We inherited a coop when we bought our farm house. It had an OLD roost etc in it and boxes have been repaired in their original place. They just seem so high! They are 4 boxes in two rows, and the first row is waist high off the ground. This was a solid working farm at one time and I'm not one to scoff at old timers but am I crazy thinking these are to high for my Golden Buffs??
Waist high probably means about 2-1/2 feet off the ground. Your hens should not have any real trouble getting that high up. Sometimes mine fly up 4 feet to get to the roost instead of using the intermediate step that is there for them. My chickens are about the same size as yours. I'd put a perch for them to make it easier though, especially for the higher ones. A shelf, a tree branch, a piece of 2x4, something for them to land on to make it easier for them to get to the nests if something is not already there. Chickens heally don't care that much what the nest looks like or where it is as long as it looks like a safe place to lay an egg and hatch a family. Some people put the nests up higher so they don't have to bend over to gather the eggs. It's easier on the back.
