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

[Tinypahomestead]

You never know until you try something. I have been shredding paper for my worm bin, but they can't keep up with it all. May try it mixed with shredded leaves in my coop/run.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Just dumped too bags of shredded paper into my chicken run composter this morning.

 

[gtaus]

I am simply glad you stepped up and shared your experience. Thank you.

Hope you enjoyed the thread. I had great fun sharing my experience with others. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[gtaus]

You never know until you try something. I have been shredding paper for my worm bin, but they can't keep up with it all. May try it mixed with shredded leaves in my coop/run.

I tried to have a worm bin many, many years ago. It was a total failure for me. I think I overfed the worms and the system became toxic. It smelled really bad and the worms were climbing up the sides of the bin trying to get out (some did). Mostly, they all just died. My fault, no doubt. But it was at that point that I realized that my worm bin was not going to process our kitchen waste. Chickens fit better into my life style and needs. They eat all our food scraps and leftovers. And, of course, now when I shed my papers I just dump everything out in the coop or run. I still chip up lots of fallen branches and stuff from yard cleanup. Grass clippings and leaves all get used with the chickens, too. Hardly anything organic leaves our property because the chickens can turn almost everything into good compost.

 

[gtaus]

Just dumped too bags of shredded paper into my chicken run composter this morning.

I think that's a better use of unwanted paper than hauling it to a recycle center. I'm all for recycling centers, but, honestly, I don't know how much of that stuff is ever recycled. I suspect little to none. I think most of it gets dumped into a landfill out of sight or shipped off to a third world country. In any event, I now know that my recycled paper shreds make excellent coop litter and will be a great carbon resource for the chicken run compost system when I clean out the coop.

In my setup, I cover the paper shreds with grass clippings or leaves when I dump them out into the chicken run. If not, I will have confetti flying all over the yard.

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know how much of that stuff is ever recycled.

I know this for a fact because I once had the opportunity to ask the person in charge of our county's program directly.

It costs more to recycle than to use the landfill and there are very few buyers for any of the materials because raw materials are cheaper to obtain and easier to process.

It's all a feel-good, smoke-and-mirrors thing.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Yep, the human race certainly needs to get it together. I don't know why it is near impossible to buy anything not wrapped 3x in single use plastic.
The idea of tossing our non-compostables into a heap and them disappearing is magical thinking. The long term effects of our thoughlessness are barely just coming to light. Reduce, reduce, reduce reuse recycle is a good start.
Yes, more expensive but only money. It's the health of our earth that matters more than anything. She dies, everything dies.

 

[BDutch]

I know this for a fact because I once had the opportunity to ask the person in charge of our county's program directly.

It costs more to recycle than to use the landfill and there are very few buyers for any of the materials because raw materials are cheaper to obtain and easier to process.

It's all a feel-good, smoke-and-mirrors thing.

Not in my country. We have a splendid system here for recycling paper & cardboard. There is a paper factory about 5 km from where I live. They use lots of used paper and cardboard to make new paper.
I see many trucks loaded with used paper tiding to the plant whenever I ride alongside this factory. The factory name is Smurfit Kappa:
https://www.smurfitkappa.com/sustainability/better-planet-packaging
One von. The people who live close can smell the factory.

PS we do have other environment problems though.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not in my country. We have a splendid system here for recycling paper & cardboard. There is a paper factory about 5 km from where I live. They use lots of used paper and cardboard to make new paper.
I see many trucks loaded with used paper tiding to the plant whenever I ride alongside this factory. The factory name is Smurfit Kappa:
https://www.smurfitkappa.com/sustainability/better-planet-packaging
One von. The people who live close can smell the factory.

PS we do have other environment problems though.

I'm in the middle of millions of acres of pine trees that are farmed specifically for the lumber and pulpwood industries. That keeps the cost of making paper from the pulpwood low.

I'm sure costs vary in different places.

 

[Tinypahomestead]

I tried worms in AZ. Epic fail. I have had my bin going in PA (in the basement) for over a year. I give them stuff I can't give to the chickens (raw potato peels, etc). I mostly have the worms for their castings which are great added to containers or seed starting mixes. It's nice to run stuff to the basement instead of traipsing out in the cold and digging through snow to bury food waste. That will change when I have a covered run and chickens.