Bedding up chickens on shredded paper?

Question

I went to a poultry talk a few weeks ago and a woman there said she had been told by an expert that bedding chickens up on shredded newspaper was fine and it also kept red mite away.
What do you guys think about this??
Would paper bedding have any detrimental effect of their health??
Mine are bedded on straw atm but if paper was ok I have a heap of the stuff!!

Answer 1

Hi,



Shredded paper can be used in poultry houses, but you got to keep an eye on it so that it don't get "capped", this mean covered in bird dropping so the birds can't scratch it open again.Once this happens you'll have to take the whole lot out again and replace.



It's recommended they you use the small shreds and mix this with wood shavings. This must be turned daily by hand (use a garden fork).



I very must doubt newspaper will keep away red mite, as these creatures live above the birds and not in the litter.



One word of caution, shredded paper can give of very fine dust, this is hameful to both yourself and poultry.

Answer 2

I wouldn't bother with it myself. Mine are on wood shavings, it costs about £7 for a years worth, and every morning I go along and use a pooper scoop to scoop the poop (say that ten times really fast!), and it keeps them clean - cleanliness keeps the red mites away! Then about once every three or four months I take out all the wood shavings and spray it with poultry disinfectant to kill off any bugs or fungi.



Seeing as you already use straw, then using shredded paper shouldn't hurt at all. I only have two little hens, so poop scooping takes five minutes, I'd imagine if you had fifty then using straw or shredded paper would be much more worth the effort!

Answer 3

Yes chickens can be bedded on shredder paper,same rules apply as with other bedding material.Quantity should be sufficient to cover the floor very well,ample enough to keep clean & dry for an expected period of time & to have bulk enough to present a fresh look when turned over.

If kept fresh & dry,paper should not effect health,dust also emanates from straw & i have not heard that it is a health hazard.

I rear my poultry on a farm,which is heavily wooded with a variety of trees,i use soft dry leaves that easily break down to give a soft manageable bedding material.Abundantly available i have no problems changing as often as needed,i have bedded small chicks on shredded paper with no problem..

Answer 4

Shredded newspaper is bad for them. It has ink on it and if the chickens eat it it can be very toxic to them. It'd be as though one of us took a pen and squeezed all the ink out of it and into our mouths.



I highly recommend that you use either pine shavings, or straw.



I would say cedar but that contains a whole bunch of oils and is also toxic to chickens.

Answer 5

They need to roost on the same height for some strange reason - try the paper why not probably cleaner than straw

Answer 6

It would be fine. Paper is okay to use, but replace once a month or more often if possible. You don't want the paper to catch germs or is too covered with feces.

Answer 7

I think you chose whatever you want to do.