The first couple weeks of having chickens, they were too small and got out of their enclosure. The dogs killed them but they later learned. And you're right about the food supply. We rarely run out of eggs and that's typically during winter. When we have a surplus, we sell to our neighbors, $4 a dozen. Expensive but they taste a lot better than store bought eggs and they're right down the street for people. We have no stores or gas stations within 20 miles so they don't mind paying a little extra.
Sorry to hear about your early chicken loss. I'm shocked that our dog didn't kill them when I left the door open. That would have been terrible, especially since we've made the mistake of naming them all. Glad to hear that you are reaping the benefits of them now, though.