I haven't done this before, but I didn't think MUD would be invloved.

OK- here is the scoop on sand. If you add sand to the mud- a lot of it- it will help greatly.

However, as time goes by, it will start to incorporate with the mud and then will retain water. You will have to add more sand - this is what I do in front of my coops. I do this every year. Then I have to scrape the ground come summer and lower it down again. It works for me, since I don't like mud!!

However, it is just fabulous right after you add the sand since there will be no mud for a time. If you are willing to do the shovel and relevel thing every year (or more often), sand is the answer for you!!!

I have tried wood chips and that was a fiasco. Also I tried a large square of concrete blocks but they sunk and I had to dig them out. Very frustrating!! I do put concrete blocks RIGHT outside the coop door and they do sink but that helps a little bit.

 

sand will just mix with the mud if you dump it in right on top, what I would recommend is putting some sort of fabric down on top of the mud then adding sand or whatever bedding material you prefer on top of that, there are fabrics that are designed for this which will let the rain water through but retain the sand above rather than mixing it with the ground underneath. I know in road construction they use a black material to keep the sand from bleeding through into the rock road base, also a landscaping place may have something that will work. You could use a simple tarp but that wouldn't let the water through and it would have to have a place to run off and may take some of the sand with it.

 

Awesome information. We bought some of this by the foot from one of the local stores before adding some gravel to add a parking place here for a vehicle. I think we bought it from the feed/ag store. I think it was called road fabric or something like that.

I never thought to use this under sand. What a wonderful idea and I may use that idea outside my coops.

Thank you so much!

 

Deep litter...in the form of whatever you have in your yard...leaves, twigs, pine cones, pine needles, woody stems of weeds, sawdust, wood shavings or bark. Build it deep in the runs and you'll not have to worry about mud for a good long time...and just keep adding the materials as they diminish in depth. It will build a culture, absorb the feces, decrease smells and flies, and will provide a more healthy footing for the birds while giving them something to do and an additional source of food as bugs and worms move into this nutrient rich area. It will absorb rain like a sponge and wick it away from the surface and cleanse the soil, as this covering will keep your soil loose and permeable, and easy to drain.

You can try to stop mud....or you can build a habitat that is constantly working for you and requires very little cost or management once in place.