My flock of Buff Orps are locked up safe in their coop at night but I was letting them free range unfenced during the day. I was planning on putting them in the chicken tractor but they were so happy scratching and pecking and dust bathing around the barn. They never went more than 20 yards from the coop and always returned to lay or roost, ran towards me when I was out with them and followed me around the gardens. I was talking to a neighbour at the front of the house and saw 2 of my girls running towards us, they never come down to the house. I figured something spooked them, decided to round them up and do a head count, 2 missing!! Found 2 piles of feathers behind the barn and coyote tracks dotted with feathers all the way to the boundary fence. Looks like coyotes ran away with my 2 favorite old girls. They were 4+ years old and still laid giant eggs for me a couple times a week. I feel so guilty that I didn't tractor them and thought I was being so kind giving them some freedom. Very hard lesson learned today.