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

[BDutch]

I used paper for a short period but stopped again, bc I don’t trust the used /recycled paper and cardboard being free from poisons.
Poisons tend to accumulate into the chickens eggs.
In the Netherlands we have a problem with PFAS (the forever poison) in the eggs of free ranging chickens. What they eat is what you get in their presents.

 

[Bawkbok]

I heard there is formaldehyde in store receipts, that's why the ink rubs off so quickly. I've not done any research to validate this or not but something to think about. I won't use paper in the run; the ink, the quality of paper, all of it different than what it used to be. Not worth the risk of them eating it.

 

[gtaus]

I know this post is old but thanks for all the information.

Thanks for the feedback. I hope some of it was helpful to you.

FWIW, I still use paper shreds as coop litter even after all this time. It's a free resource to me and it makes more sense to use it as coop litter than hauling off my paper to the recycle bins in town. I also shred almost all our cardboard boxes from Amazon, QVC, etc... It all makes great coop litter and then later it gets tossed into the chicken run to compost in place. Those paper and cardboard shreds make great compost when mixed with leaves, grass clippings, and other organics that get tossed into the run.

IMHO, there is no need to buy coop litter when there are so many sources of free material that can be used. I advocate for people to use or reuse any free material resources they can get. Free paper shreds have become my favorite resource for coop litter. It works for me.

 

[gtaus]

I used paper for a short period but stopped again, bc I don’t trust the used /recycled paper and cardboard being free from poisons.

I won't use paper in the run; the ink, the quality of paper, all of it different than what it used to be. Not worth the risk of them eating it.

If you don't feel comfortable using any type of litter for your coop, then I would say don't use it. There are other options, no doubt.

In defense of using shredded paper, I will tell you that all our local newspapers and magazines that I get in the mail have switched over, a number of years ago, to using natural soy-based inks and compostable safe papers. I think it's a state law here in Minnesota, but maybe companies are just more environmental conscious these days. In any case, I don't worry about using the paper products I get and shred.

We also get a lot of boxes from Amazon and QVC, and most of them are stamped with compostable safe insignia. I shred those boxes as well. If they have plastic tape or labels, I will remove them. However, even the paper-based tape used on most shipping boxes today is perfectly safe for composting.

I know some people have concerns about their chickens eating some paper shreds, but it's just not a concern for me. First of all, I have never seen my chickens eat paper shreds. They prefer to dig around in the chicken run compost litter to find tasty bugs and juicy worms, or they eat their commercial feed. But even if they did eat some paper shreds, all my paper products are compost safe so I cannot imagine a few shreds would hurt the chickens or their eggs.

Many years ago, I used to buy straw and hay bales for feed and litter. But you never know what that local farmer used for herbicides on his fields. To me, that is more of a concern than using paper products that meet quality standards to achieve that compost safe certification.

It gives me some measure of satisfaction that I am repurposing all that safe compostable paper sheds in my chicken coop and run rather than hauling it off to the landfill. It saves me money and reduces my waste footprint. I know that 100% of the paper I shred gets recycled in my backyard flock setup. It has been ~3 years since I dumped any paper off at the recycle bins.

In any case, we should all demand that waste products be as safe as possible. Yes, I am trusting that our government and industries have worked out standards for safe compostable paper products for my paper shreds. I'm not worried about the paper I use for coop litter, composting, and then adding back to my gardens.

I can't speak to situations in other countries.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

If you don't feel comfortable using any type of litter for your coop, then I would say don't use it. There are other options, no doubt.

In defense of using shredded paper, I will tell you that all our local newspapers and magazines that I get in the mail have switched over, a number of years ago, to using natural soy-based inks and compostable safe papers. I think it's a state law here in Minnesota, but maybe companies are just more environmental conscious these days. In any case, I don't worry about using the paper products I get and shred.

We also get a lot of boxes from Amazon and QVC, and most of them are stamped with compostable safe insignia. I shred those boxes as well. If they have plastic tape or labels, I will remove them. However, even the paper-based tape used on most shipping boxes today is perfectly safe for composting.

I know some people have concerns about their chickens eating some paper shreds, but it's just not a concern for me. First of all, I have never seen my chickens eat paper shreds. They prefer to dig around in the chicken run compost litter to find tasty bugs and juicy worms, or they eat their commercial feed. But even if they did eat some paper shreds, all my paper products are compost safe so I cannot imagine a few shreds would hurt the chickens or their eggs.

Many years ago, I used to buy straw and hay bales for feed and litter. But you never know what that local farmer used for herbicides on his fields. To me, that is more of a concern than using paper products that meet quality standards to achieve that compost safe certification.

It gives me some measure of satisfaction that I am repurposing all that safe compostable paper sheds in my chicken coop and run rather than hauling it off to the landfill. It saves me money and reduces my waste footprint. I know that 100% of the paper I shred gets recycled in my backyard flock setup. It has been ~3 years since I dumped any paper off at the recycle bins.

