Coop up or down?

[rosemarythyme]

Most of the coop/roost/run designs I have seen do have the "sleeping area" (roost??) up off the ground and with doors to close and ventilation.

The reason you see this (and it's technically a coop above an extended run) is generally in a limited space, you want to maximize run space as much as possible, so by shortening the coop and moving it up you can use the space under it as part of the run.

If you don't have a shortage of space/budget, I feel a walk-in coop is the way to go - easier to get inside to maintain and the taller walls give you a LOT more space for adding ventilation.

 

[PetitePlume]

My opinion is that the temperature wouldn't fluctuate as much if the coop was sitting on the ground.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Each chicken is an individual. While we can say with confidence that "most" chickens prefer one thing or the other there are always exceptions.

Once they get old enough to roost, most chickens like to sleep in the highest spot available. The ones in the highest rank in the pecking order get to sleep wherever they wish, the lower ranked ones have to make do with what's left. Until they are ready to roost mine sleep on the coop floor. I've had a broody hen take her chicks to the roosts at 2 weeks of age though most wait until later, often much later. I've had brooder-raised chicks start sleeping on the roosts as young as 5 weeks on their own, but most of mine wait until they are 10 to 12 weeks old. Some even later. There is nothing that consistent about it. Your flock make-up and how your coop and run are set up could influence that.

The way I set up a coop vertically is to determine the height of the coop floor, including any bedding. Then I put in the nests. Some people like the nests down low, maybe even on the coop floor. Some like them higher. If you have a bad back you might not want to have to bend over to gather eggs. Some of that may depend on what your coop looks like. I suggest you make that convenient for you, the chickens can adjust. Then make the roosts noticeably higher than the nests or anything else you don't want them sleeping on.

How many chicks do you have? What is the maximum number of chickens you think you'll have in the future? I consider 8 a significant number. You need to be able to reach everywhere inside the coop, maybe to retrieve an egg or a chicken or to do cleaning or maintenance. I find that if you have more than 8 chickens it's hard to build a coop big enough for them that you can access everywhere inside. My personal preference is for a walk-in coop anyway but many people make those elevated reach-in coops work for small numbers.

Your first question was So what makes a chicken happier, down on the ground for nesting or up in a coop? When they have options I've seen some hens choose to make a nest on the ground while others choose to nest in a 10 feet high hay loft. In different laying seasons they may choose different places. From what I've seen there is no one preference for every hen on the planet. It depends on the individual. So make the nests convenient for you. They can adjust.