Shredded office paper

[Hardknockshomestead]

Hmmm... food for thought, I suppose.

I have used office paper from my job (I go thru and remove the staples, clips & paperclips. Have 11 cases of forms from a clean out of paperwork that had already been scanned), phone books (yep, they still print those), junk mail (I remove the plastic) and all other house paperwork, as we've not needed it, for years.

I have a good paper shredder that works well. It will even shred all the Amazon boxes we get at this time of year. I've used the shredded paper & cardboard directly in our compost, in the coops/runs and in my brooders. I haven't used it in the nest boxes - that's next, LOL. The chickens will compost it nicely, when using DLM, it just disappears into the litter. I've not noticed any issues with it. It can get a bit "fly-a-way", but the coops i've used it in are in our pony pastures on sand, so I've never been too worried about it. This winter, I will be using it in combination with leaves, yard debris and pine straw in the coops behind the house and would be happy to let you know how it does...

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A friend brought a bunch she'd already shredded over. It was double shredded - very fine and tiny. it's kind of neat! That, I would think, won't be used for the chicks. Very different from the shred from our shredder.

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Over Christmas, my granddaughters and I are going to try our hand (s) at making concrete blocks. They will be made with 1/2 Quikrete, 1/2 shredded paper and water. They will be set up in the card board boxes I bring home from work (high volume spay/neuter clinic) - different sizes and all boxes I've chosen so far are marked to make the "blocks" 2.5" thick. I have a path from the drive way to the house that's about 4' wide and about 80' long (haven't measured it, might be a bit wider and it could be either longer or slightly shorter). If these work, it will take a lot of boxes and shredded paper to make the whole walk-way. But it will be another use for the cardboard boxes and for the shredded paper. (some references - Papercrete in the garden, Kid friendly stepping stones, Stepping stones. ) I planned on mixing the shredded paper with quickrete instead of Portland cement... A family activity that will get me a not too expensive concrete stepping stone path, I hope!

Who knows - we may build forms and then make papercrete foundations for our hoop coops so that we can do a DLM and not have lumber bottom bases rot away - what a way to use resources we already have access to. I was even thinking of trying to use some round foil pans we'd gotten take-out in. Then putting a hole thru the center and will see if it will work for "stone" wheels for chickie tractors! We shall see...

That's a really interesting idea for path blocks.
I would love to hear from you how it turns out once you get the pavers done!

 

[paintedChix]

That's a really interesting idea for path blocks.
I would love to hear from you how it turns out once you get the pavers done!

Be happy to let you know. While I was collecting the "right size" boxes, the first two bags of quickrete turned into 50# solid blocks in our shop, stored, not on the ground... So, have to wait till I get some more. Boxes are ready. 4 - #50 feed bags are full of shredded paper & will soon have many more ready... Have been watching vids on making garden blocks from just cement, papercrete blocks, papercrete houses/buildings & firebricks...

The first two coops that had shredded paper in them have started being "dug out" and the compost used to set up mounds where we will be planting fruit trees over the next year. It's not completely fenced off and the ponies keep flattening it down. At least all the straight sand is getting slowly turned into decent growing medium...

 

[aart]

While I was collecting the "right size" boxes, the first two bags of quickrete turned into 50# solid blocks in our shop, stored, not on the ground.

Buying 'fresh' cement products is important...BTDT...buy it somewhere they sell a lot of it so stock is fresh. I used to do concrete sculpture, bought my cement and then repackaged it in ziplocks with DIY desiccants.

 

[paintedChix]

Back to shredded office paper. Here are pics from the past week. The first pics are the day that I put this into their coop/pen. Yes, I did some paper trash that wasn't shredded. They tore it up pretty well, they batted the paper balls (wraps from Taco Bell &/or Hardy's) around before then shredding it, too. One of these days, I will take video of them moving/mixing the shredded stuff. I did watch long enough to realize that YES, they do consume some of the shreds. Some picked it up, "ate" it & spit it out.



Then the next day.



I will take pics again today - it is well mixed in now (meant to take pics yesterday, but I forgot while building a pen next to it). I will be adding some more leaves & pine straw today at some point. I am very pleased. I will wait until we've done a couple loads of leaves/pine straw and then will do 2 bags of shred again. Will quite possibly be before the end of January again - we are getting lots of rain.

 

[aart]

it is well mixed in now

You have a lot of other stuff to mix it in with.....that can help tons.

 

[paintedChix]

You have a lot of other stuff to mix it in with.....that can help tons.

Yes, it does make a difference. Actually, the only way that I've found DLM to work well is to use all kinds of different materials - otherwise any one type fo material packs down into that stinky, slimy, anaerobic mess that no one wants (I've done that!)...

 

[aart]

Actually, the only way that I've found DLM to work well is to use all kinds of different materials - otherwise any one type fo material packs down into that stinky, slimy, anaerobic mess that no one wants

Yeppers!!