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

[avjudge]

I bought a paper shredder to make bedding from the newspapers we get weekly. But the machine got stuck after a month. The thin paper winded around the knives.

I definitely see some paper caught in my knives after shredding newspaper, but I pull the worst off right away (it tends to build up primarily at one end) and I assume the rest gets cleared off by the cardboard I shred because it doesn’t seem to stick around.

(As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have a pretty heavy-duty 16-sheet shredder so that I can shred corrugated cardboard boxes.)

 

[BDutch]

I definitely see some paper caught in my knives after shredding newspaper, but I pull the worst off right away (it tends to build up primarily at one end) and I assume the rest gets cleared off by the cardboard I shred because it doesn’t seem to stick around.

(As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have a pretty heavy-duty 16-sheet shredder so that I can shred corrugated cardboard boxes.)

Mine is for max 6 pages. Cardboard goes in the paper collect bin for recycling.

Are you sure the glue in the cardboard is edible?

Video of a large factory, not far from where I live, where they make cardboard with old cardboard and paper.

 

[gtaus]

This is an interesting topic. Following so I can come back and read through as time permits.

That's great!

I don't know why, but I was not getting any updates on this thread when people were posting here. I just stopped by today to update some info, and I see a number of recent posts in the last month that I had no idea were on the thread. BYC forums does a pretty good job on sending out notices, but for some reason, there have been a number of threads that I was following that I no longer get updates on with new posts.

But, yeah, lots of good info on this thread related to paper shreds as coop litter. It works for me.

 

[gtaus]

I bought a paper shredder to make bedding from the newspapers we get weekly. But the machine got stuck after a month. The thin paper winded around the knives.
The shop says the shredder is made for office paper snd there is no guarantee using it for other paper.

In general, that is true. I have the most problem with newspaper as well. However, I have discovered that some paper shreds are just better at handling newspaper than other shredders. My solution is to shred some newspaper and follow it up with regular office paper to clean the rotating knives. That seems to work on all my shredders.

I managed to repair the shredder with some patience. But I won’t use anymore newspapers from now on.

Yes, cleaning a paper shredder can take time. But I would suggest that you try my method of alternating between newspaper and regular office paper to clean the machine. I seldom ever have to clean out my shredders as long as I alternate shredding between newspaper and offic paper.

It would be a shame for me not to use all the newspaper we get at our house. But I worked out a system that allows me to shred that soft newspaper while at the same time using regular office paper to clean the knives.

Also, I cut cardboard into ~2-inch-wide strips and run them through the machine, down the center credit card area. That helps to clean out any stuck paper as well.

Office papers (old administration) is printed with a laser printer and this ink is not eatable.
The only paper thats left is probably paper from 6 (not glossy) magazines we receive every month.

I do not get too concerned about the small amount of laser toner on my printed pages. I have read a number of articles stating that you can safely compost that office paper. And, in reality, all my shredded paper gets mixed in with a much larger quantity of leaves, grass clippings, and wood chips. So, it's just a concern to me until, or unless, I find out something different.

If you are an organic farmer, there may be some restrictions about using compost form laser toner on paper. From what I could find online, it is not recommended to use laser toner paper for compost in organic farming, but it is not restricted.

We get a few colored monthly magazines. I was concerned about if it was safe to compost them because they looked pretty shiny to me. I contacted the printer and was told they only use soy-based inks, which are completely safe to compost. So, all the monthly-colored magazines we get are now put through the shredder instead of being sent to the landfill/recycler.

Basically, I shred almost everything and anything paper based and don't much worry about it.

 

[gtaus]

I get my shredded paper from the bank my DH works at, bags of it. Ask at some of the offices around you, they should be delighted to let you have it, it will keep it out of the local landfill.

That's great! Taking a waste product and reintroducing it into a pipeline that results in a valued product, litter for the chickens, then composting. You are certainly doing your part in reducing waste being sent to the landfill.

 

[gtaus]

Most offices here work paperless nowadays. And almost all printed paper , especially the office papers is reused to produce new paper here. So I dont think they will be pleased if I try to collect their office papers.

We don’t have landfills for normal garbage anymore. We have different containers for paper, glass, plastic-metal-drink cartons , veggies-fruit -garden waste, clothes, and at the recycle station there even more (batterie, wood, etc.

I have lived in Western Europe a number of times. IMHO, the Europeans are about 20-30 years ahead of us in the USA in terms of environmental impact considerations. Good for you guys leading the way.

