How significant is interior coop height to chickens' welfare

[Spartan22]

If anyone is still reading this thread, I have a coop height question I don't see addressed here.  We have pullets who are not laying yet.  So we haven't put in our nest boxes yet, but it is almost time, and as I am trying to figure out exactly how to do it, I realize that I'm not sure our original plan is the right one.  We knew roosts had to be the highest so they won't sleep in the nest boxes, so we put roosts at 2' and wanted to put nest boxes at 18".  That is only 6" difference (not the 12' mentioned above, but it was what i read in the Storey's Raising Chickens book).  That leaves 18' head room for the chickens to walk around under the nest boxes, and 18" head room under the poop board (also at 18", 6" below the roosts).  BUT, I did not realize that the 8-10 inches of deep litter affect the available height under the roosts, nest boxes, etc.  So, is that still enough room for them to get under there?  It's July now, but I want to be sure I really am offering them the usable square footage I think I am when they are more "cooped up" over winter.   Also, I see lots of people don't offer food and water in the coop.  Obviously that would add to my square footage, but how does that work in the cold months?  Will they really get out to eat and drink?  I keep it in there now because I don't always get out super early to let them out.  Maybe once my run is predator proof, I should keep food and water in the run and leave the pop door open all night, except for the coldest times?  I live in Kansas City, MO, so we may get down to -5 F for a bit, but that is the coldest, and it usually isn't long.  Thanks so much for the help!

It depends on how high and how big is your coop. My perches are 3' & 4' and my nests are elevated from 4 inches- 3ft high to save space. Regarding your deep litter my maximum depth is 5-6 inches, I opted to that height so it would be easy for me to clean thoroughly every 4-6 months.

 

[KCAmelia]

I don't think you understand my question. I probably didn't ask it very well. Coop height is irrelevant here because I am asking if the nest boxes and poop board at 18" are too low for the chickens to walk under, given the depth of the litter. Above the nest boxes and roosts, the chickens have plenty of room.

 

[TalkALittle]

8 to 10 inches is a lot of deep litter especially if you are utilizing poop boards. If your birds have access to the outside they probably won't spend a whole lot of time in the coop so won't generate a lot of poop in there. I don't think you'll need more than 4-6 inches of litter for effective waste management.

Is your run covered? Having a covered run makes a huge impact on waste management of the coop. The more you can do to get them to spend their time in the run (and poop out there), the cleaner your coop will be and you can get by with a thinner layer of litter in the coop.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think I get the question. My hens did not walk under the poop boards that were at 24 inches off the floor. Oh sure they would go to the far back corner and make a nest full of eggs but not walking under for any other reason. I got rid of the poop boards so they would use more of the coop space.

Adamantly refused to walk around under them. I had them in there for 3 years and in that time I only saw one hen go under the board and it was because I was cleaning the coop. She had no other place to escape the dreaded broom.

 

[TalkALittle]

Here's a pic of the interior of my coop. I put a yardstick in for scale. There is 25" of clearance between the floor and the bottom of the poop board. You can see that I only have about 2-4 inches of shavings on the floor. They could use a fluffing. My birds are hatchery stock Buff Orpingtons and Barred Rocks and they have plenty of head room.

 

[KCAmelia]

That is all helpful, thank you! I have room to move everything up 6 inches, but i need to do it now. I think I will, giving 24 inches clearance. I'll also try thinning the litter to 4-6 inches. The run is 1/3 covered. They do not hang out in the coop if that door is open!