Mulching manure

[Olbunny]

We mulched our rabbit manure. Mixing the hay that falls through with the manure as I feel that the urine soaks into the hay and the hay is a woody fibrous product. We will also add in leaves n such.
It comes out looking like a good quality topsoil. I have a grow out pen that is 30" x 8' long. Wire all around plywood top that opens up.
I'm thinking about putting the mulched manure into the grow out pen to dry. And then try to market. Well that's the goal anthows.
My business plan would be to sell over the net and also through a local greenhouse. I would barter my mulched poo for a pallets worth of floorspace and they run the till. I keep the supply coming.
I'm always trying to cover costs n being retired any extra income helps. And I'm trying to figure out how the best way to do no till gardening along with growing in containers. And I cam working on an airoponic greenhouse system using 5 gallon buckets and fish tank aerators. Goal is to create an environment for microbes to grow.
The rabbit manure is the the magic mix. And mulched n dried is much more easier to work with than rabbit turds. Looks better too, my opinion.
So what say you all ? Lots of good ideas n smart folks around and I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Thank you

 

[user 8296]

We are very interested in your project! We presently have a pile of poop/hay/spilled grains/nesting box pressed straw in an inverted steel hutch. It is uncovered which I guess needs to be changed.
I plan to check tips from Lee Reich here COMPOSTING, A DIDACTIC & A PERSONAL VIEW
I will follow your post!

 

[arachyd]

We always used our manure and spilled hay/pellets uncomposted to fertilize our plants and trees. Since I always bought local mixed hay one thing I needed to watch for was the abundance of new weeds that came up afterward. I found quite a few that were good not only for the rabbits but for our own use as well. Only once did I have a harmful one sprout in the yard. I was glad for the new plants but if I were to sell the manure it would have to be separated from the pellets and hay somehow. Not everyone is happy to have a garden full of weeds.

 

[user8584]

We mulched our rabbit manure. Mixing the hay that falls through with the manure as I feel that the urine soaks into the hay and the hay is a woody fibrous product. We will also add in leaves n such.
It comes out looking like a good quality topsoil. I have a grow out pen that is 30" x 8' long. Wire all around plywood top that opens up.
I'm thinking about putting the mulched manure into the grow out pen to dry. And then try to market. Well that's the goal anthows.
My business plan would be to sell over the net and also through a local greenhouse. I would barter my mulched poo for a pallets worth of floorspace and they run the till. I keep the supply coming.
I'm always trying to cover costs n being retired any extra income helps. And I'm trying to figure out how the best way to do no till gardening along with growing in containers. And I cam working on an airoponic greenhouse system using 5 gallon buckets and fish tank aerators. Goal is to create an environment for microbes to grow.
The rabbit manure is the the magic mix. And mulched n dried is much more easier to work with than rabbit turds. Looks better too, my opinion.
So what say you all ? Lots of good ideas n smart folks around and I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Thank you

Buying rabbit feed is cheaper and superior to commercial chemical fertilizer. Read “Pay Dirt“ by J.I.Rodale

 

[Olbunny]

I compost because I have to. Well actually, it's winter for 6 months. And I didn't have time to mulch manure last year.
Consequently the seeds in the timothy hay get to hang out in a compost pile n cook. Right now I'm cleaning up from last year. And will now go through n compost the manure from last year and over winter. I will then try drying it in a grow out pen with lots of air circulation.
First year of doing this at this scale so working things threw as needed. Trying to make a buck to cover costs. Just have to make enough money to cover my time n expenses.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I recommend chickens! Our chickens turn over the rabbit poop and hay daily and pick out all the weed seeds, too. (along with any spilled rabbit food, BOSS, etc) They are so excited when I bring out a fresh bucket of poop.

