Metal Trays to line coop

[chris]

Does anyone know where I can get these made up? I'm planning my next 'proper' coop and run - and would like to know if I can get these made, or simply buy one with a raised lip around so I can make it a snug fit to clean out.

Reason being is, I've had an egg on my coop floor - which is creocoted, so I'd rather not take the chance of this happening again! Planning on creocoting the next coop again, but the metal tray will help stop this, and also make cleaning out even easier (i.e slide out, bang in compost - done!)

[Two_Sheds]

I don't know if this is what you're on about at all, but I use plastic gravel trays (79p Wilko) lined with newspaper, as litter trays for my pets

[chris]

Yes, kind of on a larger scale but much shallower - I guess similar to Replacement Plastic Tray for Dog Cage By Petplanet Giant VPT6 Dog Cage Accessories for Sale.

I'd prefer it to be metal though - so it's a bit more study.. Some coops you buy come with a metal tray in the bottom to slide out. As I'm building it, I've yet been unable to find a place that'll make me one up - or sell them, bar plastic ones!

[Two_Sheds]

yeah, I've got sliding metal trays in the parrot cages

[Suechooks]

Surely once the creocote is dry there is no problem? Theres a shell between the edible part of the egg and the floor anyway. Some of my birds lay direct on the floor frequently as the scratch the straw or hemcore away while they settle down to lay.
Put a pot egg or golf ball in the nest box to show them where to lay.

[chris]

They seem to get the idea where to lay, I took one nestbox out to see what they'd do - as in if she'd lay in the other nestbox- but she just laid where the nestbox would have been - I've put it back now, but have changed my plans accordingly heh.

Guess I'm just paranoid about that - I thought the shells were pourous - and it could taint the egg?

[Hilary B]

Properly dry creocote cannot harm an egg with a decent shell. There is a very slight degree of porosity to an egg shell, but basically it allows moisture to evaporate OUT very slowly (hence the larger air gap in an older egg) but is just about totally resistant to anything getting IN.
If you really want to put a metal tray in, make sure you have creocoted extra thoroughly underneath, because otherwise the tiny gap is EXACTLY where red mite would feel safe and comfy!
The only way I can think of to get a well-fitting tray would be to buy the tray first and make the coop to fit it.....

[chris]

Hmm, I'd not thought of mites hiding places... thanks for that. I was planning on getting one made to a certain size and build around that - but maybe now I'll just give it a miss and making it easier to sweep out than my current one!

thanks

[Suechooks]

Mites will hide anywhere. I used a plastic pet carrier when my wooden nest box got mite and the little b......s were hiding in the holes where the pegs join the top to the bottom! Hence they now have some straw on the floor in a corner and the hybrids choose to lay outside in a gap between the run mesh and a bale of straw!

[Flummery]

Mine is lined with flagstones, with a gravel-board edging. Easy to sweep out and un-dig-underable.

[RichmondHens]

I'm with Hilary on this - creocote does not taint the egg if it is dry. I have had several eggs that haven't made the nestbox for one reason or another and although the shell has smelled of creosote, the contents have been perfectly fine.

Also agree about the tray - as others have said, yet another place for the mighty mite to hide. With only three hens, the accumulation of muck over a week will not be that much anyway and easy enough to scrape up in a few minutes. I would not think a droppings tray would be necessary, but of course it is up to you.

[chris]

Mites will hide anywhere. I used a plastic pet carrier when my wooden nest box got mite and the little b......s were hiding in the holes where the pegs join the top to the bottom! Hence they now have some straw on the floor in a corner and the hybrids choose to lay outside in a gap between the run mesh and a bale of straw!

I remembered your post about this in another thread - the inboxes I use as nextboxes have similar holes (for stacking them) - so I squirted sealant into them because of that - so ta

Mine is lined with flagstones, with a gravel-board edging. Easy to sweep out and un-dig-underable.

I've often wondered this - I've got maybe 1/2 a tonne of pea gravel left over from a project - thought about putting this in the run at one point - and just hosing down when needed - but then where does the poo go? Can it soak through stabilising membrane?

I'm with Hilary on this - creocote does not taint the egg if it is dry. I have had several eggs that haven't made the nestbox for one reason or another and although the shell has smelled of creosote, the contents have been perfectly fine.

Also agree about the tray - as others have said, yet another place for the mighty mite to hide. With only three hens, the accumulation of muck over a week will not be that much anyway and easy enough to scrape up in a few minutes. I would not think a droppings tray would be necessary, but of course it is up to you.

Thanks for the input - much appreciated. The shell did smell of creocote - so didn't want to take any chances..

I tend to clean their nightly poo away in the mornings - it was mainly an idea so I could pull tray out and bang in compost bin.