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

[Sally PB]

My chickens have changed my thinking about the possibilities of reusing and repurposing stuff at home that I just used to throw away and fill up the landfill. From the kitchen chicken bucket to the free paper shreds, my chickens turn all that stuff into compost for the gardens which feeds us more, and better, people food. I would never had thought that at 60+ years old that I would be enjoying a backyard flock for anything more than simply a few fresh eggs. But I have changed in a number of small ways, for the better, I think.

My hat is off to you, sir. You are a fine example of humanity.

 

[gtaus]

My hat is off to you, sir,

There are just so many good people here on the BYC forums. I know whatever growth I may have experienced as a person has been helped along by all kind and helpful comments of others. A lot of credit goes out to the moderators who keep this forum a positive place to exchange ideas while weeding out the occasional troll that stops by to cause problems.

I like to share things I find might benefit others, who, like me, are keeping a backyard flock. Although using shredded paper for litter in the coop is not a new idea for some, as evidenced by those who have stated they have been using paper shreds for many years, it was new to me and I just wanted to post my impressions on a current thread for others to consider.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The issue for me is that our local recycle setup now combines all plastic, metal, aluminum, glass, and paper in one bin. You do not have to separate products anymore. So, at home, you just dump all your recyclables into the same trash can. Which is why I likened taking out paper from our home recycle bin to dumpster diving. Our paper at home is mixed in with all the food cans, the glass jars, the aluminum pop cans, the plastic drink containers, etc....

A few years ago, when we had to separate everything before bringing it to the recycle bin, then it was no big deal for me to grab the paper all in one place. But my point now is that everything is combined. Dear Wife knows that I can shred many of the paper products she just dumps into the recycle bin at home. Because there are so many women here on the BYC forum, I was hoping someone would give me a suggestion as to how to persuade her to set those paper items aside for me so I don't have to dumpster dive in our home recycle garbage can!

It did not take me 33 years to figure out that I cannot make Dear Wife do something my way because I think it is a better way. But, sometimes, I have been able to suggest a very small change and find a solution that works out better for both of us. I'm just looking for that win-win in this issue.

Let me add that having a backyard flock has changed the way I think about a lot of things I used to do. We used to rake up all our leaves and either haul them out to the dump or make a big burn pile of leaves. Now, I use all those leaves in the chicken run compost system and make black gold compost for the gardens.

We used to load up our trailer full of wood debris and haul it to the landfill. Now, I chip up most of the small branches for use in the coop and run. The larger branches and tree trunks get used to build new hügelkultur raised beds.

I bag up all our grass clippings and give them to the chickens in the run. What does not get eaten gets mixed into the composting along with the wood chips and leaves.

Instead of throwing our kitchen scraps and leftovers into the household garbage bag, we now use a chicken bucket for most food items and feed that to the chickens. Anything organic that goes bad or moldy, will now be dumped into the pallet compost bin. Very little food every get tossed into our household garbage bag.

And now, this winter, I am excited to be trying free paper shreds in the coop as deep bedding instead of just hauling all of it out to the recycle center. In the spring, when I clean out the coop, all those paper shreds will be going into the chicken run compost system where I expect they will break down into compost much faster than the wood chips I have been using.

My chickens have changed my thinking about the possibilities of reusing and repurposing stuff at home that I just used to throw away and fill up the landfill. From the kitchen chicken bucket to the free paper shreds, my chickens turn all that stuff into compost for the gardens which feeds us more, and better, people food. I would never had thought that at 60+ years old that I would be enjoying a backyard flock for anything more than simply a few fresh eggs. But I have changed in a number of small ways, for the better, I think.

You say you hope some of us BYC women can offer some suggestions to help you motivate your DW to put shreddable paper wherever you want her to put it so you can shred it, rather than in the recycle bin, so you don't have to crawl in after it to retrieve it.

I don't know if I have a good solution for you, gt. None of us here know your wife as well as you do. What would motivate her? A new car? Chocolates? Wine? These are all bribes and won't get to the heart of the problem. It seems to me you have to make it easier for her to put paper where you want her to put it, rather than in the recycle bin, where she currently puts it. So look at it as, perhaps, a mechanical or logistical problem.

Where is she when she opens envelopes or otherwise handles paper you want to shred? Okay, now from there, where exactly do you want that paper to go so you can shred it? Can you provide an easily accessible can or drop box or other receptacle near where she opens envelopes so she can drop the envelopes into it for you to retrieve and move that paper to the shredder? It should be convenient for HER. She should not have to take paper to the shredder, when it's clearly easier for her to put it in the dumpster, and shredding is clearly YOUR thing, not hers.

