Yes, rats can chew through chicken wire. Standard chicken wire is made from thin steel wire twisted into a hexagonal pattern, and most varieties use wire between 0.4mm and 1.0mm thick. That’s thin enough for a rat’s teeth to gnaw through with sustained effort. Even when the wire itself holds up, the hexagonal openings in chicken wire are often large enough for rats to squeeze through without chewing at all.
Why Chicken Wire Fails Against Rats
Chicken wire was designed to keep chickens contained, not to keep predators or rodents out. It has two vulnerabilities that rats exploit. First, the wire itself is light gauge steel, typically between BWG 22 and BWG 27 depending on the mesh size. Rats can chew through anything softer than their teeth, and thin-gauge wire bends, weakens, and eventually snaps under repeated gnawing. A determined rat working on a single strand can break through in a matter of hours.
Second, the openings are too large. Chicken wire commonly comes in 1-inch (25mm) and 2-inch (50mm) hex sizes. An adult rat can squeeze through a round hole as small as 25mm (about one inch) in diameter, and a horizontal gap of just 12mm (half an inch). Young rats fit through even smaller openings. So a rat doesn’t necessarily need to chew at all if your chicken wire has 1-inch or larger openings. It can simply push through.
What to Use Instead: Hardware Cloth
Hardware cloth is the standard recommendation for rodent-proofing. It looks similar to chicken wire at a glance but is built differently. Instead of thin twisted hexagonal wire, hardware cloth uses a grid of welded or woven wire in a rectangular pattern. The wire is noticeably thicker, and the openings are smaller and more uniform.
For rat exclusion specifically, the University of Nebraska Extension recommends 19-gauge hardware cloth with 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch openings. If you also want to keep mice out, step down to 24-gauge wire with 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch mesh. Galvanized or stainless steel versions resist corrosion and last significantly longer than uncoated wire, which typically degrades within 5 to 10 years depending on moisture exposure.
The thicker wire diameter is what makes the real difference. Hardware cloth is much harder for a rat to get its teeth around and apply enough pressure to sever. Combined with the smaller grid size, it eliminates both the chewing and squeezing routes that chicken wire leaves open.
Rats Also Dig Under Fencing
Even perfect above-ground fencing won’t stop rats if it ends at ground level. Rats are strong burrowers, and they’ll tunnel underneath a barrier they can’t chew through. There are two approaches to stopping this: burying a vertical wall of hardware cloth or laying a horizontal apron along the ground.
Vertical burial needs to go deep. Chicken keepers who buried hardware cloth 6 to 8 inches below grade have reported rats tunneling underneath. Even 18 inches isn’t always enough for determined rats. A horizontal apron, where you lay a strip of hardware cloth flat on the ground extending outward from the base of the fence, is often more effective and far easier to install. When a rat digs down at the fence line, it hits the horizontal mesh and can’t get past it. An apron extending 12 to 18 inches outward from the fence base covers the zone where rats dig.
You can secure the apron with landscape staples and let grass grow over it. Over time it becomes invisible while still blocking tunnelers.
If You Already Have Chicken Wire Installed
You don’t necessarily have to tear out existing chicken wire to upgrade. Many people layer 1/2-inch hardware cloth over or behind their chicken wire, attaching it with zip ties or wire clips. This gives you the structural benefit of both materials. The chicken wire still helps contain birds, and the hardware cloth handles predator and rodent defense.
Pay attention to doors, corners, and seams. Rats target the weakest point, and a gap where two panels meet or where wire attaches to a wooden frame is often easier to exploit than the mesh itself. Overlap panels by at least 2 inches and secure every few inches along the seam. Where hardware cloth meets wood framing, use screws and washers rather than staples, which rats can pry loose over time.
Quick Comparison: Chicken Wire vs. Hardware Cloth
- Wire thickness: Chicken wire typically ranges from 0.4mm to 1.0mm. Hardware cloth at 19 gauge is about 1.1mm, and heavier gauges go thicker.
- Opening size: Chicken wire ranges from 1/2 inch to 4 inches. Rat-proof hardware cloth uses 1/2-inch openings; mouse-proof uses 1/4-inch.
- Construction: Chicken wire is twisted hexagonal mesh that flexes easily. Hardware cloth is welded or woven rectangular grid that holds its shape.
- Cost: Hardware cloth costs more per square foot, but galvanized versions last significantly longer, making the lifetime cost comparable.
- Rat resistance: Chicken wire offers minimal resistance to chewing and none to squeezing. Hardware cloth in the right gauge and mesh size stops both.
If you’re protecting a chicken coop, garden bed, or compost bin from rats, chicken wire alone won’t do the job. Replacing it with or reinforcing it using 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth, secured tightly at all seams and extended below ground level, is the most reliable solution.