[chrismahon]

You should be aiming for 4 square metres each Veronica. One square metre is too small and will need careful management to deal with the stress issues. We know because we have ours in that size at the moment as our new enclosure has only just been completed after 10 weeks work. Next week they will be free ranging.

[Veronica]

Thanks, Chris. If we are going to use the area of concrete that is already in place in the garden, then that will determine the size of their basic run. It is roughly 9 metres square, so if I get 6 hens, that will be 1.5 sq metres each.

But as I said, the plan is to build the fruit cage, which will have a larger area, adjoining the run so we can let them out into that on days when we are around to shut them away again at night - which will be most of the time except on some short winter days when we are away until after dark.

The previous run we had was something over 18 metres square. We had 5 chickens at the least and 8 at the most. So with 8 they would have had more than 2 square metres each. They appeared to have plenty of room there and we never had serious fighting or pecking problems, just the usual bit of squabbling when new hens came into the flock. But I did worry about the ground getting stale as they were in that one space all the time.

Obviously both spaces will be tall enough for us to walk in, so they will be able to fly up to perches. I think vertical space as well as horizontal makes a difference.

[chrismahon]

I agree about vertical space Veronica. Although ours only have a fraction over 1 square metre they have a 2 metre perch in the run as well, so 500mm each. They use the perch a lot and also soil bath in one corner of the run. But they are bored and the sooner we sort them all out the better. Sun is shining today and the temperature is about 14 degrees, so they are much happier than yesterday when it was cloudy and about 4 degrees.

[Veronica]

I realise, despite all the useful replies, that no one has been able to help with my original question - probably because I witter on too much.

... it was about the actual design of the run - and whether anyone knows what I'm talking about when I say I saw someone's post on some forum about building a run.

It was on a concrete base and with a frame made of heavy posts/beams so that it was, at a pinch, moveable, rather than the posts being dug into the ground - but too heavy for predators to be able to move it.

Guess I'll go searching on the web again and see if I can find it.