Best Wire for Chicken Coops – Setting up a chicken coop for backyard chickens is a rewarding way to get your own supply of eggs. You’ll also have some fun and interesting pets that you can take care of.
Raising chickens is a practical way to obtain home-grown eggs without too much work. When setting up a coop, you need the best wire for chicken coops.
Both the coop itself and your chicken run should be secured so that your chickens can live safely and happily. Wire will help keep them inside and help deter predators.
Keep reading to learn about the best chicken wire options you can use to build, repair, and manage your flock. These are some of the best options around, but they are each a bit unique.
Best Wire for Chicken Coops Review
Pay attention to the qualities in our buyer’s guide, as well as the answers to common questions so that you can choose the right option for your home and ensure you have a secure coop.
Amagabeli Garden Home Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire
First up, we will look at this ½-Inch Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire, which is a hardware cloth option that meets the needs of every chicken owner with ease.
The ½-Inch Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire is a high-quality roll of galvanized hardware cloth or chicken wire, which is long enough to set up most runs.
The 19-gauge wire used to make this fencing is easy to cut with scissors, and you can shape it up as needed by simply bending the fencing since it holds its shape very well.
The openings on this hardware cloth fencing are only ½” by ½”, so you can be confident that raccoons, foxes, and other predators will have a hard time bending the fence, reaching throw, or chewing it apart.
Amagabeli Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire Pros and Cons
This long roll of high-quality chicken cloth is available in both 50 feet and 100 feet rolls, so you can save money by buying it in bulk and also make your overall construction easier since you won’t need to worry about running out.
This particular fencing has great strength and durability ratings because it is made from galvanized and welded 19-gauge wire that can stand up to the elements, protect your chickens from predators, and last for more than one or two years since the metal has been treated properly.
Some people have struggled with the huge roll because it gets looser when you unwrap it, and then you need to wrap it tighter to be able to store it easily again.
The best way to avoid this issue is to try not to buy much more fencing than you need to use or get a friend to help you rewrap it up before you put it into storage.- Different sized rolls available
- Galvanized metals last longer than comparable rolls
- Doesn’t rust easily
- Keeps predators out
- Easy to cut
- Some welds pop; can be repaired
- Difficult to roll back up
- Not as flexible as hexagonal chicken wire
YARDGARD Galvanized Fence
Next, we will look at one of the YARDGARD Galvanized Fence products; specifically, the Poultry Netting item #308419B. Let’s see what it has to offer for chicken owners looking to set up or secure their chicken coop and run.
The YARDGARD Poultry Netting is a true chicken wire made in the traditional hexagonal shape that chicken owners know and love when they want to improve or make their next chicken enclosure.
The wire used to make this fencing is a 20-gauge, hexagonal weave coated with zinc and silver for extra durability and rust-prevention.
The YARDGARD Poultry Netting comes in a 150-foot roll and is about 18 inches tall, so you may be able to finish your structure with just one roll depending on what size it is.
YARDGARD Galvanized Fence Pros and Cons
The wire used to create this particular poultry netting is galvanized before woven into the traditional hexagonal pattern, and that helps to prevent rusting. Many types of chicken wire do the coating process after the weaving method, and this can lead to quality issues with the galvanization process, so it’s good to see this difference.
Additionally, galvanizing in this way helps to retain additional flexibility in the overall fence structure, which will make it easier to shape into place and stretch as needed. With the high flexibility of the YARDGARD Poultry Netting, it needs to be secured for it to stand tall so you cannot use it as a standalone fence.
This fencing also isn’t an ideal choice for anyone who has a lot of strong predators in their area since the fence can be bent or broken through.
- Flexible
- Easy to unroll and shape into place
- Lightweight
- Galvanized, durable wire used to make the hexagonal shape
- Cannot keep strong predators out due to high flexibility
- Bends in the middle if not secured
Fencer Wire 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth
Next up is another super-strong option built for chicken owners who need to prevent all sorts of predators from breaking in the coop: the Fencer Wire 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth. This is a hardware cloth chicken fencing you can use to protect chickens in their coops or run with ease.
The Fencer Wire is a 19-gauge hardware cloth with ½” by ½” holes. Many chicken owners feel that this small size is ideal when dealing with predators.
The material used is a double-dipped, galvanized hardware cloth that is sure to stay strong, durable, and rust-free for longer than comparable options.
Fencer Galvanized Hardware Cloth Pros and Cons
This brand offers hardware cloth rolls in many different heights and sizes. This makes it easy to choose an option that will save you money or fit your project perfectly. The best way to buy is to make sure that you buy enough fencing. However, also consider how big of a roll you will be able to maneuver while setting up your coop.
