Placement of coop in yard

[cornishhen1]

Hi there, I'm new to chickens having just begun raising 2 hens. I'd like to have a few more but want to make sure I get this right. We live in Massachusetts and the weather can get cold and snowy during the winter so figuring out proper placement of the coup is key. Also have predators (Hawks, coyotes, fisher cats, owls and foxes) and want to preserve some grass. We have a good amount of our one-half acre lot landscaped naturally with evergreens, Tupolas, large perennial shrubs and English Ivy ground cover. A small portion of our yard is so shady that it has no growth at all, just plain moist dirt. The lots behind and beside us are unbuilt and wooded with a stream running down through the middle. My husband doesn't want the lawn destroyed and would like the coup and run to be in the natural /wooded part of the yard or on the dirt. I plan to free range when I can be outside and I am looking forward to the girls eating up some of the deer ticks from the grass but I can't have the lawn destroyed. I know English Ivy is toxic to chickens so placing the coup and run in the natural part of the yard seems out of the question. The dirt section seems like the safest place but will there be adequate foraging food in the dirt? Do you have any advice for me? Thanks very much!