Thank you for this great article! We just lost our first chicken to a fox this morning. I try to let them out to free range a little each day. It does not seem fair to keep them locked up in a little coop every day. I think with the shorter days I just let them out too early, and a fox snatched my favorite while we were getting ready for school in the morning. I agree that a shorter lifespan with many happy days is better than a longer life all cooped up. Nevertheless, I am so sad to see her gone.
