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

[gtaus]

You probably live in a healthier environment than most people in the Netherlands.

Well, I specifically live in northern Minnesota, on lake, in a mostly rural county. Because I live lakeside, we have all kinds of rules and regulations that we must follow in order not to pollute the lake. Of course, the rules can sometimes be restrictive, but in general, I support those laws that keep our water clean and environment safe.

I have lived in western Europe cities a couple of times and know some of the problems that come with a lot of people crammed into small spaces. People pollute. Maybe that's why I ended up buying property out in the countryside where I still get visited by wildlife.

My biggest worry is deer eating my gardens or a red fox sniffing around the chicken coop. Occasionally we get a black bear coming through the property and a few years ago a mountain lion passed through once. That mountain lion passed in the dark of night, but he/she was screaming for about 15 minutes as it passed by. That was scary. Our outside dog ran down into the basement and would not go outside. Smart dog...

In any case, you mentioned that you just toss your used cardboard into the trash whereas I would compost my cardboard. Have you checked into whether or not your cardboard packaging is compost safe? Times have changed and now almost all my cardboard packages are stamped compost safe. I don't know if that is by law, or companies like Amazon and QVC are becoming more environmentally aware, but in any case, I have no concerns about shredding and later composting my cardboard.

 

[BDutch]

I haven’t seen any stamps on the packages saying they are safe to compost. Now I do understand better why it feels safe to compost it.

The cardboard factory claims they filter the attached plastics out and have a process to eliminate inks.
They claim the only problem is chemical pollution with gasoline, paints snd such.

 

[gtaus]

I haven’t seen any stamps on the packages saying they are safe to compost. Now I do understand better why it feels safe to compost it.

The cardboard factory claims they filter the attached plastics out and have a process to eliminate inks.
They claim the only problem is chemical pollution with gasoline, paints snd such.

Most of our shipping boxes come from Amazon. Using the new AI feature of Google searches, here is what is says about Amazon cardboard boxes....

Just about all my boxes from Amazon are compost friendly. Even the tape used on most of the boxes is a paper based tape - not plastic based tape. It only takes me a minute to peel off any plastic tape and/or labels, then I shred the cardboard, use it as coop litter, then compost it later.

I am glad to see that so many of our US companies are using compost safe materials and inks. Instead of filling up the landfills with toxic substances, I now have a nice supply of carbon material for my coop litter and composting. I think the last time I took any cardboard to the recycle center was over 2 years ago. I turn a waste product into a valuable resource.

 

[Daisy June]

For the past 2 years, I have been using wood chips as the base of my dry deep litter in my chicken coop. The wood chips work great and I highly recommend them for anyone considering the deep litter method. This year, however, I am trying a twist on the idea. After I did my fall cleaning of the coop, removing all my wood chips for a fresh base to carry me over the winter, I decided to use my shredded paper I had saved in some big bags. So far, I have so say, I am very pleased with my results.

First of all, I try to minimize garbage we haul to the landfill. I came across a used 12 sheet paper shredder at our local thrift store for $5.00. A new model of that brand costs about $80. I had smaller shredders at home, about 5-8 sheets, but thought that a 12 sheet shredder for $5.00 was a good deal and would allow me to shred more and heavier types of paper. Previously, I have been shredding most of our paper at home and throwing it in compost piles with greens. But now that I have chickens, I was wondering if I could use shredded paper in the coop as litter.

I find that normal office paper and most junk mail shreds up fine. But you have to be sure to remove any plastic windows and staples. I don't want my chickens eating that stuff, or eventually adding plastic or staples mixed into my garden as compost. I also shred all our light cardboard boxes, like cereal boxes, and find that mixing that light cardboard along with normal office paper makes a better litter mix. I can also shred normal box cardboard with my 12 sheet shredder, but I have to cut the heavy cardboard into strips and feed it down the "credit card" slot on the shredder. But my 12 sheet shredder eats up the normal cardboard boxes we get from Amazon shipments.

I also shred our old newspapers, but I find the quality of newspapers to be very low compared to the other papers. It comes out all stringy and wraps around the shredder rollers. It seems to mat down more easily than the other types of shredded paper. I would not recommend using only shredded newspaper, but it works OK in the mix with all the other types of shredded paper.

I have a normal sized 13 gallon kitchen waste basket that I fill up with shredded paper maybe every 2 weeks. This is just the right amount for me to dump on top of the older shredded paper in the coop. I just dump it in a pile and let the chickens spread it out. Seems to work good for me. I have sometimes dumped the pile underneath their roost, as that is mainly where all the chicken poo accumulates, but I don't know if that is necessary. My goal is to always let the chickens do most of the work. They seem to like it, and I don't mind less work to do for myself. Sometimes I'll throw some chicken scratch into an area that I want the chickens to turn over the litter. As they scratch and peck for the chicken scratch, they turn over and mix up the shredded paper. The heavier, soiled paper works it way down to the bottom leaving the fresher paper on top.

So far, for about 2 months, I have not been able to detect any smell in the coop. So, from that aspect, I think the shredded paper is working as good as my wood chips I used the past 2 years. We will see how well it holds up as our winter is just getting started. I probably won't really know if this was a success or not until next spring, when the poo thaws out....

