Paper – shredded
Shredded paper is paper that has been pre-used and chopped into small pieces and recycled as bedding material for poultry.
Application in the Australian chicken meat industry
Shredded paper has been used as alternative litter material internationally and in Australia. It tends to compact and cake more than the other traditional litters, but the way the paper is shredded improves absorption and prevents sharp edges that can cut birds legs. Concerns can exist with ink in recycled paper, and while most printing ink is soy-based, care must be taken to avoid contamination of litter with heavy metal inks.
Paper is managed in a similar way to straw but requires more management to control caking and ammonia production. Several studies have found that shredded paper bedding does not significantly affect bird weight or feed conversion ratio, and if managed properly, has the same performance outcomes as other litter types. Paper is broken down readily and can be spread on farm land after use.
Practical considerations of using shredded paper as chicken litter
Practical considerations that need to be assessed before expanding the use of shredded paper as litter in the Australian chicken meat industry include:
Table 1: Practical considerations of using peat as chicken litter
| Practical considerations | Peat litter | |
|---|---|---|
| Supply | Commercially available in Australia? | No, currently most commercially available peat is imported in small quantities. Future potential bans on peat mining may affect availability. |
| Operation | Optimisation required for Australian conditions? | Yes, depth of litter needs to be optimised for Australian requirements. Blending with other materials and litter re-use needs to be investigated. |
| Could it be available if demand was high? | There are peat deposits in New South Wales or it could be imported in bulk. | |
| What might it cost if demand was high? | Unknown, but expected to be higher than wood products. | |
| Management | Additional management practises needed? | No, the management of peat is like sawdust. |
| Regulation | Are there regulatory or market barriers to using peat as litter? | RSPCA litter depth. |
| Other | Greenhouse gas environmental impacts | Peat mining could have negative perception problems due to greenhouse gas emissions from mining and use of this product. |
Downloads and resources
Best practice litter management manual for Australian chicken meat farms (PDF, 3MB) | online version
Review of fresh litter supply, management and spent litter utilisation (PDF, 3.5MB)
Litter re-use: an evidence-based guide to re-using litter (PDF, 1.3MB)
References
Aviagen (2018). Ross broiler management manual, available from https://en.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_Center/Ross_Broiler/Ross-BroilerHandbook2018-EN.pdf
Burke, G. B., Pescatore, A. J., Cantor, A. H., Straw, M. L., Xiangbai, Hua, Johnson, T. H. (1993) Newspaper as litter material and its effects on the performance of broilers, Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 2(2), pp. 154-158. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.1093/japr/2.2.154
El-Deek, A. A., Al-Harthi, M. A., Khalifah, M. M., Elbanoby, M. M. and Alharby, T. (2011) Impact of newspaper as bedding material in arid land on broiler performance, Egyptian Poultry Science, 31(4), pp. 715-725. Available from https://scholar.google.com.eg/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=jnwzw8EAAAAJ&citation_for_view=jnwzw8EAAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C
Embury, I. S. (1987) Alternative litter materials for poultry, NSW: NSW Agriculture. Available from https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/134446/Alternative-litter-materials-for-poultry.pdf
Garcês, A., Afonso, S. M. S., Chilundo, A. and Jairoce, C. T. S. (2013) Evaluation of different litter materials for broiler production in a hot and humid environment: 1. Litter characteristics and quality, Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 22(2), pp. 168-176. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.3382/japr.2012-00547
Grimes, J. L., Smith, J. and Williams, C. M. (2002) Some alternative litter materials used for growing broilers and turkeys, World’s Poultry Science Journal, 58(4), pp. 515-526. Available from https://doi.org/10.1079/WPS20020037
Grimes, J. L. (2004) Alternative litter materials for growing poultry, North Carolina Poultry Industry Newsletter, 1(2), North Carolina State University. Available from https://poultry.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/July-2004.pdf?fwd=no
Lien, R. J., Conner, D. E. and Bilgili, S. F. (1992) The use of recycled paper chips as litter material for rearing broiler chickens, Poultry Science, 71(1), pp. 81-87. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0710081
Malone, G. W., Allen, P. H., Chaloupka, G. W. and Ritter, W. F. (1982) ‘Recycled paper products as broiler litter’, Poultry Science, 61(11), pp. 2161-2165. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0612161
Malone, G. W. and Chaloupka, G. W. (1983) Influence of litter type and size on broiler performance: 2. Processed newspaper litter particle size and management, Poultry Science, 62(12), pp. 1747-1750. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0621747
Martinez, D. F. and Gernat, A. G. (1995) The effect of chopped computer and bond paper mixed with wood shavings as a litter material on broiler performance, Poultry Science, 74(8), pp. 1395-1399. OPEN ACCESS Available from https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0741395
Miles, D. M., Rowe, D. E. and Cathcart, T. C. (2011) Litter ammonia generation: moisture content and organic versus inorganic bedding materials, Poultry Science, 90(6), pp. 1162-1169. OPEN ACCESS https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2010-01113
Sansom, G. (1988) Alternative litter sources, Proceedings of the Poultry Information Exchange (PIX), Gold Coast, Queensland, pp. 131-137.
Voyles, R. and Honeyman, M. S. (2006) Absorbency of alternative livestock bedding sources, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 3(1). Available from https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-102
