new coop design layout questions - wall, nesting box & roost height for this coop design

[J garden chicks]

 

[J garden chicks]

We are looking at 1 wall of 3' and the taller wall at 4 1/2 - 5'. I am considering placing the nesting boxes within the coop (not outside as pictured) maybe 6" above the floor, and along the taller wall placing roosting bars... how high? this is a 4'x5' floor space for 4 chickens ;-) the run is 4 ' x 14' with shade space below the elevated coop.

 

[aart]

Go taller if you can, the higher the vents the better.
....and leave the nests exterior for more floor space.
Here's some info on heights:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @J garden chicks
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
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[J garden chicks]

Go taller if you can, the higher the vents the better.
....and leave the nests exterior for more floor space.
Here's some info on heights:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @J garden chicks
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1941339

thank you so much! I really want to get this right!

 

[J garden chicks]

My next question is about the floor of the hen house. I was considering using trays for the 4 x 5 space that slide out to clean... What is a good depth for these trays 2" or deeper? I would be pulling them out to clean bedding and add bedding. Thanks BYC community!

 

[Alaskan]

With the small coop, I would extend the roof completely over the run. This will make it easy to have feed and water in the run, and give the girls more space even in bad weather.

Nests are just fine on the floor.

My one tiny coop (a tractor) has no nest box at all... they make a nest on the floor bedding in one corner, and the perch goes across the entire coop/box. Feed and water are kept in the run.

 

[Alaskan]

Also... with the run completely roofed, that coop wall up against the run can be half wire... or even full wire if you have hot summers.

 

[J garden chicks]

With the small coop, I would extend the roof completely over the run. This will make it easy to have feed and water in the run, and give the girls more space even in bad weather.

Nests are just fine on the floor.

My one tiny coop (a tractor) has no nest box at all... they make a nest on the floor bedding in one corner, and the perch goes across the entire coop/box. Feed and water are kept in the run.

Yes thank you! That is our current plan to extend the roof the entire run.

 

[J garden chicks]

Yes thank you! That is our current plan to extend the roof the entire run.

I am looking at creating metal trays to slide into the hen house... any thought on how deep they should be? 2-4"

 

[perkolator]

Trays like on a rabbit hutch? I'm lazy, so in my opinion unless you want daily chores, skip the trays and provide space at the bottom for deep bedding. Just make floor tall enough to get a wheel barrow up to it so you can simply rake it out once a year (probably less frequent than that for only 4 chickens). It also gives them something to dig around in.

Looking at your plans I see you've got a 5ft span planned - I just built a coop and rabbit hutch this summer and one thing I paid attention to was making sure all my dimensions minimized waste/scraps from the dimensional lumber I was buying. So for a 5ft length I'd be wanting to buy 10ft lumber, not 8ft. Hope that made sense.