dog tray as floor under coop

[cute chicks here]

I have a tractor supply coop thats good for the 2 hens I have. They don't come with a floor so I put down hardware cloth first and then rubber dog trays on top to keep animals from digging in. My broody hen hatched 3 babys and they are now going on 5 weeks old. I am adding another small coop to it and again the run doesn't have a floor. I happen to have a metal dog crate tray that is just the right size. Could I put that under the run to prevent animals from digging in and then add rubber mats on top for comfort so the chicks aren't walking on metal. Also I use sand on top of the rubber mats and would do the same in the new coop.

 

[nuthatched]

Runs typically don't have floors. I'd dig down, lay hardware cloth and cover it back with dirt. A lot less work and money.

 

[cute chicks here]

Thanks but at one time I had rats dig under my old coop and kill a favorite chicken by digging under. The main part of my coop is now on heavy pallets with hardware cloth and mats on top and sand. The new coop is very similar but I don't have any more pallets so I was going to put a metal tray under. I am connecting the two coops together. Here is a picture of the first coop. I will be removing the dog crate. It's temporary.