Building a Predator Proof Chicken Coop in New Zealand

A good coop does two jobs. It keeps your hens dry and comfortable through New Zealand weather, and it keeps predators out. New Zealand has no foxes, but it has a serious lineup of introduced predators that will kill a flock overnight, so predator proofing is the part you cannot afford to get wrong.

This page covers what a coop needs, the predators you are defending against, and how to weatherproof the whole setup so it lasts. Get these right at the start and the day to day of chicken keeping becomes the easy, pleasant routine it should be.

What a coop needs

The basics are simple. A dry, draught free house for sleeping, raised off the ground, with roosting bars and a nesting box or two. Good ventilation up high to clear moisture without creating a draught at roost level. An attached run gives the birds room to scratch safely during the day, and a secure door you can shut at night.

• Roughly one nesting box per three or four hens
• Roosting bars set higher than the nest boxes so birds sleep on the perch, not in the nests
• Solid, lockable doors and an enclosed run
• Easy access for collecting eggs and cleaning out

New Zealand predators to defend against

The mustelids are the real threat here. Stoats, ferrets and weasels were introduced in the 1880s and they are fast, fierce and excellent climbers that hunt mainly at night. A stoat will kill far more than it can eat, and can squeeze through tiny gaps. Roaming dogs are the other major danger, often killing for sport and taking several birds at once. Hawks and falcons take birds in daylight, and rats raid eggs, chicks and spilled feed.

Defending against this lineup means thinking about climbers, diggers and gaps, not just a simple fence.

• Use small gauge galvanised mesh, not flimsy chicken netting, which mustelids and rats push through
• Bury or skirt the mesh outward at ground level to stop diggers getting under
• Close every gap, vent and pipe with mesh, since a stoat fits through a surprisingly small hole
• Cover the run from above where hawks are about, and to stop climbers dropping in
• Shut the birds in every night without fail, because dusk and dark are when most attacks happen
• Keep feed in sealed bins and clean up spills so you are not feeding the rats

Weatherproofing for the New Zealand climate

New Zealand weather swings from driving rain to hard frosts to summer heat, sometimes in a week, and the coop has to handle all of it. Damp is the enemy, because a wet coop breeds disease and chills birds. Position the house so the prevailing wind and rain hit a solid wall, and angle the roof so water runs well clear of the run.

Raise the house off the ground to keep the floor dry and discourage rats from nesting underneath. Provide shade in summer and a sheltered, draught free corner for winter. Good drainage in the run stops it turning into a mud bath in a wet Kiwi winter, which keeps both the birds and your boots a lot happier.