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I have an antique roll out nest. It is made of galvanized metal and the surface where the hens lay is simply wire mesh! When I bought it I didn't think they would be too interested in laying in there with no straw or shavings, so I put a little straw in there. The straw kept the eggs from rolling out. I took the straw out, and they still lay in there. I think they just like the seclusion that the nest box provides. I've even had two hens go broody on that wire! Also, it is a community nest box..... one hole and close to 30 hens use the same box. It is about 24" x 48".
I love this roll out nest. I would recommend roll outs to everyone. It solves a lot of problems. You get cleaner eggs. You eliminate the problem you might have if a hen decides she likes the taste of eggs. You don't have to worry about getting pecked when you gather eggs if one of the hens decides she wants to keep her eggs for herself. My roll out has the opening into the coop, but the box is actually outside the coop with the roll out tray to the front. I don't even have to go into the pen to gather the eggs. I just walk into the feed and storage area of the coop, open the lid to the tray and gather my eggs into the basket. SOOOO simple.
I think the paint trays sound interesting. One thing I've discovered is they sure don't need a whole bunch of different nest boxes. Even in my other pen where I have a 10 hole nest that is not a roll out, all the hens tend to lay in the same nest. They might use a different nest on different days, but the eggs are always in one or two of the boxes. One of these days I'm going to do some modifications on my 10 hole nest and make it into a roll out box. I think I can cut a long hole in the back of the thing, add a wooden tray to the back and put some slanted flooring in the boxes, and WAHLAH... a roll out nest!
