I live close to a hunting reserve and asked the owners son how they made their pens for the baby quails, chukkars, etc. and he told me to get metal fence posts, cut them in half (5 footers) and pound it down into the ground until you have a few inches sticking up and I am going to ask again how tall it should be . . . he said they take 20' PVC and put one end on one stake and then bend it over to the other and cover it with wire and have had no issues with it collapsing and with the 52" of snow we had this year, it would have been the year for them to go, and they are still all standing . . . so this is what I plan on doing with mine. I think being where winter can be severe (did this winter ever prove it! WOW!) I would want them no further than 6 feet apart maybe for a little more stability. Going to price them and then check CL and see if anyone has any like that to get rid of . . .I plan on 30 chickens, so its going to have to be a longer than usual one for just a few chicks. We have dogs running loose around here and I know its not even feasible to think of having them without security. Including my own goofy dogs. I have friends who just buy 25 at a time because they don't keep them penned and let the predators get them and everything . . .makes me sick. Big waste if you ask me!!
