Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips?

[NatJ]

That is good to know, because I can make heavy cardboard shreds for free, but I have to buy my pine shavings. Advantage in cost to the free heavy cardboard shreds.

Pine shavings have a nice smell to them, whereas heavy cardboard has no smell. Pine shavings are also softer in the nests than heavy cardboard shreds. I don't know if that makes a difference to you or the chickens, if so, advantage to the pine shavings in those cases.

Have you tried using hay or dried grass in the nests?

It seems to me that hens prefer long strands of dry grass-type material for nests, when they have them. So if any part of your property grows tall grass, maybe try cutting some of it after it dies & dries out for the winter (alternately, cut it in the summer and dry for hay, but this is not the right season to try that.)

I would not bother buying hay or straw for nest bedding, just suggesting that if you have an easy free source you might give it a try.

 

[gtaus]

Have you tried using hay or dried grass in the nests?

It seems to me that hens prefer long strands of dry grass-type material for nests, when they have them. So if any part of your property grows tall grass, maybe try cutting some of it after it dies & dries out for the winter (alternately, cut it in the summer and dry for hay, but this is not the right season to try that.)

I would not bother buying hay or straw for nest bedding, just suggesting that if you have an easy free source you might give it a try.

Thanks. I have tried dried grass in the nests in the summertime, and it worked OK. I have not tried cutting grass in the summer, letting it dry, and saving some for winter. That's something to think about.

As to what the chickens prefer, I don't know. I have used wood chips, pine shavings, dried grass, leaves, paper shreds, and now cardboard shreds. My chickens lay eggs in the nest boxes no matter what litter I put in there.

I have successfully not bought any hay or straw for over four years with these chickens. In fact, I prefer my free resources much better. I can get free wood chips at the local county landfill, use dried grass or leaves, or make paper and cardboard shreds at home with my paper shredder. I prefer using the paper and cardboard shreds because they have less dust, compost faster, and I can make shreds year-round as I need them.

 

[Lyontamer3]

For the past 2 years, I have been using wood chips as the base of my dry deep litter in my chicken coop. The wood chips work great and I highly recommend them for anyone considering the deep litter method. This year, however, I am trying a twist on the idea. After I did my fall cleaning of the coop, removing all my wood chips for a fresh base to carry me over the winter, I decided to use my shredded paper I had saved in some big bags. So far, I have so say, I am very pleased with my results.

First of all, I try to minimize garbage we haul to the landfill. I came across a used 12 sheet paper shredder at our local thrift store for $5.00. A new model of that brand costs about $80. I had smaller shredders at home, about 5-8 sheets, but thought that a 12 sheet shredder for $5.00 was a good deal and would allow me to shred more and heavier types of paper. Previously, I have been shredding most of our paper at home and throwing it in compost piles with greens. But now that I have chickens, I was wondering if I could use shredded paper in the coop as litter.

I find that normal office paper and most junk mail shreds up fine. But you have to be sure to remove any plastic windows and staples. I don't want my chickens eating that stuff, or eventually adding plastic or staples mixed into my garden as compost. I also shred all our light cardboard boxes, like cereal boxes, and find that mixing that light cardboard along with normal office paper makes a better litter mix. I can also shred normal box cardboard with my 12 sheet shredder, but I have to cut the heavy cardboard into strips and feed it down the "credit card" slot on the shredder. But my 12 sheet shredder eats up the normal cardboard boxes we get from Amazon shipments.

I also shred our old newspapers, but I find the quality of newspapers to be very low compared to the other papers. It comes out all stringy and wraps around the shredder rollers. It seems to mat down more easily than the other types of shredded paper. I would not recommend using only shredded newspaper, but it works OK in the mix with all the other types of shredded paper.

I have a normal sized 13 gallon kitchen waste basket that I fill up with shredded paper maybe every 2 weeks. This is just the right amount for me to dump on top of the older shredded paper in the coop. I just dump it in a pile and let the chickens spread it out. Seems to work good for me. I have sometimes dumped the pile underneath their roost, as that is mainly where all the chicken poo accumulates, but I don't know if that is necessary. My goal is to always let the chickens do most of the work. They seem to like it, and I don't mind less work to do for myself. Sometimes I'll throw some chicken scratch into an area that I want the chickens to turn over the litter. As they scratch and peck for the chicken scratch, they turn over and mix up the shredded paper. The heavier, soiled paper works it way down to the bottom leaving the fresher paper on top.

