Rabbit poo

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi,
A friend of ours has a few pet rabbits. She cleans the cages a few days each week. Anyhow, we can have the droppings. My question: do you recommend adding the dropping straight into the soil or she we compost them first? I'm thinking composting in order for the heat to kill the microbes that might be harmful...if that's an issue at all.

Thanks,
Chuck

[Big Al]

I have rabbits that can shit for england so I keep the poo in a barrel with the straw bedding and let it rot down. It must be doing some rotting as the full barrel is now only 3/4 of a barrel so something is getting reduced.

This is the first year of keeping rabbits so I'm on a learning curve as well but my neighbour has kept rabbits for ages and he used the method above although he never used much bedding straw and then aftwer about 6 months he would bag it us and leave it to stew . After a further 6 months he mixed it 1/3 rabbit poo 1/3 soil and 1/3 general cheapest compost to make his tomato compost and he never really fed the tomatoes much other than a general nettle and comfry feed onece a month.


HTH but not sure it will.

[oldjerry]

Or, why not fill up a pair of tights with it,gather up the topand tie with a bit of string(or use up old baler twine) then suspend in a tank of waterfor a week or so,then dilute and use as liquid feed.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Rabbit (and guinea pig) poo can be used direct. Both species "double digest" which calms the dung down, gives it the right carbon / nitrogen balance, and stops it burning plants. It can be added to the compost bin, but it's not actually necessary. It is a very fine compost activator though, so if you've got a heap that isn't moving, I'd recommend it.

[oldjerry]

Thats interesting,(how sad am I ?)...I've always used poultry manure to speed up composting,but that's really hot,and what you DONT want directly applied unless composted,so working on that theory the rabbit s--t shouldn't be as good for that...and we're right at the edge of my Primary School level Chemistry here so please be gentle.....
Anyhow,how many bloody guinea pigs do you need to maintain the fertility in the average veg garden?...!

[contadina]

Although bunny gold is meant be safe to add straight onto plants - it was too strong for my french beans last year and I lost the lot I bought a few sacks off a place which breeds rabbits and I reckon they must have poured the pee in with the the poo, making it too nitrogen-rich (rabbits are pretty good when left to their own devices and generally pee in a separate place).

[chuck_n_grace]

Hi,
I didn't think of the rabbit poo as an activator. That's a very good use.

Suspending it in a container of water (packed in tights) is interesting. I need to make some compost tea and that might be a way to do that.

Direct application I see can be a problem. I've read the same about urine...too nitrogen rich...needs to be diluted 1 part urine, 10 parts water. Don't ask me about the urine source...it's still experimental.

I absolutely did not know about "double digesting". I need to read more.

Thanks,
Chuck

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Thats interesting,(how sad am I ?)...I've always used poultry manure to speed up composting,but that's really hot,and what you DONT want directly applied unless composted,so working on that theory the rabbit s--t shouldn't be as good for that...and we're right at the edge of my Primary School level Chemistry here so please be gentle.....
Anyhow,how many bloody guinea pigs do you need to maintain the fertility in the average veg garden?...!

OJ - Don't know why rabbit poo works so well on the compost: perhaps it's something to with the digestive enzymes or sommit

I put wood shavings in the hen house and that - being carbon rich - balances out the hot chicken poop just a treat.

As for bloody guinea pigs... the current score is six. We re-home three last weeks. I have informed the girls that any further "piggy weddings" (they were dressing the bloody things up specially - mad the lot of them) will be met with unspecified but punitive sanctions.

[oldjerry]

Threaten them with a holiday in Peru!

[wabbit955]

compost activator i did not know this but sence i been added it to my compose its deffiently speeds things up
now i know why

cheers

[Glen Gilchrist]

Jumping in late.

Dry the poo pellets. They burn very well, little smoke and no smell.

Sheep poo and cow pats are very effective as well. Goat poo is not as good as goats are more omnivorous and the poo tends to smell when burned...

Glen