My chickens are locked up every night without fail. We used to let the roosters out before work, but one morning at dawn (around 7:00) I saw a coyote run through the yard and our best rooster was gone. Raccoon, coyotes, bobcat, weasels, dogs, etc...the poor chickens just aren't safe. Even when I lived in Seattle there were coyotes in the yard at night looking for cats to eat.