So far, for about 2 months, I have not been able to detect any smell in the coop. So, from that aspect, I think the shredded paper is working as good as my wood chips I used the past 2 years. We will see how well it holds up as our winter is just getting started. I probably won't really know if this was a success or not until next spring, when the poo thaws out....

Well, I wanted to post this thread as something to consider as coop litter for those who do not have access to free wood chips. One thing I know is that come spring, when I clean out the shredded paper and dump it into my chicken run composting system, is that the shredded paper will turn into compost much, much, faster than my wood chips. What a better way to get rid of all that junk mail and old bills than to shred them up, let the chickens poo on them, and then bury them in the garden to grow some good people food?

Would love to hear any comments, pro or con, on using shredded paper with your chickens. Also, would really like to hear if there is a better way to shred old newspapers. I really don't like the way the newspapers can muck up the rollers on my shredder. Thanks.

I love this idea. I got a 24 sheet paper shredder on Amazon and it has shreds every box that I’ve thrown its way. Just cut into strips and put it in there. My question for you is after you remove it from the mostly dry coop floor, do you then put it in your run (where it’s exposed to the elements) and let it break down further? Or do you have a separate compost box?

 

[gtaus]

I love this idea. I got a 24 sheet paper shredder on Amazon and it has shrewd every box that I’ve thrown its way. Just cut into strips and put it in there. My question for you is after you remove it from the mostly dry coop floor, do you then put it in your run (where it’s exposed to the elements) and let it break down further? Or do you have a separate compost box?

Welcome to the BYC forums!

I take all my old coop litter and dump it into my chicken run composting system. The paper shreds compost much, much faster than the wood chips did. Last spring, I cleaned out all the old, dirty, winter paper shreds deep bedding litter from the coop, and it was basically finished compost about 2 months later out in the chicken run. Wood chips take maybe 6 months to get to the same level. As you noted, my chicken run is not covered, so the rain keeps the litter moist which aids in composting faster. The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking in the chicken run litter, which turns it over and over and helps to break it down faster.

I am using paper shreds as deep bedding coop litter this winter as well. I just really like using free paper shreds. Paper shreds have no dust, no smell, absorb poo very well, and compost faster than the other litter options I have used.

I see you got a 24-sheet paper shredder ! Very nice! That should shred up just about anything that I can think of that comes into our house. Cardboard shreds are great, too, and I mix them up with my lighter paper shreds from newspapers, junk mail, and office paper.

My biggest paper shredder is rated for 12-sheets. In case you have not read all the previous posts, I will mention again that I bought a nice power cutter from Harbor Freight that I use to cut my cardboard into 2–3-inch-wide strips, and then I feed it down the middle of the shredder slot which on my machine is where you would also feed in something like a credit card. Many companies make these power cutters, so I would suggest looking for the best price if you want to buy one.

The power cutter just makes it very easy to cut that heavy packing cardboard boxes. I have a big, heavy-duty, manual scissors but my old hands start to cramp up after a short while on cutting heavy cardboard. Since I bought this power cutter, I don't think one cardboard box has been sent to the recycle center from our house. All those Amazon and QVC shipping boxes get turned into chicken coop litter.

With the power cutter, I can easily cut up a cardboard box into strips in no time and shred them up even in my 12-sheet shredder. In fact, after cutting the cardboard into narrow strips, I can even feed them down my 8-sheet shredder. If you listen to motor, you can tell if the paper shredder is bogging down or not. There has been no problem with my paper shredders cutting the heavy cardboard into those 2-3-inch-wide strips.

Have you decided to use paper shreds in your coop? Would love some feedback on how well it works for you. Also, let me suggest you add your geographic area to your member icon. It helps to know where people are from because how I raise my chickens in northern Minnesota might be completely different from someone in the desert of Arizona, for example. As fast as paper shreds turn into compost for me in Minnesota, they might not compost nearly as fast as someone living in a dry, arid, area unless you water them down to keep them moist.

