I've managed to find a couple of posts so far which cover this, but not in quite the same way as my question. I'm considering keeping some chickens in my garden in the next year or two, but I don't have a lot of space for a large run. Initially at least, I wouldn't be wanting to let them out to roam the garden until I'm comfortable I have a vague idea what I'm doing, I've managed to chicken-proof the boundary (4 different neighbour's fences of varying height and quality) and I've observed my neighbours two cats around the coop/chickens to ensure they back off when the chickens have a go at them.
With this in mind I'm currently looking at two coops, the first being 6'x6' and the second being a 7'6" octagon. In each case the house & nesting areas being raised, so the entire ground space is available to the chickens. They can be viewed at
http://www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk/products/CHICKEN_HOUSE.html with the first being the "Penthouse Chicken House" and the second being the "Garden Hen House".
Would you consider either of these suitable for 4-6 hens (as their site suggests) where they will be confined to the coops and not allowed to roam my garden freely? I am thinking 4 hens would be enough for me to start with rather than 6.
The placement is going to be on old concrete crazy paving. Will this be suitable as long as I ensure a dish with sand for scratching and various things they can perch on etc.?
I'm really wanting to either be assured that the hens would be comfortable and happy in these environments or given a flat "really bad idea". As much as I'd like chickens in the near future, not at the expense of their welfare and I'm a little concerned neither of them are simply large enough