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

[RoyalChick]

most tea bags are NOT plastic but some of the ones that are try and look fancy and use 'mesh' etc. Don't buy those. Honestly, loose leaf tea tastes better, is cheaper, and super easy to compost.

Phew. I don’t think I have any fancy teabags!

 

[gtaus]

Following. As a family of 8, this would be a GREAT way for us to deal with paper and cardboard waste

Before I started shredding paper and light cardboard, we used to have maybe 3 or 4 bags of garbage a week. Most of that taken up by bulky paper products. Now that I shred almost all our paper products, we are down to about 2 garbage bags per month.

Additionally, we have a "chicken bucket" (old ice cream pail) that we toss all our kitchen scraps and most leftovers into and feed to the chickens every morning. So, we have very little "wet" garbage in our trash.

I try to reuse or repurpose most of our plastics and metal, but we send about 1 garbage bag full of recycle items to the recycle bin every week.

 

[gtaus]

I'm 8 months in and loving using shreds in the coop! when I shovel out my run onto the garden in the spring, I will put all the shreds from the coop into the run to turn into compost in time for fall turnover.

Sounds like a good plan. Just remember that paper shreds are all carbon, so you will need to add greens, like grass clippings, weeds, etc... into the compost mix to get the process cooking.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Sounds like a good plan. Just remember that paper shreds are all carbon, so you will need to add greens, like grass clippings, weeds, etc... into the compost mix to get the process cooking.

chicken poop is full of nitrogen! that's how my run is composting so fast. woodchips, dry leaves and months of chicken poop.

 

[becstalls]

Before I started shredding paper and light cardboard, we used to have maybe 3 or 4 bags of garbage a week. Most of that taken up by bulky paper products. Now that I shred almost all our paper products, we are down to about 2 garbage bags per month.

Additionally, we have a "chicken bucket" (old ice cream pail) that we toss all our kitchen scraps and most leftovers into and feed to the chickens every morning. So, we have very little "wet" garbage in our trash.

I try to reuse or repurpose most of our plastics and metal, but we send about 1 garbage bag full of recycle items to the recycle bin every week.

We won’t even have our chicks for at least a month, and I already started shredding cardboard and paper in the little 7 sheet shredder I have. I figured I’d use it until it pooped out from the cardboard. Nearly 4 trash bags later, it’s still going.

I did want to ask though, do you or anyone else have experience using shredded paper/cardboard in a brooder? I’m happy to get a brick of pine shavings for the chicks to start out. But if they don’t eat the paper, and it can be used, so much the better.

 

[gtaus]

I did want to ask though, do you or anyone else have experience using shredded paper/cardboard in a brooder? I’m happy to get a brick of pine shavings for the chicks to start out. But if they don’t eat the paper, and it can be used, so much the better.

Last spring, I only used shredded paper in my brooder. It worked just fine. Actually, I preferred it to wood chips and pine shavings because it was free, and when I cleaned out the brooder, the paper shreds were much lighter to carry. As always, I tossed the used brooder paper shreds into my chicken run composting system and the shreds were basically composted in a couple of months.

I did not have any problems with my chicks eating the paper shreds. For the first couple of days, I usually line the brooder litter with paper towels, with only food and water trays on it. That way, the chicks learn to eat their commercial starter feed and drink the water. After those first few days, I remove the paper towels and the chicks showed no interest in eating the paper shreds.

Let me add that I have always used the paper towels method in the brooder on top of the litter for the first few days even when I was using straw, wood chips or pine shavings.

Also, I always have fine grit available to my chicks from day 1. In theory, starter feed does not need any grit for the chicks to digest. However, a wise older lady told me that I should always have some fine grit in with the chicks just in case they eat any of the litter. Since I live on a lake, I just put a small scoop of lake sand in a small container for them. Mostly the chicks used it as a dust bath, but every once in a while, I would see them eat a bit.

In any case, I cannot imagine the chicks eating very much paper shreds because it probably has no taste. If they ate a tiny bit, it would not hurt them. At least, I did not have any problems at all with my chicks last year with paper shreds in the brooder.

I kept my chicks in the brooder for 8 weeks on paper shreds. No problems for the entire time. All I did was add a fresh layer of shreds every so often and/or fluff up the bedding to refreshen it. Just like I do with the big girls' deep bedding in the coop. I did not clean out the brooder until after those 8 weeks. Very low maintenance method and I loved it. I hope that helps.

 

[gtaus]

We won’t even have our chicks for at least a month, and I already started shredding cardboard and paper in the little 7 sheet shredder I have. I figured I’d use it until it pooped out from the cardboard. Nearly 4 trash bags later, it’s still going.

Those shredders can last a long time if you don't overload them. I accidentally overloaded one of my first small shredders and broke the plastic gears. I had another shredder that just wore out over years of use. But I certainly got my money's worth out of them.

To save lots of money, I get used shredders at our local church Thrift Shop, usually for only a couple of dollars each. They don't come in very often, but when I see one, I buy it as an extra. Right now, I have 4 spare shredders and paid maybe $10 total for the used machines.

I have found that I can shred heavy packing cardboard if I cut it into strips and feed it down the middle of the machine - that is usually also marked for shredding credit cards. Light cardboard, like cereal boxes, shred nicely if you pull it apart and feed it in as a single sheet. You just have to know the limits of your shredder and keep under the max load.

 

[becstalls]

I have found that I can shred heavy packing cardboard if I cut it into strips and feed it down the middle of the machine - that is usually also marked for shredding credit cards.

I’ve had success shredding Amazon and single layer corrugated cardboard in mine. It has been a pleasant surprise

 

[becstalls]

How does everyone store their shredded paper and cardboard until they need it?

 

[TropicalBabies]

How does everyone store their shredded paper and cardboard until they need it?

I store mine in empty feed bags but honestly, because I have free nesting materials I like to change out and or freshen up the nest boxes about every 1-3 months- depending on use on box etc, so I only have 2 bags that remain active.