How much outdoor space does a bantam need?

[jessmorris]

Hello,
quick bit of guidance please - I've seen a figure of 1 metre square required for each hen - this can't mean the house but seems too small to mean the run - any ideas? I've a permanent run 4.6m by 4.2m in which I have 10 small bantams who then are let out into the whole back garden to forage when I get home from work. They seem happy enough...................Free range hens used to have to have a density of no more than 1,000 birds per hectare which means each bird would have 10 square metres - this seems more reasonable to me....any comments from anyone welcome!
Jess

[Suechooks]

The 1 sq m comes from the MINIMUM area recommended by RSPCA for so called free range.
Basically the more space you can give them the better. On one of my huts I have 2 runs normally used alternately to rest ground. They are both 40' x about 18' and currently I have 10 growers in one of them - mostly bantams - it was trashed in 2 days!
My layers are in a 20 x 20' run and free range over my allotment for several hours a day

[jessmorris]

Aha! Thanks Sue! My run is deep in woodchips and planted with shrubs so fairly resistant to scratching and pecking. I may think of renting a piece of field - I'm not sure we can keep banties on our allotments.....

[RichmondHens]

My bantams would happily have more space than my big birds. They used to free range all the time but I eventually had to pen them up as they laid (and hatched!) away so often. Some breeds of bantam are not so active but the majority are more active than big birds so need more space. Mine are great at escaping despite clipped wings and pegged down fencing, whereas my big birds (apart from feisty cocks who like to pick a fight) happily stay behind reasonably low fences.