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If your time is limited, I agree that a dropping board would help tremendously. Since your coop is going to be 4 x 5, run your roost along the the 4ft end, about 30 inches high, and use a dropping board maybe 6 inches below that. That way you lose no floor space, because 99% of the dropping will land on the dropping board. I have five little hens, and it honestly takes 1-2 minutes to scrape it and throw a few handfuls of bedding up there (to absorb future liquid). I keep a poop bucket and putty knife handy...scrape the board into the bucket, and then once per week take that bucket and empty it into your compost (more often if you can). You'll be checking their food and water daily anyhow, even if you have a larger feeder/waterer, so this is nothing to tack on.
Do note that a 4 ft. height for a coop makes it harder to get in to clean. Is there any way you could go a foot or two taller, so that's it's more comfortable for you to get inside???
If your time is limited, I agree that a dropping board would help tremendously. Since your coop is going to be 4 x 5, run your roost along the the 4ft end, about 30 inches high, and use a dropping board maybe 6 inches below that. That way you lose no floor space, because 99% of the dropping will land on the dropping board. I have five little hens, and it honestly takes 1-2 minutes to scrape it and throw a few handfuls of bedding up there (to absorb future liquid). I keep a poop bucket and putty knife handy...scrape the board into the bucket, and then once per week take that bucket and empty it into your compost (more often if you can). You'll be checking their food and water daily anyhow, even if you have a larger feeder/waterer, so this is nothing to tack on.
Do note that a 4 ft. height for a coop makes it harder to get in to clean. Is there any way you could go a foot or two taller, so that's it's more comfortable for you to get inside???
Pat is right on in her advice. Your 4x4 coop is really the minimum in size...it would be great if you could even stretch it to 6x4...This would allow you extra room for the feeder, waterer, etc. If your ceiling is only going to be 4' tall, you might want to place your roost at about 32" high, with a droppings board 3-4 inches below that you can scrape to remove most of the daily mess. With 4 birds, you can probably get away with scraping it 2 times a week or so. It really only takes minutes (or even seconds!) to do, and it really helps keep the rest of the coop sooo much cleaner. Your nesting box should be lower than the roost, but you still want it up high enough so that the girls can use the floor space, so the bottom will probably have to be 24" or so off the ground (you'll have a 2-4 inch base of shavings on top of that, so it turns out to be about 20" clearance). This should be enough room to allow you to place the feeder or water under it and be able to utilize the floor space better. My 8x8 coop was "cleaned" for the first time in 6 months using the deep litter method. Just remember to "fluff" the shavings at least once a week (again, minutes to do). Our run does not have sand, and after the first year, we still do not have a drainage problem. We also do not have any grass!
