We have had chickens for years. Every few Year’s raccoons and foxes will get a few. They keep coming back for more chickens until you trap them. Snakes go for the eggs, don’t really mess with the chickens and once the snakes see you they stop coming in the coop. We had two huge ones a few months back. Scared them off.

They don’t require anything but water if you have property to let them roam for bugs and seeds. The eggs are better with natural grazing than chick feed. Well, yes, they do require a coop. They put themselves up at dusk. Then you close the door so raccoons don’t get them. They come mostly at night.

And a dewormer every few months or they get explosive diarrhea which is a real mess in and around the coop.