As others have said, vultures are not a problem. They only eat dead food, but they do enjoy buzzing the yard to get the roosters going. Lol.
Darker birds do not show up in a summertime landscape as well as lighter ones do. That would include barred breeds like Doms, etc.
Coop location doesn't have much effect on a pred attack. A former Cheesehead had one of those prefab coops right next to her house & a coon still got in it & killed her birds.
Pine trees are great for pred birds to sit in & plan their attack strategy. Lots of cover to hide in & stay unseen until it is too late.
I have 1/2 acre fenced in for my chicken run so it is kind of like free ranging. I have lots of hawks, owls & falcons down here, as well as coyotes, coons, dogs, etc. In my run, I have lots of dwarf fruit trees & dense shrubs scattered about. I also like to set used pallets on logs or concrete blocks for the flock to use as cover or shade if they need it. (If you don't mind the redneck look). I have had zero attacks from above in 15 years, although a falcon did once land just outside of the fence. A few coons have scaled the fence but the birds were already locked in the coop. I did have a mink attack a few years ago. That sucked big time.
Owning chickens is pretty much a crap shoot. You have to expect losses at some point. But hopefully we can help make yours as minimal as possible. But the more pred proof you make your coop & run, the more $$$$ you will spend.
