Predator took all 5 hens last night! I feel horrible!

[littledog]

The worst carnage one of my chickens suffered was when a weasel broke into the yard where one of my hens was being kept separated due to illness. The evidence was horrific - bloodstains and body parts everywhere. We felt so bad - trying to protect our hen friend by keeping her separate, then she got annihilated by a predator.
The most crazy loss from a raptor happened when we were right there, supposedly supervising when they were free-ranging. We were working in the garden nearby, then all of a sudden my partner heard flapping feathers. He immediately assumed it was our rooster, but as soon as he turned to see what was happening, it was a hawk airlifting one of our hens, and nothing was left but feathers.
We haven't free-ranged them since, but we're working on building a bigger pen, with a cover over it.

 

[adgcountrygirl]

I've left the coop door open a few times. Thankfully, 3 sides (including the coop door) are inside the dog's fenced yard. I only have a Beagle now, but I used to have 2 bigger dogs. Ironically, they were usually in the smaller pen next to the coop when the birds free-range. I guess predators couldn't tell the difference from the smell though. We have Fox, Coyotes, wild pigs, Oppossum, Bobcats, feral cats and dogs, skunks, snakes and who knows what else around here at night.