An Orpington's virtues as a backyard hen, her calm nature, generous size, and devotion as a broody mother, read like a list of weaknesses from a predator's point of view. She is too heavy to fly more than a flutter, too placid to run far, and too committed to a nest to abandon it when something comes through the wire at night. Protecting Orpingtons means accepting that the hen will do almost none of the escaping herself, and building a coop and run that do all of the work instead.
Why this breed needs the coop to do the fighting
Foxes take Orpingtons in the day, especially hens ranging at a distance from cover, because a short flutter and a waddle is the whole of the bird's escape plan. Raccoons are the great night threat, and a heavy hen roosting within reach of a wire wall can be grabbed through wide mesh she pressed against in her sleep. Dogs do enormous damage in minutes among birds that bunch and crouch rather than scatter. The broody Orpington deserves a special mention: settled on eggs in a coop corner, she will often stay on the nest through an attack that sends the rest of the flock into a panic, and she and her eggs are found exactly where the predator left her sitting.
A coop and roosts fitted to a heavy bird
Seal the coop with small-mesh welded wire over every vent and window, use two-step latches, and line or solidly floor the house so nothing digs up into a flock of sleeping hens. Set the roosts low, with a gentle ramp if the birds are heavy or older, because an Orpington that cannot get up to a high perch will sleep on the floor instead, within easy reach of anything that does get in and close to the draughts and droppings that undermine her health. Give broody hens a dedicated secure pen, with its own mesh, latch, and cover, and move hen and eggs there early in the sitting rather than leaving her in the main house where she is both vulnerable and disturbed.
A covered run for hens that stay on the ground
Roof the Orpingtons' run with netting or wire. The hens will not use the sky, but hawks will, and a big slow hen in an open run is the easiest target a hawk gets all week. Skirt the run fence outward along the ground to stop foxes and dogs digging in, and place shelters, low tables, and shrubs inside so the flock always has cover within a few steps.
The nightly count matters more with a placid flock
A flighty flock announces trouble; an Orpington flock may simply be found in the morning, one bird short and the rest apparently untroubled. Count the hens onto their roosts after dark, look specifically for any hen missing rather than trusting a glance, and check the broody pen on the same round. Search for the quiet signs of a visitor: feathers in the run's corners, a scratched patch of earth along the fence, eggshells outside the coop, or a hen with feathers missing from her back in the morning. Any bird found with punctures or torn skin needs prompt veterinary attention, since a heavy hen that survives a grab often carries deeper wounds than her calm behaviour suggests.
With a sealed coop, low roosts, a broody pen of her own, and a covered run that substitutes for the flight she does not have, an Orpington can be as serene as her nature intends in complete safety. If a hen still slips out through an open gate and settles somewhere hidden, KinsLe's Lost Pet Alert System lets you alert nearby Circle of Love members through KinsLe so a finder can message you directly.