Wow, that's quite the epic, Lee the Hen! Didn't realize that it was quite so problematic to raise chickens. Two neighbors when I was in Arizona had chickens. One had free rangers that generally roosted in the trees. A fox did get to some in the coop I believe. The other neighbor's were penned and had a problem with a skunk. Are there animals that will protect them especially from the dogs, like geese. Burros and mules are very protective from what I have read. Don't know how they might be with chickens.