Does urine affect garden poo?

[FluffleFarm]

So poo is able to be used in gardens right away, but does it matter if it sits with pee?
Our trays at the moment are set up with A thin layer of PDZ, horse stall pine pellets on that and then obviously hay and food pellets on top of that that falls through with poo and pee.

Am I OK to toss the whole tray into the garden? If not, what do I have to eliminate to do so? Pdz? Pine? All of it? Does it need a separator for the poo so the pee falls through? That’s what I see a lot of meat rabbit owners doing. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s enough room in our set up to make that happen but I’m willing to try anything.

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

I use all rabbit manure for gardening.

 

[FluffleFarm]

I use all rabbit manure for gardening.

Pee and all? Or just the poo

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

Pee and all? Or just the poo

Alllll for it

I don't think urine is much of a difference at all. I've never read or heard you only want to use solids.

 

[FluffleFarm]

Alllll for it

I don't think urine is much of a difference at all. I've never read or heard you only want to use solids.

Well…. My brother said it but he also was doing meat rabbits and looking to sell it by the bag.
How do you use it? Just sprinkle around and work in? Layer it around the bases? Like mulch?

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

Well…. My brother said it but he also was doing meat rabbits and looking to sell it by the bag.
How do you use it? Just sprinkle around and work in? Layer it around the bases? Like mulch?

I've just been tilling it into the garden, I haven't planted anything yet.

 

[KelleyBee]

So poo is able to be used in gardens right away, but does it matter if it sits with pee?
Our trays at the moment are set up with A thin layer of PDZ, horse stall pine pellets on that and then obviously hay and food pellets on top of that that falls through with poo and pee.

Am I OK to toss the whole tray into the garden? If not, what do I have to eliminate to do so? Pdz? Pine? All of it? Does it need a separator for the poo so the pee falls through? That’s what I see a lot of meat rabbit owners doing. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s enough room in our set up to make that happen but I’m willing to try anything.

I’m excited about the gardens this year. Rabbit urine contains calcium and garden soil becomes depleted of calcium, one of the reasons attributed to issues with tomatoes, blossom end rot, etc. Last spring, because I had no rabbits at the time, I had to buy fertilizer containing calcium for my tomatoes. Not this year. I just dumped a load of rabbit droppings mix with hay, hair, etc, on my tomato patch yesterday, added a few buckets of rabbit urine. This morning, I will be tilling all of that in and planting my tomato seedlings. Yep, the hay will give me weeds, but all will be rabbit friendly weeds, so they will be harvested as forage for the buns as a thank you for the fabulous fertilizer.

An easy way to separate the poo from hay is by dumping it all into a wheel barrel and the using a pitch fork plunged deeply into the pile, lift fork, shake a little to sift out the poo, discard the hay where ever you want it. It doesn’t get rid of seeds and it’s not 100 percent, but it’s how I p,an to introduce the rabbit poo into the garden throughout the growing season to make it easier to work into the soil near the growing plants.

The reason my urine is in buckets is due to the way we set up our original hutch using a drainage system. Although, I’m now inclined to move away from this system for numerous reasons.

 

[Big Mac]

So poo is able to be used in gardens right away, but does it matter if it sits with pee?
Our trays at the moment are set up with A thin layer of PDZ, horse stall pine pellets on that and then obviously hay and food pellets on top of that that falls through with poo and pee.

Am I OK to toss the whole tray into the garden? If not, what do I have to eliminate to do so? Pdz? Pine? All of it? Does it need a separator for the poo so the pee falls through? That’s what I see a lot of meat rabbit owners doing. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s enough room in our set up to make that happen but I’m willing to try anything.

The urine is a fermenter in the soil as I understand it, it supports certain fungus that are very beneficial to plants, to quote Sir Albert Howard, author of “An Agricultural Testament “, there is a mycorrhizal association between soil and plant . A critical part is a fungus that lives in the root system of plants.
suggest you pick up a copy of his book.

 

[FluffleFarm]

Ok so perhaps he didn’t want the urine due to the poos storage capabilities. I know my pile of rabbit tray discard smells…

 

[Olbunny]

I run the rabbit compost, hay pee, poo through a mulcher that chops the hay to shreds. I believe it will help keep the soil from compacting n holds moisture. And creating a better environment for the microbial growth in the soil.
Also much easier to handle. And works well when mixed with an organic material like peat moss or coconut husks.
Does urine affect garden poo ? Yes in a positive fashion

 

[KelleyBee]

I run the rabbit compost, hay pee, poo through a mulcher that chops the hay to shreds. I believe it will help keep the soil from compacting n holds moisture. And creating a better environment for the microbial growth in the soil.
Also much easier to handle. And works well when mixed with an organic material like peat moss or coconut husks.
Does urine affect garden poo ? Yes in a positive fashion

@Olbunny I’ve been thinking about your mulching activity ever since you posted about it a couple of weeks ago. I’d like to follow suit. Are you mulching with one of the huge mulches or a smaller one?