Some owners have had issues with their Fencer Wire 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth arriving dented. This can happen during transit even to the most durable fence types.
Thankfully, this fencing can be bent and molded in various ways without causing much damage to the fence itself, so you can easily reshape the fence using your hands or a pair of pliers with pretty good success.
- Many different sized rolls available
- Reliable company
- Thorough galvanization method
- Great value
- Welds may break on cut edges
- Denting may need to be reshaped
Amagabeli Garden Home Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll
This ½-Inch Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll is another great fencing option for those who want to choose something on the super-strong end of the spectrum.
This hardware cloth option has a ½-inch mesh opening that is perfect for setting up a chicken coop that needs the ultimate protection from potential predators in the area.
The fencing is galvanized and double-zinc coated, which means that it is very rust-resistant and should last for a long time. While the weave is tight and well supported, it still has some flexibility to it so it can be wrapped and bent where needed.
Amagabeli Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll Pros and Cons
This is 19-gauge fencing that comes in a roll of 100-feet and a height of 36 inches. This is enough to set up nearly any coop with some fencing to spare for repairs. Thanks to the large roll size, this chicken fencing is a great value and will help to protect your chickens for years thanks to the high durability it offers.
Some owners had problems with production issues with the ½-Inch Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll, such as some large caps because of missing crosswires.
While uncommon, you can repair this type of issue easily by layering on another piece of the fencing for an extra durable section.
- Highly galvanized; great durability
- Great value
- Works for predator-proofing
- Easy to cut with wire cutters
- Potential production issues
- Can be hard to set up alone
Amagabeli Garden Home Hexagonal Chicken Wire
The last option we will introduce today is this Two-inch Hexagonal Chicken Wire 20-Gauge Mesh, which is a true chicken wire option that is good for some things and not for others.
This chicken wire is a two-inch mesh opening wire, which means that all of the hexagonal openings have a diameter of two inches. The fencing is made from a 20-gauge galvanized wire that has a good balance of durability and flexibility.
Amagabeli Garden Hexagonal Chicken Wire Pros and Cons
The Two-inch Hexagonal Chicken Wire 20-Gauge Mesh is perfect for protecting certain areas of your yard from your chickens. The wide openings are big enough to deter your chickens, but not so large that they are constricting for other activities around the yard.
While the big openings are great for keeping chickens where you want them to be, they can be easy for certain types of predators to get into your coop area.
Thus, it is best to use this type of chicken wire in conjunction with a smaller mesh on or in limited areas.
- Very flexible
- Lightweight
- Easy to install alone
- Great for controlling where chickens go
- Not predator-proof
- Durability issues
Chicken Coop Wire Buyer’s Guide
All chicken wire can, at first glance, seem to be created equally. Chicken wire is chicken wire, right? Wrong! This wire may all seem similar at first, but there are actually quite a few important differences that you should be paying attention to when shopping around for the right chicken coop wire for your setup.
The following are the features that we believe to be most important when determining which you want to invest in:
Chicken Wire Size
The first thing that you want to consider about chicken wire is the size. When talking about the size of chicken wire, you are referring to the size of the wire openings. There are many different sizes of chicken wire available. Small chicken wire is usually around ½ inches, and larger varieties can be one or two inches.
The pattern on the chicken wire is nearly always hexagonal, and the most common chicken wires are 18 or 20 gauge in weight.
The ½-inch chicken wire is most commonly used because it is pretty small and may help to prevent some predator break-ins, but you should go as small as possible.
If you can find a ¼-inch chicken wire or double up chicken wire layers to make the holes even smaller, that is a good idea to keep your chickens safe.
Chicken Wire Material
Most chicken wire is made out of some type of metal. You can find chicken wire made from metal, steel, bare steel, galvanized steel, and other coated metals, as well; the galvanized chicken wire is most common.
Galvanized metal is coated with zinc to prevent corrosion and rusting, so it is good to have galvanized items when there is a possibility of exposure to elements causing such. When you choose a chicken wire made from galvanized steel or iron, it will be less likely to rust or corrode.
You can also find chicken wire that is galvanized and also coated in plastic. The plastic coating will ensure even more additional years of use from the wire, so that can be a good choice.
Chicken wire usually rusts in about five years when used in a dry climate, and it may need to be replaced more frequently in damp climates.
Durability
The size of the overall chicken wire holes isn’t the only size-related aspect that you want to think about; there is also gauge size to consider. Gauge is the width of the wire used to create the chicken wire fence. This usually ranges from 19 to 22 when looking at the wire.
