Is there any update or final analysis? I read through as much as I could and the best I cam up with was that the 2x4 oriented either way won out and the large diameter natural branches were acceptable...was there a clear winner?
The first thing I would suggest is making more floor space and the whole thing a bit bigger. Second, you're assuming the chickens will all face toward the nesting boxes, but the top ones can easily end up pooping all over the bottom ones and the bottom ones can poop all over the solid floor if...
You could easily build a wind block with just a piece of wood running parallel to the front of the coop and with a cover so they have to walk in from the side(s) rather than straight in....the wind would significantly be cut that way
You could easily build a wind block with just a piece of wood running parallel to the front of the coop and with a cover so they have to walk in from the side(s) rather than straight in....the wind would significantly be cut that way