Building a chicken tractor - 1st time chicken rancher - Check my math please!

[thuyandme]

Greetings! Thanks to my neighbor for informing me of this site, and to all my neighbors who currently have chickens for inspiring us to give it a go!!

My wife and I are looking to raise 4 chickens (planing on 2 Buckeyes and 2 Barred Rocks) in our 1/4 acre lot in a 5 x 12 chicken tractor.

Planning on a main coop box of the tractor being roughly 4' x 4' x 30" tall WITH a gambrel roof (think traditional barn roof) that would add another 2' at the center of the coop. This would be

I am planning on 2 nesting boxes and 1 roosting pole that would be about 44" long. Are these reasonable assumptions?

specific questions...

How high should the roosting pole be from the floor of the coop? what's too high? too low?

What other tricks are there that I should know?

I am in North Charleston, SC so I think cooling in the summer is going to be more of an issue than heating in the winter...

 

[ericsplls]

You want ventilation whether it is during the summer or winter. Your roost pole is going to be pushing it for the length. The most important thing about the height of your roost pole is it is higher than the top of the waterer or nest boxes because they will roost on them if a taller roost isn't available.

 

[thuyandme]

Thanks Ericsplls! I checked out some other posts, and think I know how to add some more roosting polls / space without going over the nesting boxes... Planned on putting the waterer outside, but might have to put it inside, hmmm.. Thanks again!