Again, welcome to the BYC forums and hope to hear more from you in this and other threads.

 

[Lyontamer3]

Welcome to the BYC forums!

I take all my old coop litter and dump it into my chicken run composting system. The paper shreds compost much, much faster than the wood chips did. Last spring, I cleaned out all the old, dirty, winter paper shreds deep bedding litter from the coop, and it was basically finished compost about 2 months later out in the chicken run. Wood chips take maybe 6 months to get to the same level. As you noted, my chicken run is not covered, so the rain keeps the litter moist which aids in composting faster. The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking in the chicken run litter, which turns it over and over and helps to break it down faster.

I am using paper shreds as deep bedding coop litter this winter as well. I just really like using free paper shreds. Paper shreds have no dust, no smell, absorb poo very well, and compost faster than the other litter options I have used.

I see you got a 24-sheet paper shredder ! Very nice! That should shred up just about anything that I can think of that comes into our house. Cardboard shreds are great, too, and I mix them up with my lighter paper shreds from newspapers, junk mail, and office paper.

My biggest paper shredder is rated for 12-sheets. In case you have not read all the previous posts, I will mention again that I bought a nice power cutter from Harbor Freight that I use to cut my cardboard into 2–3-inch-wide strips, and then I feed it down the middle of the shredder slot which on my machine is where you would also feed in something like a credit card. Many companies make these power cutters, so I would suggest looking for the best price if you want to buy one.

View attachment 3707460

The power cutter just makes it very easy to cut that heavy packing cardboard boxes. I have a big, heavy-duty, manual scissors but my old hands start to cramp up after a short while on cutting heavy cardboard. Since I bought this power cutter, I don't think one cardboard box has been sent to the recycle center from our house. All those Amazon and QVC shipping boxes get turned into chicken coop litter.

With the power cutter, I can easily cut up a cardboard box into strips in no time and shred them up even in my 12-sheet shredder. In fact, after cutting the cardboard into narrow strips, I can even feed them down my 8-sheet shredder. If you listen to motor, you can tell if the paper shredder is bogging down or not. There has been no problem with my paper shredders cutting the heavy cardboard into those 2-3-inch-wide strips.

Have you decided to use paper shreds in your coop? Would love some feedback on how well it works for you. Also, let me suggest you add your geographic area to your member icon. It helps to know where people are from because how I raise my chickens in northern Minnesota might be completely different from someone in the desert of Arizona, for example. As fast as paper shreds turn into compost for me in Minnesota, they might not compost nearly as fast as someone living in a dry, arid, area unless you water them down to keep them moist.

Again, welcome to the BYC forums and hope to hear more from you in this and other threads.

Thank you so much for your reply. I am going to add that cutter to my Amazon wish list for sure! That is awesome. I just started using paper in the coop just last week so I’m not sure yet how it will go. So far my hens seem to be very accepting of it. I started putting shredded paper in the nesting boxes and they didn’t seem to mind so I branched out from there. Sorry I didn’t see the other threads so I appreciate your suggestions. I just signed up to become a member on here. Previously I would come across the threads on Google searches and it always brought me to here so I cut out the middle man. I’m going to fix my location and bio. I live here in the nashville area.

 

[Sally PB]

The power cutter just makes it very easy to cut that heavy packing cardboard boxes. I have a big, heavy-duty, manual scissors but my old hands start to cramp up after a short while on cutting heavy cardboard.

I am going to add that cutter to my Amazon wish list for sure!

I heartily second the power cutter! Using scissors for long periods on heavy material is VERY hard on your hands and wrists. And nerves in your fingers; I pinched a nerve and the end of my finger was numb to the touch for 2-3 months. Nerves take a long time to regenerate.

I just signed up to become a member on here. Previously I would come across the threads on Google searches and it always brought me to here so I cut out the middle man.

That's how I ended up here on BYC too!

The knowledge pool on anything to do with chickens here is wide and deep. There are people here who have decades of experience with chickens, and some know more about treating illnesses and injuries than some vets. (I've found there aren't many vets who treat chickens, sadly.)

