Shredded Paper

[bcmama]

Has anyone ever used shredded paper in their coop? I have been using wood shavings but I have a ton of shredded paper and I was wondering if it could be used?

 

[Kevin565]

How large is your coop?

 

[fishnet1971]

i did for a few months. my coop is a 10 X 12 shed. It stuck to the eggs in the egg boxes and was a NIGHTMARE to clean off once it dried. It got to wet and soggy when it snowed and they tracked it in. It didnt absorb the moisture and poop like i had hoped it did. I have a TON of free shredded paper i was really hoping to save $ with. It just didnt work out for me. I went back to pine shavings.

 

[1muttsfan]

I know some people mix some in with their shavings, but they tend to stay soggy and hard to clean up. I might try using on the poop boards, as you clean those off completely, but they probably would just get blown or knocked off into the regular bedding.

 

[bcmama]

That's what I needed to know. I guess I will just put it out for recycle. Darn. Soggy is no fun!

 

[fishnet1971]

i would give it a try! who knows, maybe it will work better for you. Just be prepared in case it does the same thing. cant hurt.

 

[Imp]

I tear up newspaper for bedding. My coop is a shed so it is dry inside. I don't have a problem with it being soggy. I put down a few layers of newspaper then 5-6 inches of the torn up paper. It wicks the moisture away from the poop, usually dry all the time. Might help that I only have a few chickens, and free range whenever I'm home. Easy to clean up too; just roll it up and dump.

Imp

 

[debid]

I tried it and it worked fine for me. I didn't use it in the nest boxes, just on the floor. I went back to shredded straw, though, because they were tracking the paper strands out the door and into the run and DH thought the ticker tape parade look was "trashy" and that it would take "forever" for the wayward strips to break down (he was wrong about that). The used newspaper litter broke down very fast in the compost pile. And it's free! I think you should try it and see how it goes for you. If it were entirely up to me, I'd use the newspaper.