🛡️ The 1.6mm Security Audit: Is Your Coop a Fortress?

Is your mesh at least 1.6mm thick?

Standard chicken wire is only 0.7–1.0mm and a fox can bite through it. Measure your mesh gauge — anything under 1.6mm welded steel is a risk.

Are gaps 12.5mm × 12.5mm or smaller?

Snakes as thin as a finger can squeeze through 25mm gaps. Only 12.5mm aperture mesh stops both snakes and rodents from reaching eggs and chicks.

Do you have a mesh floor or a 400mm buried apron?

Foxes dig. Either lay mesh under the coop floor, or bury a 400mm-wide apron of welded mesh around the entire perimeter angled outward.

Are doors secured with spring-loaded latches or carabiners?

Foxes can flip simple slide-bolt latches. Use carabiners, padlocks, or two-step latches on every door, pop hole, and nest box lid.

Can you fit a thumb through any join or gap?

Walk around your coop and press your thumb against every join, corner, and panel edge. If your thumb fits through, a snake can too. Seal it with mesh or timber.