Would a 10ft. X 20ft. run that is 6 ft. high be enough for laying hens that will "free range" most of the time in a 40ft. X 150ft. fenced in area? What would be the smallest I could get by with for only when we take a vacation for four days twice a year, please? Their coop is 8X6ft. and 14 tall.
That is 200 sq ft, so enough room for 20 chickens. You didn't say how many chickens you have.... Becky
I would think that, for limited use, you could go as small as 10x15 or similar size. One of the rules I've heard for runs is 10 sq feet per bird, so 10x15 would conform to that. I agree with most that, for everyday exclusive use, 10 sq ft per bird would not be enough, but for your purpose I'm assuming A) you want to be economical, and B) you want to make it as safe and predator proof as possible, since you won't be home. A small run is going to be cheaper and easier to get 100% covered- you could even make it narrower and a little longer to make it easier to cover the top. But I'm not really speaking from experience, here, so feel free to correct me everyone!
When we got away, we have a couple come to stay at the house to dog, cat, and chicken sit. I just don't ask them to let the ladies out to make it easier for them and a more pleasant vacation for them, as well.