 

[ThunderHill]

I’m excited about the gardens this year. Rabbit urine contains calcium and garden soil becomes depleted of calcium, one of the reasons attributed to issues with tomatoes, blossom end rot, etc. Last spring, because I had no rabbits at the time, I had to buy fertilizer containing calcium for my tomatoes. Not this year. I just dumped a load of rabbit droppings mix with hay, hair, etc, on my tomato patch yesterday, added a few buckets of rabbit urine. This morning, I will be tilling all of that in and planting my tomato seedlings. Yep, the hay will give me weeds, but all will be rabbit friendly weeds, so they will be harvested as forage for the buns as a thank you for the fabulous fertilizer.

An easy way to separate the poo from hay is by dumping it all into a wheel barrel and the using a pitch fork plunged deeply into the pile, lift fork, shake a little to sift out the poo, discard the hay where ever you want it. It doesn’t get rid of seeds and it’s not 100 percent, but it’s how I p,an to introduce the rabbit poo into the garden throughout the growing season to make it easier to work into the soil near the growing plants.

The reason my urine is in buckets is due to the way we set up our original hutch using a drainage system. Although, I’m now inclined to move away from this system for numerous reasons.

Hi @KelleyBee Would you mind sharing what system you are thinking of moving to and why? I recently built one cage similar to your setup because I needed somewhere for a bunch of growouts, but would love to hear your lessons learned to help me decide whether or not to build more this way. Thanks!

 

[bighairbuns]

IME rabbit urine will burn plants. Especially young and tender ones. The urea is too strong when it is straight.

If I am using urine heavy rabbit waste for my garden, I either only use it as a top dressing/mulch for mature plants so it gets diluted by watering before reaching the roots, compost it, or dilute it by making a rabbit waste "compost" tea.

 

[UFCreel]

The npk of rabbit manure is 2-1-1. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...sQFnoECBAQBQ&usg=AOvVaw3mEZ6PpIJr5lDy-vvMT7RY

 

[MnCanary]

The npk of rabbit manure is 2-1-1. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/bunny_honey_using_rabbit_manure_as_a_fertilizer#:~:text=Look%20no%20further%20than%20a,phosphorus%20and%201%20percent%20potassium.&ved=2ahUKEwiBz6ivyeb3AhUVWs0KHe51C3sQFnoECBAQBQ&usg=AOvVaw3mEZ6PpIJr5lDy-vvMT7RY

I've never found out if that 2-1-1 is just the rabbit berries, or if that includes urine. Do you know?

 

[Olbunny]

@Olbunny I’ve been thinking about your mulching activity ever since you posted about it a couple of weeks ago. I’d like to follow suit. Are you mulching with one of the huge mulches or a smaller one?

I use a 5hp driven machine. Generally used for sticks n leaves. Side shoot for branches n brush. Hopper on top for leaves. At HD now for near 600 bucks. Nice for cleaning up around the yard too, has wheels on it n hooks up to riding mower.

 

[KelleyBee]

I use a 5hp driven machine. Generally used for sticks n leaves. Side shoot for branches n brush. Hopper on top for leaves. At HD now for near 600 bucks. Nice for cleaning up around the yard too, has wheels on it n hooks up to riding mower.

I used to have one of those like you describe, but sold it. It was too big for me to use. I was looking at the smaller electric ones. What are your thoughts? DO you think if I just use it to mulch rabbit poo and hay/straw, it could handle the work?

 

[KelleyBee]

Hi @KelleyBee Would you mind sharing what system you are thinking of moving to and why? I recently built one cage similar to your setup because I needed somewhere for a bunch of growouts, but would love to hear your lessons learned to help me decide whether or not to build more this way. Thanks!

I just don't like my rabbits living so close to their poo. It's a double decker breeder hutch, so unless I clean it out daily or even every other day, they are always very near their poo. As opposed to my growout hutch is single deck and the poo drops more 3 or more feet down from them. In the breeder hutch, it's less than a foot away from the bottom of their cages. Personally, I wouldn't want to live like that and the breeder hutch has more orders (way more) than the grow out hutch.

 

[Cindy in SD]

I'm wondering and don't even need to know yet, but I intend to keep my buns in tractors, or at least the grow-outs. What do ya'll think about raking up the poo when I move the tractors? Will it be possible to collect it from the grass once they've eaten it down?

 

[Zee-Man]

Hindgut animals' manure can be used without composting. Ruminant manure needs to be composted since it ferments and produces ammonia. Rabbit, a hindgut creature, manure that is separated is considered "cold" and can go directly in the garden. Urine ferments to ammonia. That is good in dilute doses. It has plenty of nitrogen for good plant growth. In heavy concentrations, however, it burns root tips. Composting won't lose that calcium, but spread it out for better adsorption.