Shredded paper

[edster951]

I have just bought a shredder as we are about to move and we wanted to shred old documents, bank statements, junk mail flyers etc..

We have a few shopping bags full of shreddings.

Can we safely use these in the nesting boxes/roosts etc? What about bedding for guinnea pigs

Be good if we could. Real re-cycling.

Has the feel and consistancy of hay. ?

Eddie

 

[SpottedCrow]

I used shredded paper in my coop. When I cleaned I just dumped it all in the compost pile.

 

[edster951]

Quote:
That was my intention as well....cool some more savings.

Eddie

 

[homecatmom]

My compost pile gets all the shredding papers. That mixed with the lawn clippings and chic-a-poo really gets it cooking!

 

[MissPrissy]

It works great for lining nest boxes. When you take it out you can put it straight in the garden to help keep down weeds, like mulch, and it will compost as it gets wet and walked on. However, to use paper in your garden or compost pile you need to add another form of nitrogen fertilizer to it to stop the soil from locking down the nitrogen as the paper composts.

 

[nccatnip]

You know, this forum is amazing (or rather the members are) I was just wondering this morning if I could use the shredder paper in the nesting boxes. Just forgot to post the question. Thanks, edster

 

[silkiechicken]

Wouldn't the chicken poo act as a good fertilizer?

 

[MissPrissy]

They don't normally poop in the nest boxes, so if you took it out and used it as mulch directly in the garden you would need to add to it. Chicken poop should not go straight on the garden because of the ammonia in it will burn your plants. It has to be composted first.

Sorry for the confusion. It should read -

If you use the shredded paper straight from the nesting boxes to your garden as mulch you need to add a little nitrogen fertilizer to keep the soil from locking down the nitrogen as the paper composts. Also as an added thought when you put the paper straight into the garden instead of a nitrogen fertilizer (commercial) you could add some blood or bone meal for the same effect.

 

[Nichole77]

I would just make sure that you didn't shred the envelopes with the plastic film for your chickens or compost.

 

[3peeps]

Well, not to be a downer and a geek at the same time...we live in an area with a lot of paper companies and have heard a lot about the chemical "dioxin" used in the making of paper. It's carcinogenic....I'd thought about using shredded paper, but since we're eating the eggs, i wasn't sure about ingestion since mine snack on their bedding.

I'm really not sure about the risk. It could be minimal, but is worth some though.