What to do with your Bunny Poo
Rabbit poo is frequently referred to as "bunny gold" or "super fertilizer" as it contains the highest concentrations of basic plant nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, of any common animal manure. As a rabbit owner her are some ways you can take advantage of this amazing byproduct.
You can till your rabbit poo directly into the soil without composting first, but the pellets do take some time to decompose in the soil. Rabbit droppings are considered a "cold" manure in that they can be applied directly from the rabbit to the garden without fear of burning plants—as long as they do not contain urine. Rabbit pee contains an extremely high concentration of ammonia that will rapidly kill plants. But, since most rabbits pee in a different location from where they poo, if you keeps the hutch or cage cleaned regularly; there is little risk of the pellets becoming ammonia-soaked. Even so, allowing the hutch cleanings to sit a week or so before using allows the evaporation of any excessive amounts of ammonia.
If you don’t feel comfortable working in your garden with bunny pellets at your feet, you can also add the poo to your compost pile and let the worms go to town breaking the material into a wonderful compost you can use in a few months.
Another option is to make bunny poo fertilizer “tea.” To do this, fill a 5 gallon bucket of water, add a shovel full of bunny droppings, and let them sit for a day or two, stirring now and then. Pour the “tea” into a watering can (try not to stir up the sediment at the bottom because it may clog the watering can) and pour onto your garden soil. You should avoid pouring the “tea” directly onto the parts of plants you plan on consuming (like tomatoes, beans etc). When you get near the bottom of the bucket where all the sediment is, just dump it all, liquid and sediment, into your compost pile. No waste!
Think of your rabbit as a little fertilizer machine. You might also consider it as a way to make money from your rabbit… Sell your rabbit poo! Let your rabbit poo dry out then bag it in plastic gallong baggies and sell it to local gardeners as “bunny gold,” just make sure to give instructions on making fertilizer “tea” to go with it!
Happy gardening and Don't forget to save some carrots tops for your special bunny!
You can till your rabbit poo directly into the soil without composting first, but the pellets do take some time to decompose in the soil. Rabbit droppings are considered a "cold" manure in that they can be applied directly from the rabbit to the garden without fear of burning plants—as long as they do not contain urine. Rabbit pee contains an extremely high concentration of ammonia that will rapidly kill plants. But, since most rabbits pee in a different location from where they poo, if you keeps the hutch or cage cleaned regularly; there is little risk of the pellets becoming ammonia-soaked. Even so, allowing the hutch cleanings to sit a week or so before using allows the evaporation of any excessive amounts of ammonia.
If you don’t feel comfortable working in your garden with bunny pellets at your feet, you can also add the poo to your compost pile and let the worms go to town breaking the material into a wonderful compost you can use in a few months.
Another option is to make bunny poo fertilizer “tea.” To do this, fill a 5 gallon bucket of water, add a shovel full of bunny droppings, and let them sit for a day or two, stirring now and then. Pour the “tea” into a watering can (try not to stir up the sediment at the bottom because it may clog the watering can) and pour onto your garden soil. You should avoid pouring the “tea” directly onto the parts of plants you plan on consuming (like tomatoes, beans etc). When you get near the bottom of the bucket where all the sediment is, just dump it all, liquid and sediment, into your compost pile. No waste!
Think of your rabbit as a little fertilizer machine. You might also consider it as a way to make money from your rabbit… Sell your rabbit poo! Let your rabbit poo dry out then bag it in plastic gallong baggies and sell it to local gardeners as “bunny gold,” just make sure to give instructions on making fertilizer “tea” to go with it!
Happy gardening and Don't forget to save some carrots tops for your special bunny!
