Would this work for 5 chickens?

[Love Ducklings]

This is really helpful, thank you!

 

[5Australorpasaures]

So no steel wire neccessary? We have raccoons, foxes, and skunks...

Not in the floor. Just no OSB coons will dig and chew through it,

 

[Love Ducklings]

Got it

 

[Poppy Putentake]

I'm currently planning a 4'x8' or 5'x8' coop on wheels, which I'm thnking is close to the smallest size practical.
You could put nesting boxes on one end and two roosting bars on the other. That would pretty much fill the space if you are doing things conventionally
For the nesting boxes, to have outside access you only need to make openings big enough for the chickens to go through (if exterior) or just big enough for you to see and reach inside, which would be even smaller (if interior, which I tend to favor). If the walls are alluminum sheet, then, Yes, you would want to add some kind of wood framing around those openings to avoid that sharp metal edge. The openings don't have to be rectangular, circular or rounded rectangle openings are actually better.
It would not be much work to get a sheet of plywood and some 2by3s for framing and add a floor, then you could put the whole thing on bricks or cement blocks (or on wheels, since the whole structure would not be very heavy.) If you go that way, though, you might want to think about some kind of ground anchoring, because of the structure being taller than it is wide.
You woud want to add some ventilation openings, and also make sure the doors are predator-proof. (No openings larger than even 1/2 inch.)
Here is a link to a video about one guy's 4' x 8'coop , and how he gets *lots* of birds in it by taking advantage of all that vertical space. I wouldn't go to that extreme but it's an example we can learn from.

 

[Love Ducklings]

Thanks for your detailed response! I would love to see some pictures of your coop when it's finished. The main reason for wanting an exterior nesting box was so I don't create an area underneath where the hens may choose to lay instead. I can block the area off, but then I lose precious space. May I ask why you prefer an interior box?

 

[Poppy Putentake]

I've heard of the space under nesting boxes being a problem, and that is a factor in deciding how high to put the boxes. I'm trying to figure out what is optimal. I've seen nesting boxes right on the floor and others 2 feet from the floor. (In the latter case, the birds may be more likely to want to sleep in the nests.)
My reasons for not liking exterior nesting boxes are the complications in building and supporting them, and in making them weather-proof. Also that they may tend to have more extreme temperatures in them than if inside the coop. That would mean eggs freezing faster on cold days and the hens getting hot inside an exterior box from the sun shining directly on that little roof. Plus, in the case of a high, narrow structure like you are contemplating, they may tend to increase any tendency of the structure to tip over.
Besides all that, I just think they look very clunky and inelegant.
You can have outside egg access (highly recommended) even with interior boxes. My current setup has a door with hinges on the bottom and a handle and latch on the top. (Note: latches should be oriented so that gravity tends to make the bolt engage, not so that gravity would make the bolt fall out.)

 

[Love Ducklings]

Thank you! A lot to think about