Durability and strength increase with gauge when looking at the galvanized wire, but the gauge isn’t the only thing that affects strength. The overall strength of the chicken wire will depend on how tight the weave is; chicken wire that has a high gauge and small holes, such as a ½-inch wire, will be solid.
Strong chicken wire is important for ensuring that it won’t get bent out of shape easily, it won’t break down easily, and will help to keep predators out.
Should you need to find something even stronger than chicken wire to protect against extra-determined predators, using hardware cloth can be a good choice. You’ll find a few examples of that powerful material on this list.
Cost
It would be best if you consider what your budget is for chicken wire. You must also know how much is reasonable to pay for each foot of wire. The cost is usually related to weave tightness, and the gauge of the wire used to make the fence.
Chicken Coop Wire FAQs
How Do You Attach Chicken Wire to a Coop?
When using chicken wire, you need to be sure that you attach it to the coop properly. You want to ensure chickens won’t escape their designated areas. Also, you want to secure it so predators are not able to break into the coop.
If using a T-post to attach your wires, you can hook the wire into the tabs on the post and then use pliers to squeeze those same metal tabs shut for a secure attachment.
If you are attaching chicken wire directly to a coop or something like a fence post, you can also use staples to attach each row of chicken wire, provided that you make sure the fence is level and taut.
What Is Stronger Than Chicken Wire?
Chicken wire is not always going to be the right option for your chicken coop even though its name might make it seem like that is the best option. In many areas, the chicken wire wouldn’t be strong enough to keep predators out of the coop, but there are workarounds that you can try, such as extending the wire out from the coop or digging it into the ground.
However, you might just need a different material altogether. Another option that you can use to protect your chickens is hardware cloth, another type of wire mesh fencing that is commonly used with chicken coops and runs.
Hardware cloth is a very durable wire mesh made from thick gauge wire, has small openings, and is welded at the corners to ensure that it cannot be easily ripped or torn by animals trying to break into your coop.
If you need to find something stronger than chicken wire, we recommend hardware cloth. You could even use a combination of both!
Can Chickens Stand on Chicken Wire?
Chickens can stand on chicken wire. However, there is a chance that it will begin to hurt their feet over time. Additionally, their nails won’t wear down naturally. Therefore, having a mesh floor isn’t the best idea for most chickens.
Ideally, you want to use something soft and natural for them to walk around on. Examples include pine shavings or other types of shavings.
How Do You Make Chicken Wire Tighter?
To be able to attach and secure the chicken wire with the right tension is a real skill. It will take some practice to get it right. The chicken wire itself is quite flexible. It doesn’t lend much support to you when you are trying to get it into place. This means that while you are attaching it to a coop, fence, or other boards, you will need to know how to stretch it so that it is taut and secure.
Here are some tips and tricks that you should use when you are trying to get your chicken wire attached properly.
They will help to ensure that it is as tight as it needs to be:
- Get some help. Having one person on each end of a wire section will make stretching easier.
- Set your posts before you cut any pieces so that they don’t get cut too loose.
- Lay the wire next to where you will put it up after you unroll it and walk on it to get the kinks out and begin the stretching process.
- Only unroll as much as you need for each post section, and stop to walk on it between those moments.
If that method doesn’t work for you, don’t despair; there are other ways to build your wire sections, too.
In this video, the chicken owner demonstrates how he is making a single fence section and making the chicken wire tighter than before:
Can Raccoons Bite Through Chicken Wire?
There are ways for raccoons to get through chicken wire. It is even possible for them to chew through the chicken wire if they are really determined to get into the coop. This, however, won’t always be their first choice.
If the holes are big enough or the wire isn’t strong enough, some raccoons will be able to pull the wire apart with their tiny hands. They are quite strong!
Chicken owners plagued with raccoon thieves stealing their eggs may want to add hardware cloth to their chicken wire fences. Hardware cloth is a tougher type of fencing that has even smaller holes than chicken wire. It’s usually around ¼ inches. Type of fencing protection is nearly impossible for raccoons to get through if it is secured properly.
Best Wire for Chicken Coops Recommendation
Now that you’ve learned about what is the best wire for chicken coops building, it is time for you to choose your own chicken wire. Among the options reviewed, we find that the ½-Inch Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire stands out as the best option.
This hardware cloth is stronger than traditional chicken wire. That is why it is the chicken fencing that most chicken owners turn to when they are setting up and securing their coop.
This type of solid fencing is sure to keep your chickens in place. At the same time, it will ensure their safety from any passing predators. It will also help secure their eggs safe in their chicken nesting boxes. That is key when you want to have a successful chicken operation!
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