Well, I wanted to post this thread as something to consider as coop litter for those who do not have access to free wood chips. One thing I know is that come spring, when I clean out the shredded paper and dump it into my chicken run composting system, is that the shredded paper will turn into compost much, much, faster than my wood chips. What a better way to get rid of all that junk mail and old bills than to shred them up, let the chickens poo on them, and then bury them in the garden to grow some good people food?

Would love to hear any comments, pro or con, on using shredded paper with your chickens. Also, would really like to hear if there is a better way to shred old newspapers. I really don't like the way the newspapers can muck up the rollers on my shredder. Thanks.

I had seen something on using shredded paper for the coop and really liked the idea. My problem was that my husband banned me from the use of the shredder because in my zest for decluttering his desk area, I over-did it and broke two of his shreddersI do have a small shredder hidden under my desk, and I plan to use my hard-earned shreddings in the coop.

 

[Daisy June]

Most of our shipping boxes come from Amazon. Using the new AI feature of Google searches, here is what is says about Amazon cardboard boxes....

View attachment 4003868
Just about all my boxes from Amazon are compost friendly. Even the tape used on most of the boxes is a paper based tape - not plastic based tape. It only takes me a minute to peel off any plastic tape and/or labels, then I shred the cardboard, use it as coop litter, then compost it later.

I am glad to see that so many of our US companies are using compost safe materials and inks. Instead of filling up the landfills with toxic substances, I now have a nice supply of carbon material for my coop litter and composting. I think the last time I took any cardboard to the recycle center was over 2 years ago. I turn a waste product into a valuable resource.

You bring up a good point about removing the tape. I noticed that the tape from the boxes I put down has not composted. The chickens have dug so many pieces up. I'll be sure to pull of all tape in the future.

 

[BDutch]

because in my zest for decluttering his desk area, I over-did it

This made me LOL before reading the rest. My thought went like this: you must have shredded some important papers he still needed.

 

[gtaus]

My problem was that my husband banned me from the use of the shredder because in my zest for decluttering his desk area, I over-did it and broke two of his shredders

I have learned that when it comes to shredding, less is more. Shred less paper than the max capacity stated on the shredder and your shredder will last longer. If you shred cardboard boxes, like I do, just cut them into ~2 inch wide strips and feed them down the center "credit card" slot area and you should be fine.

I find it better to shred a little paper as it comes in rather than to collect piles of paper for one large job. It just seems to be easier on the shredder. Also, many home shredders are designed to run for about a max ~5 minutes with a required cool down period after that. If I shred my paper every day as it comes in, I don't overheat my shredder.

And yes, I have blown out a few shredders. Early on, I overloaded one shredder and that was my fault when it broke. One shredder was just getting old, had a low sheet capacity, and just finally broke after years of use. I took it apart and the plastic gear wheels just shattered. It served me well and no complaints. I had one of my favorite shredders misfeed some paper, it got jammed hard, and the gears broke before I could shut it off. I felt bad about that, not that it was my fault, but it was my favorite shredder at that time.

I have mentioned that I pick up my paper shredders from our local church charity Thrift Shop for less than $5.00 each. I now have a number of shredders sitting in storage if/when my current shredders break or wear out. I like saving money on used shredders, but I also like saving some of those machines from early retirement when they still have life in them, and all our money for purchases at the church charity Thrift Shop goes to help people in my community that are in need of assistance. It's a win-win-win purchase in my books.

Anyways, if you have a Thrift Shop locally, you might be able to pick up some good replacement shredders for your husband.

 

[gtaus]

You bring up a good point about removing the tape. I noticed that the tape from the boxes I put down has not composted. The chickens have dug so many pieces up. I'll be sure to pull of all tape in the future.

Amazon and QVC, where we get most of our boxes, are getting pretty good at using compostable paper tape on compostable cardboard boxes. I will shred that along with the cardboard. No need to take off that paper tape unless you are worried that your shredder cannot handle it. I cut all my boxes into ~2-inch-wide strips, and my shredders chew through the paper tape on the cardboard without a problem.

I remove any and all plastic tape and labels. As you mentioned, plastic does not compost. It's just much easier for me to remove the tape from the box then trying to pick it out of compost later when I am filling up my raised beds.

 

[Daisy June]

This made me LOL before reading the rest. My thought went like this: you must have shredded some important papers he still needed.

He would have croaked! He's a CPA, so sometimes he lacks a sense of humor. Luckily, he has me and I have enough for both of us.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I had seen something on using shredded paper for the coop and really liked the idea. My problem was that my husband banned me from the use of the shredder because in my zest for decluttering his desk area, I over-did it and broke two of his shreddersI do have a small shredder hidden under my desk, and I plan to use my hard-earned shreddings in the coop.

Maybe you can have him donate his paper shreds to your cause. My husband lets lets me take the plastic wolindows out of envelopes and also tells me when his shredder is full so take care of the mess. Good trade. With all of the junk mail now a days, the shredder fills fast and I have a backlog of shreds.

My auntie also donates. Which I love because she has better paper shreds