Welcome!

 

[Lyontamer3]

I heartily second the power cutter! Using scissors for long periods on heavy material is VERY hard on your hands and wrists. And nerves in your fingers; I pinched a nerve and the end of my finger was numb to the touch for 2-3 months. Nerves take a long time to regenerate.

That's how I ended up here on BYC too!

The knowledge pool on anything to do with chickens here is wide and deep. There are people here who have decades of experience with chickens, and some know more about treating illnesses and injuries than some vets. (I've found there aren't many vets who treat chickens, sadly.)

Welcome!

Yes, I found out the hard way that vets don’t really any to see chickens when one of mine was attacked by something (still unclear what) last month. I called a few places and the one that finally did accept to see her had experience with birds, but not chickens. But everyone working there owned chickens so they were comfortable with it. Luckily, my girl is healing very nicely her wing may be permanently disabled, but she is ok. Thank you for seconding the cutter. Looking forward to more advice and tips.

 

[Sally PB]

But everyone working there owned chickens so they were comfortable with it.

Oh, good! So many people here either have no vets who will see chickens, or if they see them, don't have direct experience. Or charge huge fees.

 

[PopoMyers]

Welcome to the BYC forums!

I take all my old coop litter and dump it into my chicken run composting system. The paper shreds compost much, much faster than the wood chips did. Last spring, I cleaned out all the old, dirty, winter paper shreds deep bedding litter from the coop, and it was basically finished compost about 2 months later out in the chicken run. Wood chips take maybe 6 months to get to the same level. As you noted, my chicken run is not covered, so the rain keeps the litter moist which aids in composting faster. The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking in the chicken run litter, which turns it over and over and helps to break it down faster.

I am using paper shreds as deep bedding coop litter this winter as well. I just really like using free paper shreds. Paper shreds have no dust, no smell, absorb poo very well, and compost faster than the other litter options I have used.

I see you got a 24-sheet paper shredder ! Very nice! That should shred up just about anything that I can think of that comes into our house. Cardboard shreds are great, too, and I mix them up with my lighter paper shreds from newspapers, junk mail, and office paper.

My biggest paper shredder is rated for 12-sheets. In case you have not read all the previous posts, I will mention again that I bought a nice power cutter from Harbor Freight that I use to cut my cardboard into 2–3-inch-wide strips, and then I feed it down the middle of the shredder slot which on my machine is where you would also feed in something like a credit card. Many companies make these power cutters, so I would suggest looking for the best price if you want to buy one.

View attachment 3707460

The power cutter just makes it very easy to cut that heavy packing cardboard boxes. I have a big, heavy-duty, manual scissors but my old hands start to cramp up after a short while on cutting heavy cardboard. Since I bought this power cutter, I don't think one cardboard box has been sent to the recycle center from our house. All those Amazon and QVC shipping boxes get turned into chicken coop litter.

With the power cutter, I can easily cut up a cardboard box into strips in no time and shred them up even in my 12-sheet shredder. In fact, after cutting the cardboard into narrow strips, I can even feed them down my 8-sheet shredder. If you listen to motor, you can tell if the paper shredder is bogging down or not. There has been no problem with my paper shredders cutting the heavy cardboard into those 2-3-inch-wide strips.

Have you decided to use paper shreds in your coop? Would love some feedback on how well it works for you. Also, let me suggest you add your geographic area to your member icon. It helps to know where people are from because how I raise my chickens in northern Minnesota might be completely different from someone in the desert of Arizona, for example. As fast as paper shreds turn into compost for me in Minnesota, they might not compost nearly as fast as someone living in a dry, arid, area unless you water them down to keep them moist.

Again, welcome to the BYC forums and hope to hear more from you in this and other threads.

When you shred junk mail, I'm assuming the envelopes too, do you leave the plastic address windows, or just not use those envelopes?

 

[samuraioodon]

When you shred junk mail, I'm assuming the envelopes too, do you leave the plastic address windows, or just not use those envelopes?

Plastic doesn't decompose. I cut all stickers, tape, everything except for cardboard.