rabbit manure compost/worm bin

[beam of light]

after volunteering on a slew of organic farms in a life changing experience i've decided i wanted to bring these practices home.

my first project is dealing with this rabbit manure. i would like to start a couple worm bins & a compost pile but i'm stuck on the specifics and looking for help with firsthand experience. i understand the basic premises but i want it to have that icmag touch(rock dusts, aloe, endosperm)

close up of what's in the tumbler. rabbit manure and urine soaked sawdaust(can't even stand over it to take a picture without getting lightheaded)

i also got some straight manure

some of the straight manure is turning white.... what does it mean?

 

[beam of light]

rabbit bedding

rabbit bedding



what would be a safe estimate of the C:N ratio in this sawdust bedding(plenty of urine, some manure)

 

[Azeotrope]

Neat timing on your post..... I just (minutes ago) got done working some rabbit poo in to my worm bins. Picked up a bag form a local here. Next week it is goat poo.

One sure fire way to use the rabbit dung is to thermal compost it and then let the worms feast on the result. I just worked it in to the bins along with the straw and some leaves that were mixed in. Rabbit is often touted as the poo that can be used straight in the garden, but I don't like the idea.

If you have composting red worms (manure worms) I think you could easily mix in some leaves and or just give them a go at it straight up. Maybe someone with more knowledge like CC or the other Organic Grad Poo Bahs will chime in that I am wrong.

Edit: Just got to thinkink about you comments on the urine. Not sure about rabbit pee, but urine can be fairly high in salts. I would tend to think that you may want to mix this with some leaves and other material to not go heavy on the urine. Straight poo or manure with not so much urine would do the worms just going straight I think.

 

[W89]

I wouldnt of thought that the pee from an animal that eats grass and drinks water would be too high it contaminants like salts or what ever... maybe put some in a cup and take a sip, you will soon know if its any good or not...

 

[Neo 420]

I wouldnt of thought that the pee from an animal that eats grass and drinks water would be too high it contaminants like salts or what ever... maybe put some in a cup and take a sip, you will soon know if its any good or not...

Yep...Its a practice not use use rabbit urine because of it salt content.. I think it would kill the worms.

 

[mogrow]

the white is the ammonia starting to work, you will be able to smell it soon, over the rabbitt manure.

 

[beam of light]

the white is the ammonia starting to work, you will be able to smell it soon, over the rabbitt manure.

can i avoid that smell by getting it in the compost or by aging it(get it wet and leave it exposed to the elements)?

 

[BurnOne]

some of the straight manure is turning white.... what does it mean?

It's probably calcium from their pee. Rabbit pee is full of it. I used to have them as pets for the kids. They will go to a litter box just like a cat. But cleaning it can be a chore. The calcium collects on the pan like concrete.
Burn1

 

[beam of light]

is this stuff worthy of the worm bin?

is this stuff worthy of the worm bin?

some parts were wet, some parts were dry

 

[beam of light]

more pics of the store bought compost:

is this stuff good enough to start a couple of worm bins(haven't started them yet) with?

i have peat moss, coco, this store bought "compost", rabbit manure, rabbit bedding(sawdust w/manure&urine), leaf litter, leaf humus(very little), shredded cardboard and shredded brown paper... what mixture(bedding) would be the best for what i got on hand?

 

[RanchoDeluxe]

You could make it as simple as adding your bagged compost to a bin, with a couple handfuls of sand and calling it a day. Come back 2-3 months later...primo vermicompost. Or try this 80% bagged compost 10% rabbit shit 10% leaf litter....this will take a bit longer.

If it were me straight bagged compost w/ a handful of kelp, alfalfa , crab, and rock dust. I would add the rabbit nuggets into the top couple inches a handful at a time as the worms consume them. Your rabbit shit mixed w/ sawdust is likely close to the proper C:N ratio. 30:1 is what ya want.

Keep us posted on your progress gonna get a couple rabbits here soon.

 

[2 Legal Co]

If you want to find out just how potent the rabbit bedding is;

Start your worm bin with the compost and sand.

Add the bedding to one side, and the manure to the other side, leaving the middle as just straight comost.

Give it a couple weeks and see where the worms are. That'll tell you if the sawdust/piss, is workable for the worms.

We used to use rabbit and goat in the garden fresh. We never bothered with bins for the worms. But of course we weren't doing anything indoors either.

Chicken manure was used between the rows RAW, as a weed control device. We tilled it in very shallow, just enough so it didn't stick to your shoes. But Between the rows,,,, away from the young root systems. The roots would grow into the 'hot zone' as it cooled and they needed the nutrients. Also used straw between the rows as a a mulch.

Our soil was high in clay content so we constantly had to add stuff to keep it from becoming a brick. lol

That said; Nothing was wasted, it was all returned to the earth, on our premises.

Corn cobs were a by product of shelling corn they were a big help in breaking up the garden soil too.

 

[Azeotrope]

I am using a mix of fully composted horse manure and leafs from maple, crab apple and grapes (I have tons of this mix). I mix the compost and leaves in a rubbermaid and wet it. Within a week most of the leafs are broken down. This has been producing very well for me. Just last week, I got some rabbit manure and mixed it in to about 40% and they are very active and happy in that mix.

I top dress with kelp meal, toasted and ground egg shell powder, porcine bone meal and a little alfalfa meal. This goes in before I lay down a new (thin) layer of the usual bedding mix. I also add azomite every so often.

The best advice I could give is to start with a 3-5" bed and get the moisture right. Then layer (thin additions) as they consume what they already have. Most of all, leave them alone! 75F and they will reproduce like rodents or faster.

You have what you need. That compost and some manure with a little grit of sorts and off you go!