chickens scratching the plastic droppings tray

[VonZuel]

Mine absolutely love to scratch and/or peck anything that makes noise droppings trays, the metal that covers the water heater, if I put any treats on large plastic plates I have for them, they continue to scratch and peck those plates all over the run long after treats are gone. Just what they do.

I've never considered it to be loud - it's a good way for me to know they are happy and staying busy

It won't be such a problem when we move to more land but we have neighbors and I don't want to annoy everyone so something to help dull the sounds of the plastic is the advice I'm looking for.
Thank you for your response

 

[VonZuel]

What do you have in the tray?
My tray isn’t plastic, but has a metal coating on it. I could hear them scratching before I put the sweet pdz and shavings in. Now, it’s not noticeable.

The tray is plastic with an open base so that echoes pretty loudly. I'm going to do what Hokum coco suggested and put a wire mesh on top.

 

[aart]

what u goin do when they sing put muzzle on?
i not imagine chicken scratch is loud this make no cense

My question is about how to dull the sounds of the plastic droppings tray, not to stop my chickens from scratching. It won't be a problem when we move to more land but currently we have neighbors.
thanks

peeper89 does have a point, when they start to lay they can make a lot of noise.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

One of my girls just started laying and oh jeez is she LOUD!
What a voice! She's a star, singing before, after, and during laying.
She stands at the coop door post-lay, singing and BAWK-ing and the other girls gather round reverently, staring at her in awe.
And I grin through the whole thing.
As mentioned before, try some PDZ in the poop tray. My chickens never bother scratching in their poop trays---they go into their run in the morning and pretty much spend the day there with occasional quick trips into the coop and of course my one layer goes in there to lay and then comes back out again. But the PDZ might help deaden the noise.
Are chickens actually permitted where you are? How many chickens do you have?

 

[aart]

One of my girls just started laying and oh jeez is she LOUD!
What a voice! She's a star, singing before, after, and during laying.
She stands at the coop door post-lay, singing and BAWK-ing and the other girls gather round reverently, staring at her in awe.

IKR! My other pullets and some of the hens will join in,
then it becomes a raucous cacophony!!
It is funny...until it gets old.
I don't have any neighbors to bother,
but I sometimes shut the windows to deaden the noise.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

IKR! My other pullets and some of the hens will join in,
then it becomes a raucous cacophony!!
It is funny...until it gets old.
I don't have any neighbors to bother,
but I sometimes shut the windows to deaden the noise.

Hahahaha---you can tell I am new at this.
I actually opened the kitchen window yesterday so I could listen.

 

[aart]

Hahahaha---you can tell I am new at this.
I actually opened the kitchen window yesterday so I could listen.

It was really only that bad last summer when I had 10 pullets coming into lay at the same time.......and they were just the loudest bunch I've ever had, most are still loudmouths.