6 Wire Mesh Fences For Small Animals That Prevent Common Escapes

There’s no worse feeling than walking out to the barn and seeing an empty pen. A latch left undone, a corner dug out, a wire chewed through—it’s a problem every small farmer faces eventually. The right fence isn’t just a boundary; it’s your first and best line of defense for keeping your animals safe and your garden intact. Choosing the correct wire mesh is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make, saving you countless hours of worry and repair down the road.

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Matching Wire Mesh to Your Animal’s Needs

The perfect fence for a flock of chickens is a terrible choice for a pair of goats. Before you buy a single roll of wire, you have to think like your animal. Are they a digger, a climber, a chewer, or a jumper? A rabbit will exploit any weakness at ground level, while a goat will test the height and rigidity of the entire structure.

Consider the animal’s size, both now and when it’s fully grown. A mesh that holds a baby goat might be easily broken by its adult self. You also need to assess the predator pressure in your area. A simple poultry net might keep chickens in, but it does almost nothing to keep a determined raccoon or fox out.

Your choice comes down to balancing three key factors:

• Mesh Opening: Is it small enough to prevent your animal from squeezing through or getting its head stuck?
• Wire Gauge: How thick and strong is the wire? A lower gauge number means a thicker, stronger wire.
• Construction: Is the wire welded or woven? Welded wire is rigid and holds its shape, while woven wire (like field fence) has more give and can better absorb impact.

1/2-Inch Hardware Cloth for Burrowing Pests

Hardware cloth isn’t your main fence; it’s your secret weapon. This rigid, welded mesh with tiny 1/2-inch or 1/4-inch openings is the ultimate barrier against small, determined animals. If you’re raising rabbits, this is non-negotiable for lining the floor and lower walls of their enclosure to stop them from digging out.

Its real value shines in fortification. Use it to block gaps under gates, cover windows on a coop, or reinforce the bottom 24 inches of a less-sturdy fence. Weasels, rats, and snakes can slip through surprisingly small openings, but they can’t get through hardware cloth. It’s your best defense against predators that kill or steal young birds.

While you wouldn’t build a whole pasture fence from it due to cost, think of hardware cloth as targeted security. Installing a two-foot-high barrier along the base of a chicken run, with one foot buried underground, creates a nearly impenetrable shield against digging predators and escaping poultry. It’s an upfront investment in labor and materials that pays off in peace of mind.

Yardgard Welded Wire for General Enclosures

When you need a solid, all-purpose fence, welded wire is often the answer. Typically sold in a 2-inch by 4-inch mesh, this is a fantastic choice for permanent chicken runs, rabbit colonies, and enclosures for medium-sized dogs. The welds make it rigid, so it doesn’t sag as much as chicken wire and is much harder for an animal to push through.

The key here is choosing the right gauge. A 14-gauge wire is a good, sturdy starting point for most applications. For animals that might lean or push against the fence, stepping up to a 12.5-gauge provides a significant increase in strength without a massive jump in price. This material is strong enough to keep most mid-sized predators at bay, though a truly determined coyote could potentially break a weld.

The versatility of this fence is its greatest strength. You can easily cut it with wire snips to create gates or fit it around obstacles. Because it holds its shape, it’s relatively easy for one person to install with T-posts or wooden posts. It strikes the perfect balance between affordability, strength, and ease of use for many hobby farm projects.

Everbilt Poultry Netting for Chicken Runs

Poultry netting, or "chicken wire," is what most people picture when they think of a farm fence. Its hexagonal, twisted-wire design is lightweight, flexible, and inexpensive. This makes it an excellent choice for temporary fencing, creating internal divisions within a run, or covering the top of an enclosure to protect against aerial predators like hawks.

However, you must be realistic about its limitations. Poultry netting is a containment barrier, not a predator barrier. Its thin-gauge wire can be easily chewed through by a raccoon, opossum, or fox. It is designed to keep chickens in a designated area, and for that purpose, it works perfectly well.

