Chicken run ground cover ideas?

Don't use sand for the cats or don't use the deep litter method?
Don't use either for cats. Sand is not absorbent and will turn into a stinking mess. And deep litter will also be disgusting and unsanitary because cats are obligate carnivores. Composting carnivore waste requires different steps and it's not recommended for the garden.

Cats need litter boxes with appropriate litter but outdoor cats will go wherever they want.
 
Why are you having mud issues? Does the area not drain properly? Run off from coop or other roofs? Your first and most important task is to assess the drainage problem and fix that. Poor drainage will result in anaerobic soil that will be a haven for pathogens.

Perhaps installing drainage ditches, tiles or pea stone, adding a gutter system to any roofs involved will dry out the area.

Then, you can address the run. I would turn it into a deep litter run, as others have suggested. If you can get wood chips delivered, that would be fantastic. But, you won't be able to have aged chips delivered. While it's best to be putting aged chips into your run, I'd not be adverse to using fresh chips if that's all you can get your hands on. A combination of wood chips, leaves, grass clippings, garden debris, hay, old coop litter will build a nice composting deep litter. The DL will be a haven for beneficial bacteria and fungi which will keep pathogens in check, help your flock to build a healthy gut flora for improved digestion and immunity, and be a food source for beneficial worms and insects which will ALSO feed your chickens. The DL will act as a sponge, sopping up excess moisture during wet times and releasing it during times of drought.

IMO, bare soil is abused soil. Soil was created to have a covering over it, whether it be vegetative or mulch of one sort or an other.
 
Don't use either for cats. Sand is not absorbent and will turn into a stinking mess. And deep litter will also be disgusting and unsanitary because cats are obligate carnivores. Composting carnivore waste requires different steps and it's not recommended for the garden.

Cats need litter boxes with appropriate litter but outdoor cats will go wherever they want.

No, we don't plan on using their waste/compost for anything. We dont have a garden. We were simply thinking of using the deep litter method for them to make it easier on us and them
 
No, we don't plan on using their waste/compost for anything. We dont have a garden. We were simply thinking of using the deep litter method for them to make it easier on us and them
I think it would be unsanitary and gross to have a pile of it lying around needing to be turned, like having a giant outdoor litter box that you never empty. Ick. Also how would you get them to use it as opposed to wherever they go now unless you just dumped a whole lot of biodegradable cat litter in one place?

Keep in mind you'd be dealing with diseases like toxoplasmosis too. Here's some info on how it's done if you really want to:
http://northcoastgardening.com/2014/11/composting-pet-waste/
 
No, we don't plan on using their waste/compost for anything. We dont have a garden. We were simply thinking of using the deep litter method for them to make it easier on us and them

If you go the deep little rout I'm sure you will make some gardening friends fast ! I like to barter and if you keep an open mind you may find that you can trade finished product for leafs and woodchips ... just a thought
 
If you go the deep little rout I'm sure you will make some gardening friends fast ! I like to barter and if you keep an open mind you may find that you can trade finished product for leafs and woodchips ... just a thought
Not with cat waste. That would be horrible.
 

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