As you can see, each of us does it differently. Mine normally free range, but I have a run I can keep them in when I want to. My coop is predator proof and I lock them up every night. If you do that, I suggest you look inside every night before you lock the door. I found a possum in there once.
My run is what I call predator resistant. It is hard to make a large run truly predator proof. I don't consider mine perfectly safe, but it will slow a lot of things down and stop several. I consider it a pretty safe place during the daytime. I do suggest a pretty decent sized run, a place you can leave them locked up for weeks if you want to. Most of the time I use mine has nothing to do with predators, but with training them where to lay or where to sleep.
There is always a risk if you free range. For those that consider them pets and the loss of one is truly devastating, maybe you don't want to do it. But some people consider free ranging, at least part of the time, as something their chickens need to do and are willing to take that chance. Purely personal preference. I won't criticize anybody for their decision. And some people take pretty extensive precautions, setting up portable electric netting to protect them from certain daytime predators, for example. Lots of different strategies.
Most, but not all, predators are more active at night. Some people that see a fox, raccoon, possum, whatever, out during the day think that it is proof that animal is sick with rabies. That is not true. I've seen plenty of healthy foxes, coyotes, and raccoons active during the day. There are several different things that can bring them out, hunger being only one of those things. And there are some mainly daytime predators, such as hawks and many dogs. They are not safe during the daytime, but a lot safer than at night.
I use a strategy of letting them out during the day and locking them up safely at night. Over a three year period, I had two losses. Then an irresponsible dog owner dropped two big male unneutered dogs out in the country for the good life. They got hungry and found my chickens while I was gone. They destroyed so many that I had to order chicks to fill in some holes for my breeding plan. You can go along for a long time and never have a problem, but tragedy can strike out of the blue.
I can't tell you what to do in your circumstances. If you do decide to try it, I suggest for the first few times you let them out about an hour before their bedtime. They won't wonder far and will want to go back to the coop to sleep. Hopefully you can spare the hour at that time to stay with them. Part of that is your peace of mind. As you see how it goes, you might decide to let them out more, or you might not. It does provide some protection for you to be out there.
But there is another reason for you to be out there and to only let them out for a little while before bedtime for a while. Chickens do not have a real good grasp on the concept of gate or door. They are not going to starve to death or die of thirst if they go an hour without access to their food and water. But you might have to help them get back home when it is time. Often, the first day or two I let mine out, a few get trapped on the wrong side of the run and can't figure out how to get to the gate. I have a small elevated coop in my grow-out pen. Some can't figure out door. You might have to help them actually get back to the coop, wherer they desperately want to be, for the first night or two. They figure it out after a while, but those first couple of nights can get pretty comical.
