Runs and sizes?

Hi,

We have ordered our hen house which is supposed to be able to contain 6 large fowl or 8 bantams, about a metre square roughly.  Run is 7ft 6inch by 3ft wide.  We are getting 3 barnevelders.

Just wondered what everyones view on runs generally were and whether it's cruel to keep them in it?

I know all the websites that sell these things say they are fine but just wondered whether anyone did actually do that or if you all let them out sometimes? I'm not sure if I just have a thing about it because my best friends grandma used to have an aviary full of carnaries and budgies and cockatiels when I was little, and I just always remember how cruel I thought it was keeping birds that are designed for flying in a cage.  Now I know obviously that chickens don't fly much at all but even so it still doesn't seem a very big space to me!

Only asking because we have managed to get an allotment much earlier than I thought we would and we could (if we wanted too) keep them there but then you obviously can't have them going off munching on some old chap's cabbages can you!  :o) 

The minimum size of run per bird is 1 square meter but ideally it should be at least 2 square meters per bird. So for 3 barnvelders you would need a run of 3 square meters minimum or ideally 6 square meters.

OK thanks for that!  Garden it is then, I didn' t think it seemed very big at all to be honest!  :o)

Can I ask also, in terms of run sizes, we could make it bigger 9ft by 9ft (permanently) but it would need to have our compost bin in it so would that count as part of run or not?  It's about 3 foot high by about 3foot wide so I assume they could jump on it?  It does have a lid which will be fitted with a lock so they can't pull it all out everywhere!

I was thinking I'd just let them out everyday when I am home and just net off my veg patch and daughters play area so don't eat/poop all over them.  Garden size is about 70ish foot long by about 30-35ish foot wide.

Many thanks.

Strange though it may seem providing a low border around your beds of about 30cm high would probably be sufficient to keep the chx off.  A high decorative plastic edging would probably do it.  Even though they could easily get over the presence of a barrier is often sufficient to deter them, though you may need ocassionally to root them out.

Regards

Thanks for that hillfooter, I might try that first then and see what happens!

Also completely rethinking my run now :o)  We have an area next to the garage which is 16 foot by 6 foot and hubby said he wanted a shed there, no idea why he needs one when he already has a garage full of stuff he has barely looked at in 4 years but there we are!  Anyway I really don't see why he can't put a shed where the chicken house was going to go down bottom of garden instead and just have compost box thing next to it.  And then my chickens could have that whole area which would be lovely for them almost 10sqmeters I think. Obviously we'd still let them out too :o)