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

[Jenni Hen]

I, too, am an RN. I am sure your nurse was concerned about dust and chicken dander in the air in the chicken coop. I'm sure her advice was sound and you would be better off not cleaning out the coop until you are fully recovered.

Thank you very much for your concern, which I'm sure is well-founded and is definitely appreciated. The Eglu needs cleaning daily and there's no-one else to do it, but I wear safety glasses and use barrier cream and disposable gloves (and dedicated footwear & trousers and a disinfectant boot bath a/c regulations!).

The Eglu structure is a sort of little shelter on legs, about 2 feet square, with a tray base, like a cat litter tray with a grid of plastic roosting bars over it. The idea is that the birds can perch anywhere on the grid area and the poop falls into the litter tray. The tray and grid pull out for cleaning.
This morning I tried another suggestion of simply dumping the soiled night litter into the run (rather than taking it to the compost bin).
Following your advice about dander, it would be much safer just to pull out the tray and tip it out (away from me), then replenish daily with clean shreds,

There are 2 Eglus and another 2 little coops in the run but they all tend to cram into their favourite Eglu, leaving the others empty (and clean!) The run was a normal run, 6' x 12', but I enclosed it with PVC sheets because of avian flu then added a makeshift extension of about 6'.

 

[gtaus]

I've used grass from my veg patch in summer. If it's not actually among the veg, I let it grow flower stalks then pull the whole lot, lay it out to dry and cut off any roots before bagging it up. I usually chop it up a bit before putting it in the nest box. They love it if the grass has seeded and they find treats in the bedding!

That sounds like a nice treat for the nest box!

Are you talking about regular lawn grass that you let grow tall enough to seed out?

Do you manually pull out the grass and chop it up?

Sometimes, I let a patch of grass grow longer to seed and then cut it down with a mower. It gets chopped up in the process and collected in the collection system. Then I just dump the bins in the chicken run.

I do have a sickle and machete that is good for cutting/chopping down tall grass and weeds, but usually I just use a grass trimmer. I can see if you let the grass grow really tall, that dried out it would be straw-like.

One thing I have been told to be careful of is how long the grass clippings are, because long clippings are more prone to stuff up the chicken's crop. So, I usually cut the lawn down about 1 inch. I have never noticed any crop problems with my chickens. But I'm using fresh green grass clippings. My chickens don't seem too interested in eating dried clippings.

How long are your nest box dried grass clippings that you chop up manually? Do the chickens attempt to eat the dried grass or just the tasty seeds?

 

[gtaus]

The Eglu needs cleaning daily and there's no-one else to do it, but I wear safety glasses and use barrier cream and disposable gloves (and dedicated footwear & trousers and a disinfectant boot bath a/c regulations!).

Sounds like you are taking measures to protect yourself. If you clean out the tray daily, then you have less dust and dander to worry about. I don't know exactly what you mean by safety glasses, but in your situation, I would recommend safety goggles which fit like ski goggles. That would reduce the potential amount of dust you might be exposed to in the eyes.

Like changing out your clothes to keep them dust free, I would wipe down the goggles between use as well. Probably a pain in the butt for a short while, but more important to protect the recovery of your eyes. Hope you have a quick recovery. Best wishes.

EDIT ADDON: I actually use my safety goggles when I know I'll be doing something extremely dusty. First mowing's of the lawn in the spring, last mowing's of leaves in the fall, etc... Also, I use safety goggles instead of safety glasses if I use any type of wire brushes on my drills and grinders. Those tiny metal pieces could fly up and get into your eyes. I might be overcautious, but I really value my sight.

 

[Jenni Hen]

I really value my sight since all the problems I've had this year! Not just sight but headaches and migraines from eye strain. My safety glasses aren't goggles - they have side pieces but don't fit snugly to the skin. I see that the ones in your pic would be safer. I'm really grateful because tbh the after-care advice wasn't clear.
I rinse the glasses (when I remember) but the change of trousers is actually to comply with avian flu regulations.
I've vowed to wear uv sunglasses in future and will definitely consider wearing goggles/ safety glasses more often, for example when shredding foliage and stems that I've cut back.

 

[Jenni Hen]

That sounds like a nice treat for the nest box!

Are you talking about regular lawn grass that you let grow tall enough to seed out?

Do you manually pull out the grass and chop it up?

Sometimes, I let a patch of grass grow longer to seed and then cut it down with a mower. It gets chopped up in the process and collected in the collection system. Then I just dump the bins in the chicken run.

I do have a sickle and machete that is good for cutting/chopping down tall grass and weeds, but usually I just use a grass trimmer. I can see if you let the grass grow really tall, that dried out it would be straw-like.

One thing I have been told to be careful of is how long the grass clippings are, because long clippings are more prone to stuff up the chicken's crop. So, I usually cut the lawn down about 1 inch. I have never noticed any crop problems with my chickens. But I'm using fresh green grass clippings. My chickens don't seem too interested in eating dried clippings.

How long are your nest box dried grass clippings that you chop up manually? Do the chickens attempt to eat the dried grass or just the tasty seeds?

