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

[Sally PB]

Come spring when you do that big cleanout you should turn the experience into article.

I think that is a great idea!

 

[gtaus]

Come spring when you do that big cleanout you should turn the experience into article.

Maybe. Depends on how it all comes out. I don't think using paper shreds as coop litter is a new concept by any means, but it is for me. I was just thinking that lots of people could shred paper at home and not have to buy litter for the coop. In my case, all the paper I shred at home is just that much less paper I have to haul off to the recycle center. That saves me gas money, time, and effort. Even better, all those paper shreds I use in the coop will work their way into the chicken run compost system and then into the garden.

 

[gtaus]

@gtaus Thank you for tagging me! Your post was extremely helpful and the pictures helped me understand how the whole thing works! I appreciate the time you took to do that, especially in the cold weather! Will be looking forward to your spring report to see how the whole thing turned out during thaw!

I will definitely update the thread in the spring when I do my end of winter clean out. Mid-winter, things are looking good. Glad the pictures helped you visualize how I use the shredded paper in the coop as deep bedding.

 

[gtaus]

If there’s any Backyard Chickeners in the area, you could make it an “interactive experience”.

BYOBF (bring your own barn fork).

I like your thinking. Having said that, all I have to do is to drop the back panel of the coop and just shovel/sweep the old bedding into my wheelbarrows and carts. It's really not too much work even at my age.

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't think using paper shreds as coop litter is a new concept by any means,

Much of what I've read about it talked about the paper matting and getting/staying wet.

Obviously yours isn't.

 

[gtaus]

Much of what I've read about it talked about the paper matting and getting/staying wet.

Obviously yours isn't.

I don't know what you have read, but almost all the responses I have received from people who use paper shreds as coop dry bedding litter report that the shreds do not mat down. That is what I have found, too. I know one of my early concerns with paper shreds was that they might get wet and mat down. Inside the coop, however, they stay dry and are still fluffy after 3 months of use inside the coop.

I still think that once I clean out the coop in the spring, and dump all those paper shreds outside into my chicken run compost system, they will get rained upon and turn into compost in almost no time compared to the wood chips I used the last two years. I'll mix the paper shreds in with all the other litter in the chicken run, so it will not be like one big pile of paper turning into a paper Mache clump of goo. But I suspect the paper will be composted in just weeks once outside. Wood chips make great compost, too, but they take a long time to break down.

Another good use for soiled paper shreds from the coop might be to use them in a worm bin. I am currently thinking about building some kind of flow through worm bin system. I wonder if chicken poo is good for worms like cow manure is? Don't know. Last time I tried to have a worm bin I failed miserably. I think I overfed them and made the bin toxic. The poor worms tried to escape, the bin smelled horrible, and all my dead worms turned into a slimy smelly goo. I had to throw everything outside into the tall grass. Epic failure.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I’d imagine that maybe if you did not have enough material, you might have issues…there’s a lot to be said for having the right amount of material for the job

Also a good reminder that do > think.

If one person does something and says it does or doesn’t work and another thinks something will or won’t work, it’s probably best to put more weight on the former.

 

[Lexicon]

I don't know what you have read, but almost all the responses I have received from people who use paper shreds as coop dry bedding litter report that the shreds do not mat down. That is what I have found, too. I know one of my early concerns with paper shreds was that they might get wet and mat down. Inside the coop, however, they stay dry and are still fluffy after 3 months of use inside the coop.

I still think that once I clean out the coop in the spring, and dump all those paper shreds outside into my chicken run compost system, they will get rained upon and turn into compost in almost no time compared to the wood chips I used the last two years. I'll mix the paper shreds in with all the other litter in the chicken run, so it will not be like one big pile of paper turning into a paper Mache clump of goo. But I suspect the paper will be composted in just weeks once outside. Wood chips make great compost, too, but they take a long time to break down.

Another good use for soiled paper shreds from the coop might be to use them in a worm bin. I am currently thinking about building some kind of flow through worm bin system. I wonder if chicken poo is good for worms like cow manure is? Don't know. Last time I tried to have a worm bin I failed miserably. I think I overfed them and made the bin toxic. The poor worms tried to escape, the bin smelled horrible, and all my dead worms turned into a slimy smelly goo. I had to throw everything outside into the tall grass. Epic failure.

I am just getting started with my worm bin. Got the worms at Christmas and they're still alive!
From my research I believe that we don't want the bin to heat up because that will kill the worms. For this reason I have not used chicken poop in mine. A relative gave me some of his worms along with the bedding they were living in and I see the occasional moose poop in there. So far, no harm done.

 

[gtaus]

If one person does something and says it does or doesn’t work and another thinks something will or won’t work, it’s probably best to put more weight on the former.

Exactly. This is why I am experimenting with paper shreds myself and reporting my results compared to wood chips as deep bedding in my coop. Also, I hope my pictures of the shredded paper in the coops give people a good idea that the coop bedding is dry and not at all exposed to wind or rain.

 

[RoyalChick]

Exactly. This is why I am experimenting with paper shreds myself and reporting my results compared to wood chips as deep bedding in my coop. Also, I hope my pictures of the shredded paper in the coops give people a good idea that the coop bedding is dry and not at all exposed to wind or rain.

I found your picture very helpful.
I use shredded paper too but I use it mixed in with leaves as bedding.
Mostly I use the paper in the nesting boxes and then empty it out onto the floor of the coop and it makes its way out into the run and like the leaves just disappears into the dirt in the run.
I mainly use the plain brown packing paper so I can’t really tell the paper from the shredded leaves without looking closely.
So far so good.