I don't know about all of America, but where I live, there is very little recycling of products. Most everything ends up in landfills. Although we now have large recycle bins at drop off spots in and around town, most of that stuff just gets tossed into the same landfill because nobody uses the recycled products to make new products.

One thing I know for sure is that when I shred my paper products at home, use the paper shreds for coop litter, then compost it for the gardens, 100% of that material is reused! I have not brought any paper products to the recycle center in over a year.

I mainly wanted to save money bc the wood-shavings, and other litter has become very expensive.

I used to pay for coop litter. I did not know any other way.

Bales of straw or bags of pine shavings add up to real money in a short time. I mainly started shredding paper products to get rid of all our paper, but I found it works great as free coop litter. And, I am not opposed to mixing paper shreds in with other free resources such as leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, etc... If it can soak up some chicken poo and later be composted, I'm all for using it!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That's great! Taking a waste product and reintroducing it into a pipeline that results in a valued product, litter for the chickens, then composting. You are certainly doing your part in reducing waste being sent to the landfill.

Thanks, gtaus. I like it because it stays clean. It absorbs moisture from the chicken poo, then the poo drops to the floor under the paper as a fine dust. I've probably said this before, but unlike straw or hay, it does not harbor lice or mites. And it doesn't stink.

 

[gtaus]

I definitely see some paper caught in my knives after shredding newspaper, but I pull the worst off right away (it tends to build up primarily at one end) and I assume the rest gets cleared off by the cardboard I shred because it doesn’t seem to stick around.

Exactly. If you alternate office paper, or cardboard, with the newspaper, your paper shredder will probably self-clean itself. As I mentioned, some paper shredders handle newspaper better than others. But all my paper shredders can shred newspaper if I alternate between newspapers and regular paper.

(As I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have a pretty heavy-duty 16-sheet shredder so that I can shred corrugated cardboard boxes.)

I only wish I had a 16-sheet shredder! That must really be nice.

Having said that, if you have a smaller shredder, like mine, then you can cut the cardboard into ~2-inch-wide strips and feed them down the center slot marked for credit cards. That's what I do with my heavy cardboard shipping boxes. But I cannot feed a full sheet of cardboard into my shredders because that would break them. No problem using cardboard strips, though.

 

[gtaus]

Mine is for max 6 pages. Cardboard goes in the paper collect bin for recycling.

If you want to cut your cardbaord into ~2 inch wide strips, it should work fine in your shredder. It does in my shredders rated for 6 sheets. But if you hear the motor bog down, then it's probably not worth the effort.

I'm at an age where cutting cardboard by hand is a bit too much for my hands. For those living in the USA, you might want to check out the power cutter from Menards that will do all the cutting work for you. Since I got my power cutters, all my cardboard gets cut into strips and shredded in my machines at home.

Are you sure the glue in the cardboard is edible?

All the online companies that we order from use starch-based glues and are safe to compost. Both Amazon and QVC, where we get most of our online orders from, are proud to make compostable shipping boxes and packing material.

I have heard that if you put cardboard down on the bare ground, the worms will go crazy eating all that glue!

Video of a large factory, not far from where I live, where they make cardboard with old cardboard and paper.

That's great to hear. I live in forest country. I knew a guy who worked at one of the local paper mills. They never used recycled paper because it was just cheaper to use pulp from trees. But we have lots of trees where I live. I imagine that calculation would be different depending on where you live.

At any rate, I reuse all our paper and cardboard as coop litter, then composting out in the chicken run, finally being added to the raised beds. 100% recycling effort!

 

[gtaus]

Thanks, gtaus. I like it because it stays clean. It absorbs moisture from the chicken poo, then the poo drops to the floor under the paper as a fine dust. I've probably said this before, but unlike straw or hay, it does not harbor lice or mites. And it doesn't stink.

Paper shreds really work for me. Years ago, I paid for straw bales as litter and that stuff smelled bad, and like you mentioned, it can harbor lice and mites as well. I have had much better success using paper shreds, or even wood chips, leaves and grass clippings.

I have never used chopped hemp as coop litter. But I hear that has a nice sweet smell to it. Paper shreds have basically no smell at all. Every once in a while, I will get some fresh pine tree branches that I can run through my wood chipper. I will toss those pine wood chips with the green needles into the coop and it smells fantastic for a couple of weeks.

Well, I guess it smells good if you like the scent of pine trees!

This year, I had a big store of leaves I saved from last fall. I have been mixing the leaves into the paper shreds in the coop as litter. The leaves have more of a musky, earthy smell. Kind of like what good compost should smell like.