SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/chick-hardware-cloth

Which mesh best keeps raccoons, rats and weasels out of a coop?

Use 1/2 inch hardware cloth; small openings keep out reaching paws.

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  1. 1/2 inch hardware cloth ✔
  2. 2 by 3 inch welded wire
  3. Plastic bird netting

Why: Raccoons reach through big openings, and weasels squeeze through small gaps. Strong mesh with half inch openings keeps them out.

Huh, didn't know that: Kentucky Extension says a least weasel can squeeze through a hole only 1/4 inch wide.

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What is a raccoon's least favorite fabric? Hardware cloth.
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References

Answer: 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Raccoons reach through big openings, and weasels squeeze through small gaps. Strong mesh with half inch openings keeps them out.

  1. University of Maryland Extension: Housing Requirements extension.umd.edu/resource/housing-requirements
    Use a (1/2 inch) mesh hardware cloth over windows to keep out wild birds, rodents and varmints.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. Colorado State University Extension: Chickens and Predators extension.colostate.edu/resource/chickens-and-predators
    Although 2-by-3-inch welded-wire fencing is less expensive, you will lose fewer birds if you use 1-by-2-inch mesh or smaller welded wire.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  3. University of Kentucky Extension: Predator Management for Small-scale Poultry (ID-245) publications.ca.uky.edu/files/ID245.pdf
    It can squeeze through holes as small as 1/4-inch in diameter.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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