Newbie introduction and questions about harvesting rabbit manure

[bojay]

Good afternnon rabbit people! I've beenobserving your forum for a couple of days and decided today to jump inand get my feet wet.

I am a lifelong rabbit lover. I raised rabbits as a younggirl and decided to take it up again just recently to share with myyoung daughter.

We have four rabbits (currently). Two royal rex and twoamerican fuzzy lops. We absolutely love them and look forwardeach morning to spending time with them and caring for them.We live in the midwestern United States.

Our fuzzy lop doe is pregnant and due any day. I will post pictures if all is a success.

My question about manure is simple. I ask all of you forsuggestions and advice on what to do about harvesting rabbit manurewhich is from what I've heard, the best fertilizer on theplanet. As an avid gardener, I do not want to pass on thisopportunity.

Currently I am using barley straw in waste trays under each rabbitshutch. I have a compost pile that is getting very large andwould rather seperate the rabbit droppings from the straw to mulch intothe gardens. I thought about using newspaper as a trayabsorbitant, but thought perhaps the ink might be too toxic.I also thought about fashioning fine-mesh tray inserts to catch thedroppings but let the urine pass through to be absorbed into the barleyhay.

What to you do with your rabbit manure? What do you use inthe litter trays or hutch trays and what do you do with the soiledmaterial?

Thanks for being here. This looks like a very friendly,informativeand active forum and I hope to share and learnmore.

 

[Carolyn]

Welcome aboard, bojay!

I have a friend of mine that begs me for rabbit droppings. Itreally is excellent for the plants. Definitely use it in thegarden.

There's a post about planting your rabbit's garden. I'll bumpit up in case you're interested in some of the things we spoke of.

I throw out my soiled litter. I use WoodyPet as alitter.A search in this site entitled WoodyPet will provideyou more information about it than you bargained for, I'msure. It's the cheapest and best product I've found to date.

Good luck with the babies-to-be. Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[Fergi]

We put all of our bunny droppings into thecompost heap as well and then use them in garden. We got some greatharvests last year!

I use a litter product that is recycled newspaper and we just put that in too. Seems to be working great!

Fergis' mom

 

[bunnihon]

My friends dad uses it to feed his worms that he uses for fishing! But I think I will start using it on the garden too now.

 

[JimD]

Did someone mention WoodyPet???????

 

[Carolyn]

JimD wrote:

Did someone mention WoodyPet???????

Youdon't miss it when that product is mentioned, do you? You'vegotten as addicted as Buck to the stuff.

-Carolyn

 

[JimD]

Carolyn wrote:

JimD wrote:

Did someonemention WoodyPet???????

Youdon't miss it when that product is mentioned, do you? You'vegotten as addicted as Buck to the stuff.

-Carolyn

WoodyPet is my hero.

Well...it raised the comfort level quite a bit considering that we have 6 indoor buns, now.

Can you say..."No Odor"

And now I can use it in my garden, too!! WooHoo!!!!!

:~) Jim

 

[Carolyn]

You'relosin it, Jim!

-Carolyn

 

[JimD]

Wait till someone finds out I carry a spare bag in the trunk of my car!!

 

[bunnylover78642]

I was thinking the same thing... How do Iseperate the poop from the wood chips, pee stuff? I like the wire overthe litter thing. I think I am going to try that.

 

[Carolyn]

JimD wrote:

Wait till someone finds out I carry a spare bag in the trunk of my car!!

NO Way!

-Carolyn

 

[JimD]

Carolyn wrote:

JimD wrote:

Wait till someonefinds out I carry a spare bag in the trunk of my car!!

NO Way!

-Carolyn

It really makes the car smell good. Gives you good traction in the snow, too!

You should try it!!

 

[Carolyn]

You're scaring me with the uses you're finding for it, Jim.

-Carolyn

 

[JimD]

bunnylover78642 wrote:

I was thinking the same thing... How do I seperate the poopfrom the wood chips, pee stuff? I like the wire over the litter thing.I think I am going to try that.

I'll get right to work on a separation process.

"Egor...throw the switch!!!"

 

[bojay]

Thanks everyone for the speedy responses. I'm going to get some of that woody petto try.

What do you think about pine shavings? My brother says itcuts down on illnesses. I used it but my rex doe hates thesmell of it and is possibly allergic (sneezes around it. Atfirst I thought , eek! the snuffles, but she's fine after I switched tostraw). The barley straw is messy but seems to keep thebunnies happy.

I've also read you can make worm beds with the rabbit manure.I might try that out this summer. I can use barley straw asthe carbon matter needed for the bed, but rabbit urine will be tooacidic for the worms. Complicated but might be worth it.:?

 

[JimD]

bojay wrote:

Thanks everyone for the speedy responses. I'mgoing to get some of that woody petto try.

What do you think about pine shavings? My brother says itcuts down on illnesses. I used it but my rex doe hates thesmell of it and is possibly allergic (sneezes around it. Atfirst I thought , eek! the snuffles, but she's fine after I switched tostraw). The barley straw is messy but seems to keep thebunnies happy.

I used to use aspen shavings, but they don't compare to WoodyPet.

 

[bunnylover78642]

I hear everybody talk about Woody pet but I could never find some anywhere around here...

 

One really god useof recycled bunny droppings isto side dress your rose busheswith it , being a coldfertalizer it wont burnthe roses littleroots but what it willdo for them is grow you giantroses with very distinct colors, very vibrant , my garden consistsof rabbit droppings anda dash of cow fertalizer ,lastyears crops were doubled in sizeand double the yeild . as forseperating it there is noneed use it all itsbenificial to the ground andto the microbes not tomention all litter that isntdroppings will airriate thesoil adding more ability todrain off excess water .eliminating thedamping off of roots(squishy root syndrom ).

 

[ariel]

JimD wrote:

Carolyn wrote:

JimD wrote:

Wait till someonefinds out I carry a spare bag in the trunk of my car!!

NO Way!

-Carolyn

It really makes the car smell good. Gives you good traction in the snow, too!

You should try it!!

Oh gawsh this thread is getting stranger by the minute LOL


I use newspaper on the bottom of Bindys hutch, I clean it all out every2nd day and her poppies I throw on the front lawn (well I am trying togrow the grass)

I guess it would help

 

[Rowan]

I'm another user of woody pet and I've beencomposting the rabbit waste since I got them, which is to say that alluneaten hay, soiled woody pet and rabbit pellets gets put into a bigpile to rot down. It turns into beautiful fertiliser/rich soil. Withsix rabbits I figure that I'll never need to worry about fertiliser formy garden again .

Kate