Use poultry netting where predator pressure is low or for daytime-only enclosures. It’s also fantastic for protecting young garden beds from curious chickens without creating a heavy, permanent structure. Just don’t rely on it as your sole line of defense for your coop overnight.

Premier 1 Electric Netting for Pastured Poultry

For anyone raising poultry on pasture, electric netting is a game-changer. This isn’t a physical barrier; it’s a psychological one. The fence consists of plastic posts pre-threaded with poly-wire lines, with the vertical strands providing structure but not conductivity. It’s incredibly easy to set up, move, and take down, making it perfect for rotational grazing systems that improve soil health and give birds fresh forage.

The key to its effectiveness is a properly sized and grounded fence charger. The sharp, short shock delivered by the fence teaches predators and livestock to respect the boundary. It is remarkably effective against foxes, coyotes, and wandering dogs. It also keeps your chickens or turkeys exactly where you want them, preventing them from wandering off.

The main tradeoff is maintenance. You have to keep the bottom wire clear of tall grass and weeds, which can ground out the fence and drain its power. You also need to test the voltage regularly to ensure it’s hot enough to be effective. But for the flexibility and protection it offers, the minimal upkeep is well worth it.

Red Brand No-Climb Fence for Goats and Sheep

Goats are notorious escape artists, and a standard welded wire fence is often just a challenge to them. They’ll climb it, rub against it, and stick their heads through it, often getting stuck. Red Brand’s No-Climb Horse Fence, with its 2-inch by 4-inch woven mesh, solves these problems brilliantly.

The "no-climb" name comes from the small mesh openings, which prevent a hoof from getting a foothold. The woven "knots" at each wire intersection give the fence flexibility, allowing it to absorb the impact of an animal running into it without breaking. Unlike welded wire, which can snap under pressure, woven wire gives and springs back.

This is a premium, long-term investment. It’s more expensive and requires more substantial bracing than lighter fences, but it’s built to last for decades. For valuable livestock or animals known for testing boundaries, the security of a no-climb fence prevents injuries to the animal and damage to the fence itself, saving you money and stress in the long run.

Bekaert 4-Gauge Welded Wire for Strong Animals

When you need uncompromising strength, you move to heavy-gauge welded wire panels. Often sold as "hog panels" or "cattle panels," these are typically 16 feet long and made from incredibly thick 4-gauge wire. This isn’t a fence you can roll up and carry; it’s a rigid, structural element.

These panels are the ideal solution for containing animals that push, lean, or root with immense force, like pigs or very large, determined dogs. The thick wire and strong welds are virtually indestructible by small livestock. You can set them up with T-posts for a sturdy fence in minutes, or attach them to wooden posts for a permanent, fortress-like enclosure.

Because of their rigidity, these panels are also incredibly versatile for other farm projects. You can bend them into arches to create sturdy trellises for vining crops, build compost bins, or form the structure for a small greenhouse. While overkill for chickens, they are the right tool for high-pressure areas, like a small holding pen or a heavy-use gate area.

Burying the Apron: A Key Installation Tip

No matter which fence you choose, a determined digger can undermine it. Animals like rabbits, foxes, and coyotes don’t try to go through a fence—they go under it. The most effective way to stop them is by installing a "fence apron."

An apron is created by leaving an extra 12 to 18 inches of fencing material at the bottom. Instead of trimming it, you bend it outward at a 90-degree angle, laying it flat on the ground away from the enclosure. You can then stake it down with landscape staples and cover it with soil, rocks, or mulch.

When a predator or your own animal tries to dig at the fence line, their paws hit this buried wire mesh. Their instinct is to dig right at the vertical barrier, and they simply can’t get past the horizontal apron. This single installation technique is more effective at stopping diggers than a deeper or stronger fence. It takes extra time during setup but permanently solves one of the most common escape and intrusion problems.

A good fence is an active participant in the health and safety of your farm. By matching the wire mesh to your animal’s nature and the local predator risks, you move from reacting to escapes to preventing them entirely. Plan your fence as carefully as you plan your flock or herd, and you’ll spend less time mending wires and more time enjoying your homestead.