To answer the initial question -- I think the chins do fine going from a larger cage to a run. When I started breeding, I used moderately sized colony cages for 3-4 chins. Had two chins killed in those, and basically said "forget it" and moved to runs. I now have three runs, and have yet to have a chin killed. The chins that were in the colony cages -- they came from breeders who had them in runs, and they are now in runs again. Do I think they're any less happy? No. They do fine in those cages. In fact, I've had some chins that come from breeders who use runs, I put them in a large cage and they will hide under a hidey house or a low ledge or something. Seems they like the shelter and don't want to come out. Forget putting a food bowl on a ledge for them -- they won't eat.
I would personally rather use colony cages. But it wasn't worth it to me that my two favorite females were killed by other females in the colony cages to make it worth it to me. Here's the other thing -- One of my colony cages had a male and two females for three years. No babies in 3 years. Frustrating. Not a huge cage either, something like 24 x 24 x 28. He's in a run now and one of my best producers. There's reasons for smaller cages, and some of them are good ones.
For me, it also wasn't about downsizing to have more chins. And for a lot of people it's not as well. If you search, there's a thread on here, a recent one, where JAGS asked if people breed in pairs/trios. Look at the number of chins of the people who responded that they breed in pairs -- not all of them have 10 chins. Some are quite large numbers. Sure, if you are going to have 2000 chins, it would be extremely difficult to use anything but runs. But for the average person, there's a choice. Just because the choice made is a run doesn't mean that it's a bad choice.
And I have to agree with Susan, a run is hardly lower standards, if the food is good, the water's good, and so on. All of my rescue cages have a hidey house -- none of my runs do (for obvious reasons) but just bout everything else is the same (except size). They all have quality food, water, and hay, and they have hanging chew toys and some toss toys. The rescues that I have in the larger cages? I can hardly say they run laps around their cages. I'm down with the chins
a lot and most often, the chins are sitting in one place. Maybe running on a wheel or something, but I could hardly say they make use of every inch of the larger cages. So, I don't think they mind the runs, when they have to go in there.
Different animals thrive in different circumstances, but I'm guessing that when one adopts out or sells a kit, the hope for that kits life wouldn't be a 18x18 cage with a maybe single hammock and a few toys. At least, I'd hope not.
Actually, I wouldn't have a problem with that. We screen our adoptive homes for our rescues, as well as the people who purchase kits. Despite these people putting down on their adoption forms that they'll feed good brands of food, and use safe treats, and they have down a good-sized cage, every once in awhile, we get a chin back at the rescue (one that we've adopted out) with a freakin-vat-sized-box of raisins, a cage full of bad chew toys and plastic, and so on. At least if one of our kits went to a breeder, I would have the peace of mind that the breeder was caring for the chin correctly. Heck, a lot of my rescue cages are FN's. Depending on the number of rescues, and whether the rescue gets along with other rescues or not, the rescue chin may get to share a full FN or may get to enjoy their own half, or one of our smaller cages if we have lots of multiples. The point is, when I adopt out these chins, most of them are going to smaller cages. I can't ask every adoptive home to go out and buy an FN because some people think "that's what's best" for a chin. Sure, that'd be great if everyone could provide a large,
safe, cage, but not everyone can. And I don't think everyone should have to. Now, I do have a "minimum cage size" that people should have for a chin -- but that's for pet chins, and it's hardly what anyone would consider huge. Good size, but not huge. You know why? Because as I said, I hardly see the chins using every square inch of their FN's, and I don't feel they really need that much room, despite the fact that I have decided to give it to them.
when you say people come "on here" after a chin falls from a 6 foot cage and breaks a leg, because the cage isn't properly safeguarded for a chin to live in it, is the problem really the 6 foot cage? Seems to me common sense suggests it's the latter part of the statement you made, likely from an ill-informed or ignorant owner rather than the mere size of the cage.
The problem may be with the cage, but it also may come down to simply, a problem with large cages. I don't want babies falling any more than if the climb up the door of a run, so that's where mine are. I have larger weaning cages, but again, those are about 24" tall max. I use to have a 6' cage that had ledges and hammocks all the way across, from top to bottom. As an educated chin person, I'd say the cage was about as safe as it could be. I once had a chin fall, from the top, and literally fall to the bottom, hitting every shelf and hammock on the way. Sure, they broke his fall, but he just rolled off one to the next to the next to the next... it wasn't safe at all. The chin wasn't injured, but I'd hardly call that a safe cage. What I like about the FN's now is that the max they can fall is the height of one level, which is what, 24". I worry much less.
Runs are used, not only to save space, but because they are safer than many other cages. I have yet to have a chin killed in a run, I have yet to have a chin fall and injure itself in a run. I can't speak for everyone, but my chins are still loved and given chews and all in their runs. Some people may not think that's enough, but I'd rather have my three runs and never have babies die (other than naturally) as a result of something like that 6' fall that my adult chin survived. I will stick with runs for my chins. If people want to go with 6' tall cages for their chins, by all means. It's personal choice. That said, it's personal choice for me, and everyone else, to go with runs, or colony cages, or heck, maybe someone will think it's safe to chin-proof a whole room and let the chins at it. Don't like a certain choice of cage? Don't use it.