My first recommendation would be to get a water system established prior to getting your chicks. We went from the hanging waterer's to the poultry watering nipples and LOVE them. No more poop in the water, no more spills, no more wasted water (only a few drips here and there). Hope this...
You bring up a good point if the roost is built into the coop, I would agree that 8' is a good height. We have our roost on the outside for our heritage breeds so they can have fresh air while roosting. Just a thought, best wishes.
We like to shoot for at least five feet tall as it helps when you need to get in to clean or make any other changes. It gets old quickly having to crouch down or crawl while working. Hope this helps, best of luck to you.
Here's a picture of our new PVC tractor (before the wheels)! We really love it because it is very inexpensive to make, yet sturdy, light weight, weather resistant and was really fun to build as a family! The chickens love the fresh grasses, bugs and protection from all the hawks and owls in...