thank to both. Think I will go with a 12 x 12 pop about 6 inches off floor. This is what I have so far. Getting pullets in the morning. Am negotiating with a couple of folks on helping build something. Right now the ladies look like they are living on the poor side of town. Moving into an upscale residence might give them a little more pride and they would lay better. Is the 38 inch roost to high without a ramp for one month old Australorps?
I've seen 2 week old chicks fly about 3 feet horizontal and two feet vertical to get to the roost when Mama told they to get your butts up here. They launched from on top of the nests which was about two feet high at the time. Just watching them it was obvious they could have gone a lot further if they really wanted to. I have no doubt your Australorps could fly up there if they want to. The problem may be that they do not want to.
My set-up in my grow-out coop is a lot different from yours. That will have an effect on everything. Typically my brooder-raised chicks start roosting (sleeping overnight on the roosts) at around 10 to 12 weeks of age. I've had some start as early as 5 weeks, some go a lot longer than 12 weeks, but 10 to 12 is about average. The only thing consistent about chickens is their inconsistency, each group is different. They will often play on the roosts during the day but that is not roosting, that is perching. That can be another favorite pastime.
There is no telling where they will sleep at night before they start to roost. I'd think under the droppings board would be a good candidate, but they may decide on top of the droppings board is a good spot. They may go somewhere else. Just be patient, they will work it out.
You can add a ramp or intermediate step if you wish, I don't see any harm but I don't see any real need. Just because people do things like that does not mean they need to. My guess is that when they are ready they'll hop/fly up to the droppings board and then hop/fly up to the roost, either to perch or roost. When they come down some will probably hop down to the droppings board but most will likely just fly down if they are like mine.
We are all different. Some people like to micromanage, overthink and over-engineer. My brother-in-law is like that. As an engineer he does not think a design is finished until he can't think of anything to add. As an engineer I don't think a design is finished until there is nothing left I can possibly take away though I'll admit I can overthink with the best of them. I like to keep things as simple as i can. He is still a very good engineer, we just have different philosophies.