In any case, we should all demand that waste products be as safe as possible. Yes, I am trusting that our government and industries have worked out standards for safe compostable paper products for my paper shreds. I'm not worried about the paper I use for coop litter, composting, and then adding back to my gardens.

I can't speak to situations in other countries.

I have to ask: which industrial strength shredder do you have that munches Amazon and other shipping cardboard? How long does it last? (blades vs motor)

 

[Intuit]

I heard there is formaldehyde in store receipts, that's why the ink rubs off so quickly. I've not done any research to validate this or not but something to think about. I won't use paper in the run; the ink, the quality of paper, all of it different than what it used to be. Not worth the risk of them eating it.

The inks in store receipts are carsonogenic, don't handle them too much, wash your hands after touching them. Don't shred them for your coop. After having read a scientific article about this I stopped taking receipts.

 

[Intuit]

I know this post is old but thanks for all the information.

If any of the paper or cardboard has ink on it, I would seriously avoid it. Some inks are carsonogenic, once the paper decomposed you're still mixing ink into your soil. Your chickens are also exposed to the inks, then transferred to the eggs and their entire bodies. Something to think about, we are what we eat.

 

[paintedChix]

I have to ask: which industrial strength shredder do you have that munches Amazon and other shipping cardboard? How long does it last? (blades vs motor)

My last one, purchased around 2010, "died" in 2023. In 2023, i missed a long/large copper staple. The mechanical teeth "shifted. It still works, but... not well.

I didn't use it a lot at 1st, but when I did I went a whole Lotta crazy. LOL. I didn't do daily. Instead we had some room to allow paper & cardboard to "stack up". A corner in the dining room ( ususally do a bunch at a time before planned familh get togethers). An area in our shop has held cases (i think 12 originally) of office paper from the vet clinic. Those boxes that reams of paper come in. I've been working through that - carrying a case into the house every few months & shredding that. All that paperwork was years of forms that we were able to run through a copier to retain on computer storage. Now, an employee does several days worth at a time, but it no longer comes home w/ me...

This shows how used to build raised garden beds.



This is when i had my corner in dining room. Hungry shredder - paper & cardboard.




I don't shred in the office, as it's messy for me. I prefer to sweep shred up from hard floor than vacuum from carpet.



Filled bags waiting to go out to coops & garden beds. Multiple days shredding. Outdoor cats like to sleep in them, but spilled shred hard to clean off of porch, so I usually get them out now every time I shred...



Other uses...



EDIT - I got a new shredder when other one not working well. Seems I don't have pics of it yet...

 

[SkyAJK]

My last one, purchased around 2010, "died" in 2023. In 2023, i missed a long/large copper staple. The mechanical teeth "shifted. It still works, but... not well.

I didn't use it a lot at 1st, but when I did I went a whole Lotta crazy. LOL. I didn't do daily. Instead we had some room to allow paper & cardboard to "stack up". A corner in the dining room ( ususally do a bunch at a time before planned familh get togethers). An area in our shop has held cases (i think 12 originally) of office paper from the vet clinic. Those boxes that reams of paper come in. I've been working through that - carrying a case into the house every few months & shredding that. All that paperwork was years of forms that we were able to run through a copier to retain on computer storage. Now, an employee does several days worth at a time, but it no longer comes home w/ me...

This shows how used to build raised garden beds.

View attachment 4160093View attachment 4160096View attachment 4160097

This is when i had my corner in dining room. Hungry shredder - paper & cardboard.

View attachment 4160099View attachment 4160100
View attachment 4160101View attachment 4160102View attachment 4160103

I don't shred in the office, as it's messy for me. I prefer to sweep shred up from hard floor than vacuum from carpet.

View attachment 4160106View attachment 4160107View attachment 4160108

Filled bags waiting to go out to coops & garden beds. Multiple days shredding. Outdoor cats like to sleep in them, but spilled shred hard to clean off of porch, so I usually get them out now every time I shred...

View attachment 4160112

Other uses...

View attachment 4160115View attachment 4160120

EDIT - I got a new shredder when other one not working well. Seems I don't have pics of it yet...

That is awesome with the cardboard shedding machine! It is a lot of work to do all that.

I don't compost any papers and cardboard anymore. Now I use mostly cardboard for my chicken bedding and then the next morning throw them all in the bin. If I left the cardboard accessible to my chickens, they will eat it. It is a lot of work removing it in the morning and put new one out at night, but that is the work I need to do for free cardboard.

I re-use the feed bags under the cardboard so that if any poop spill out, it go on the bag and it is easy to remove.

Chicken stuff is constantly evolving. What work today, might not work tomorrow for me. My little bantam enjoys eating cardboard than her feed....grrrr