coop height

[cactus-hen]

I'm in SE Arizona. My coop is in an adobe barn that never gets cool. I want to build a coop in the run (45'x45') just to house the chickens in the heat of the summer. It will be insulated well with reflective paint. I do not need to get into the coop, just enough height for the chickens to roost. The wire floor will be two feet off the ground to allow for ventilation and raking under it. How high should the actual box be? I do not need to have nest boxes because they will still have access to the main coop. I have Easter Eggers and barred rocks.

 

[Chirpy]

If they still have access to the main coop then I would think you should just build a covered, open shelter for them. Something that will keep the sun off them but allow total airflow so having no sides.

If you mean that they will have access to the main coop during the day but you want to lock them into something else at night then I would think having the height should be about 2 to 3 feet. That means that you would be putting a roost inside there? You want to give the chickens a roost they can actually jump up to (it makes them feel better

, and you don't want them to hit their heads on the ceiling.

I'm curious if they will learn to go into one coop to roost and another one to lay eggs? I've never heard of that but I bet someone here has experience with it.