to an angle they like later, especially since they can jump up to 2 ft without using their wings.
Everyone's ideas about securing the coop would be great. Raccoon proof means actual locks, not just latches, on any doors. There are some great guides on how to attach skirts to your coop and run to prevent digging. Additionally, if you are prone to marsh, rain, or snow, there are some more posts about building your coop to reduce any possible issues during problematic seasons. I'd link some, but I do not want to dissuade you from looking around at a variety of posts to get wisdom from the crowd.

 

[tripletfeb]

Yes, still need to put a hinged lid on top of that set of boxes.

Make it raccoon proof, with latches. They say that if a toddler can open it, then a raccoon can. I like your setup so far, and the paint color is just like mine!

 

[rosemarythyme]

are mice and basically rats and actual threat to chickens?

Mainly they're pests - they eat feed, they carry diseases. Rats can possibly injure chickens by biting their feet or can kill chicks, but that's less likely than other predators.

I think from what I've been reading my biggest concern is going to be the raccoons and the fox, I've only seen one I can tell from his markings but I'm sure there's more than one.
Coyotes, I hear them off in the distance never seen one on the property.
I think I've mentioned a bear roamed through the property last year, but based on all the camera angles I caught he wasn't interested in anything around here he was just walking through.
I'll add the hardware cloth on the inside of the coop as an additional deterrent.
Probably also will add some around the base of the chain link run again just as a deterrent.
I appreciate everyone's comments since this is my first go at a chicken coop, fortunately I've got all winter to get this sewn up tight.

I also have a local black bear and honestly if it's going to break in, it's going to break in (I don't have electricity) - thankfully she and her cubs are lazy urbanized bears so they mainly go for trash, a fenced run is too much work.

Raccoon, at minimum you want enough hardware cloth around the lower 2-3' of the run to prevent reachthroughs as that's a method they like using to kill chickens. Foxes dig, so an apron 18-24" out from the base of the run and held down by landscape staples will help ward off dig ins.