I have been throwing it in the garden, but we are finally going to plant something (probably too late) I have an old (pink) child swimming pool with holes in it. (I did mention I don't throw ANYTHING away) I am using it to throw the poop in. The chickens just hop in and scratch away. From a distance, it looks like they are swimming LOL.
- Liz

 

[Rexit]

We mulched our rabbit manure. Mixing the hay that falls through with the manure as I feel that the urine soaks into the hay and the hay is a woody fibrous product. We will also add in leaves n such.
It comes out looking like a good quality topsoil. I have a grow out pen that is 30" x 8' long. Wire all around plywood top that opens up.
I'm thinking about putting the mulched manure into the grow out pen to dry. And then try to market. Well that's the goal anthows.
My business plan would be to sell over the net and also through a local greenhouse. I would barter my mulched poo for a pallets worth of floorspace and they run the till. I keep the supply coming.
I'm always trying to cover costs n being retired any extra income helps. And I'm trying to figure out how the best way to do no till gardening along with growing in containers. And I cam working on an airoponic greenhouse system using 5 gallon buckets and fish tank aerators. Goal is to create an environment for microbes to grow.
The rabbit manure is the the magic mix. And mulched n dried is much more easier to work with than rabbit turds. Looks better too, my opinion.
So what say you all ? Lots of good ideas n smart folks around and I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Thank you

I've been thinking about the poo situation myself. I think I'm going to try and design a continuous worm casting production bin directly under my rabbit cages. I'm not sure if the bins themselves will handle the urine or if that will have to be managed in another way.

 

[user8584]

I recommend chickens! Our chickens turn over the rabbit poop and hay daily and pick out all the weed seeds, too. (along with any spilled rabbit food, BOSS, etc) They are so excited when I bring out a fresh bucket of poop.

I have been throwing it in the garden, but we are finally going to plant something (probably too late) I have an old (pink) child swimming pool with holes in it. (I did mention I don't throw ANYTHING away) I am using it to throw the poop in. The chickens just hop in and scratch away. From a distance, it looks like they are swimming LOL.
- Liz

Not to late, you can still have radishes, tomato, squash, beans, maybe peppers, and okra for sure. What planting zone are you in?

 

[user8584]

I've been thinking about the poo situation myself. I think I'm going to try and design a continuous worm casting production bin directly under my rabbit cages. I'm not sure if the bins themselves will handle the urine or if that will have to be managed in another way.

I clean my cages and top dress my worms by hand.

 

[Rexit]

I clean my cages and top dress my worms by hand.

Probably a good idea to do it that way. You can keep the worms at a constant temp that way.

 

[user 8296]

I recommend chickens! Our chickens turn over the rabbit poop and hay daily and pick out all the weed seeds, too. (along with any spilled rabbit food, BOSS, etc) They are so excited when I bring out a fresh bucket of poop.

I have been throwing it in the garden, but we are finally going to plant something (probably too late) I have an old (pink) child swimming pool with holes in it. (I did mention I don't throw ANYTHING away) I am using it to throw the poop in. The chickens just hop in and scratch away. From a distance, it looks like they are swimming LOL.
- Liz

Thank you Liz your idea is wonderful! The rabbit pole barn is uphill from the chicken yard/house. Last year our granddaughter wanted Easter Egger chicks but they have turned out to be such avid setters that they stop laying. Once we finish fencing in the rabbit pole barn we could put some of those non-layers underneath the rabbits and see if that works ! I think we would want to clip their wings first so they don’t jump on top of the rabbit cages and poop down into the cages. My daughter regularly treats the chicken water for coccidiosis so hopefully there’ll be no transfer of disease if I follow this plan.

 

[user 8296]

I clean my cages and top dress my worms by hand.

We tried worms underneath the rabbit cages and in the rabbit cages area. We live in south Georgia and we have a terrible time with the fire ants coming into the worms and killing them!

 

[user8584]

We tried worms underneath the rabbit cages and in the rabbit cages area. We live in south Georgia and we have a terrible time with the fire ants coming into the worms and killing them!

Fire ants do not like water, keep your compost wet!

 

[JOhn B]

We tried worms underneath the rabbit cages and in the rabbit cages area. We live in south Georgia and we have a terrible time with the fire ants coming into the worms and killing them!

Do worms keep ants away? Did not know that.

 

[user 8296]

Do worms keep ants away? Did not know that.

The fire ants kill the worms!

 

[JOhn B]

The fire ants kill the worms!

Ok, I thought I misread something. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[user 8296]

Ok, I thought I misread something. Thanks for clarifying.

You’re welcome. I will be more careful to word posts more clearly!

 

[user8584]

I heard you when you drove up.

 

[Zee-Man]

This site has lots of threads about manure and composting. Maybe, since poop happens, we should have a separate category?

 

[Zee-Man]

Buying rabbit feed is cheaper and superior to commercial chemical fertilizer. Read “Pay Dirt“ by J.I.Rodale

Boy! I had forgotten about Rodale. Lot's of good compost info from that man.