Her: Open envelope, drop it in the receptacle. Easy. Then YOU take it from there to the shredder. Daily. Think that might work?

 

[gtaus]

What would motivate her? A new car? Chocolates? Wine?

I'm sure a bribe like that would work short term! But, my goodness, how much would my "free" paper shreds cost at that point? Like you said, it does not get to the heart of the problem.

Her: Open envelope, drop it in the receptacle. Easy. Then YOU take it from there to the shredder. Daily. Think that might work?

We used to have a number of different recycle bins when we had to sort out all the products. Maybe I can put a bin there for just paper products. Would not take her any more time or effort to put the paper in that bin, but it sure would save me from having to dumpster dive to retrieve the paper from the mixed recycle bin. I'll ask her about that and maybe we can work that out.

You are right in that shredding paper is my thing, not hers. She is completely happy just throwing everything into a recycle bin and letting that be the end of it for her. I don't want to complain about it, either, as I can go to any of my friends and family's house in town and everything, and I mean everything, gets thrown into household garbage. Nobody there bothers to recycle anything. That is because it actually takes them more time and effort to sort out the recyclables and then put them out separately. Why bother, when the dump truck in town picks up all your garbage for the same fee?

I agree with you that people tend to do what is easiest for them, unless there is some other motivation not to. Where I live, I have to haul my own garbage into town, so shredding paper products at home actually saves me both time and money from those dump trips, plus I get free shredded paper for use in the coop, then the chicken run to compost, and then into the garden to grow good food. So, I have lots of incentives to use as much paper at home as I can.

 

[BReeder!]

I just saw the one pullet do it. Of the new pullets from this year, she's my favorite. I have no idea why she thinks paper or pine shavings might be food.

Is she using it as grit? It wouldn't be very effective, but does the pullet have access to grit? And if so, does she consume the grit?

 

[Sally PB]

Is she using it as grit? It wouldn't be very effective, but does the pullet have access to grit? And if so, does she consume the grit?

They have access to grit (2 places) and the scratch around in the dirt too. I think this girl has a case of pica (eating things not usually considered food).

She seems fine, so

 

[BDutch]

I don't understand why it is forbidden to feed your chickens something with meat in it. Chickens are omnivores and would be eating meat if available. Also, when my chickens go into molt, my feed store recommends I buy their commercial feed with meat protein for higher levels of protein. I will give my chickens all our leftover bones from the kitchen and they will pick off all the meat down to the bone.

British, Belgium and Dutch industries have proven to buy as cheap as possible and even add rotten things into animal feed for profit. There have been problems with meat in animal feed in the past. Thats why it’s forbidden now.

The longer I have my chickens, the less I seem to worry about them eating food that "might" not be good for them. Chickens are not very smart, but they seem smart enough to figure out that some things are food and others are not. I have never seen any of my chickens eating paper shreds, but even if they did, I don't think I would be too concerned. But I felt the same way with pine shavings and wood chips.

So why do chickens eat poisonous styrofoam?

I have been careful not to feed my chickens those few items that are known bad for them. And I will throw any moldy food into the pallet compost bin instead of giving it to the chickens. But I watched a YouTube video where a guy was feeding his chickens nothing but commercial waste food from local restaurants and he never spent any time digging through the buckets or garbage cans of food. He just dumped everything out and let the chickens eat what they wanted and not eat those other things that might not be good for them. He certainly did not seem too concerned about an occasional avocado skin or apple pits.

Restaurant food is too salty.

At any rate, the free paper shreds I make at home have been working out for me much better than I had expected.

 

[BDutch]

What about a bin like this one? One side for paper and the other side for garbage.

 

[NatJ]

So why do chickens eat poisonous styrofoam?

Is styrofoam poisonous to chickens?

I think we all agree it has no nutritional value for chickens, but I have seen many stories of chickens eating it, and no stories of chickens suffering any harm that their owners could notice. (There might be some that I missed, so I can only speak for the ones I have read.)

 

[BDutch]

Is styrofoam poisonous to chickens?

I think we all agree it has no nutritional value for chickens, but I have seen many stories of chickens eating it, and no stories of chickens suffering any harm that their owners could notice. (There might be some that I missed, so I can only speak for the ones I have read.)

There are two types of styrofoam. The real, blue one is poisonous.