We have about 30 chickens; 12 are ornamental silkies which we sell the chicks in spring and summer. They have a separate coop and yard to themselves. The remainder are various breeds and barnyard mix that on average supply around 6-8 eggs a day. We started with about 8 hens and one roo given to us by a neighbor. We built an elevated wood coop and fenced it on about 1/4 acre so they could free range safely. Or so we thought.
The first year we had hawks and owls, foxes, raccoons and coyotes coming around so we added 2 hot wires to the fencing, one 12 inches above ground and one as a top wire. The top wire fried a couple of owls and hawks within the first 2 weeks. The bottom wire shocked the daylights out of a couple of coons, which never came back.
Over the years we have fenced 3 acres around the house, which includes both chicken yards and added 6 large dogs who roam the compound so we don’t have any more trouble with predators.
Besides, chickens and ducks are funny! If we get in a bad mood, we drag up a chair near the big chicken yard and in minutes we are laughing.