I have an allotment that has a grass path, some fruit bushes and a cold frame. Around these places and a few others, the grass tends to shoot up in summer. It's not supposed to be there (the path tends to spread at the edges) and the easiest way to remove it is to wait until it's got flower stalks, then get hold and pull. It's probably a much smaller scale than your patch but produces a surprising amount of fine straw/hay.
I put it in feedbags when it's dry and pull out handfuls as needed. I got some hardware scissors (intended for cutting metal wire, with a long blade) and cut the handfuls as I pull them out for use in the nest box/ small coop, just to the size that's manageable in the space, which for my bantams is usually about 6", They struggle to manage longer lengths,
They've never shown any interest in eating the blades and stems so I've not considered that as a hazard. I'm not even sure that the seed is tasty or whether it's the novelty value that enthuses them! I've two Shetlands that love fresh grass and slurp it like spaghetti, to my horror! But even they don't bother with the dried grass.

 

[gtaus]

My safety glasses aren't goggles - they have side pieces but don't fit snugly to the skin. I see that the ones in your pic would be safer

I really like my safety goggles when I work in dusty conditions, and, like I said, when I am concerned about tiny parts of metal brush wheels flying off and hitting me in the eyes. The trick is to find a pair that don't fog up. But they do provide more protection than safety glasses or even safety glasses with side pieces.

I rinse the glasses (when I remember)

Just thinking about any dust accumulation on the glasses and then you are taking them on and off with dust on them already. Probably not a big deal in normal times, but recovery from surgery I would attempt to clean the glasses between use.

I've vowed to wear uv sunglasses in future and will definitely consider wearing goggles/ safety glasses more often, for example when shredding foliage and stems that I've cut back.

My father never took safety as a major concern. He was lucky to never have been seriously injured.

I was taught safety first before we were allowed to use any of the shop tools in school. I really continued my "good habits" of using protective equipment in real life. I have glasses, goggles, and shields to protect the eyes; ear plugs and headphones to protect my hearing, gloves for the hands, boots for the feet, and work vests and other clothing as need to protect my body. It's pretty much second nature for me.

I put it in feedbags when it's dry and pull out handfuls as needed.

That's a good use for the empty feedbags.

I have a couple stacks of empty feedbags and am always looking for a second life for them. We used to be able to take them to the feed mill and have them refilled. The laws changed and now you have to buy a new bag each time, and I think they charge $1.50 per bag. I can see them not being able to reuse bags at the mill when selling feed off the floor, but if someone brings in their own empty, used, feedbags for a refill, I don't see what harm that cause. Anyway, I now have a couple of stacks of empty feedbags in storage ready to be used for something.

 

[Sally PB]

I might be overcautious, but I really value my sight.

A few "near misses" have made me think that you can't be to cautious.

One of the near misses was someone else. She glued her eyes shut with medical grade superglue. Only the fact that she wore contacts saved her as they were able to get her eyelids "peeled" off her eyeballs.

But the fact that she wore contacts and not glasses was the reason she was wearing safety glasses. She just took them off too early. It was policy after that incident that the safety glasses STAYED ON YOU FACE (not up on your head!) until the superglue bottle was back in the fridge.

About dust... when I mix potting soil, I wear a mask, as some of the stuff is bone dry and very dusty. I think I'll find some goggles that will go over my glasses to add to my attire.

 

[gtaus]

About dust... when I mix potting soil, I wear a mask, as some of the stuff is bone dry and very dusty. I think I'll find some goggles that will go over my glasses to add to my attire.

Right, protect those lungs as well. And, FWIW, as I previously mentioned, I find paper shreds almost dust free, especially when compared to many other types of litter.

Still, I would wear a dust mask when I clean out the coop. There is a lot of chicken dander that will accumulate over time that probably has nothing to do with the litter itself.

I used to make potting soil using vermiculite in the mix. Always recommended to wear a mask so as to not breathe in any of that vermiculite fine dust. For some reason, the stores stopped selling it in those big bags used for attic insulation. I think I paid something like $12.00 for a 3 cubic foot bag of home insulation vermiculite. Now, they only sell vermiculite in the garden center, maybe a half gallon bag, for around $8.00.

Thankfully, around that time, I got into making my own chicken run compost and now I just mix a good quality top soil with the chicken run compost 1:1 and call it a day. Works great for my raised beds. Not too heavy for potting pots.

Again, one of the benefits of using paper shreds in the coop as litter is that the small, thin, paper shreds will compost much faster out in the chicken run or in a compost bin than wood chips, pine shavings, or even leaves that I have used in the past.

 

[3KillerBs]

but if someone brings in their own empty, used, feedbags for a refill, I don't see what harm that cause.

A person with an illness in their flock could bring in a bag that was contaminated, spread that contamination to the mill equipment, and infect the entire region as the contamination spread from customer to customer.

 

[gtaus]

A person with an illness in their flock could bring in a bag that was contaminated, spread that contamination to the mill equipment, and infect the entire region as the contamination spread from customer to customer.

I'm sure that is correct. I just don't know how we managed to reuse those feed bags for most of my life. But I'm sure one contamination and outbreak was too much and practices had to be changed.

On the other hand, if you bring in your own IBC tote on the back of your pickup, they will gladly fill it up for you. Seems to me that an IBC tote could also be infected and potentially contaminate the mill equipment. But I don't know. And I don't have near enough chickens to invest in an IBC tote and refill it with ~500 lbs. of chicken feed. A 50 lb. bag of feed lasts me about one month for my backyard flock.