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Chicken Coop Run Fence Calculator

Estimate the hardware cloth, height, and post count needed for a predator-proof chicken run.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax
65.62 ft5.91 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.

Hardware cloth needed

68.9 linear ft of hardware cloth

Check your inputs

Predator pressure varies a lot by location — areas with persistent digging predators may warrant a wider buried apron (bent outward, not just straight down) rather than just a deeper vertical skirt.

Required roll height
6.89 ft
Posts needed
11 posts

For the dimensions entered, expect a hardware cloth needed of 68.9 linear ft of hardware cloth. Moderate confidence — sound arithmetic, but allow for the variation any real site introduces. Set for United States against IRC 2024. The market selector changes both the units and the code cited.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Hardware cloth length = run perimeter, with roll height covering above-ground fence height plus a buried skirt to deter digging predators

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

Why bury the hardware cloth instead of just staking it to the ground?
Digging predators like foxes, raccoons, and dogs will tunnel under a fence that just meets the ground — a buried or outward-bent skirt makes them hit resistance before they can dig under far enough to get through.
Does the run need a covered top too?
For protection against aerial predators (hawks, owls) and to stop birds from flying out, many keepers also cover the run with netting or hardware cloth — this calculator covers the perimeter wall only.
1/2 in or 1 in hardware cloth mesh — does it matter?
Yes — 1/2 in mesh blocks smaller predators (weasels, snakes) that can fit through a 1 in mesh, and is generally recommended over chicken wire, which mainly keeps chickens in but doesn't reliably keep small predators out.