# sorting s#!t out... (rabbit poop for the garden)



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

If you raise/raised rabbits, I'm curious what you did about sorting/storing the droppings for garden fertilizer?

One thing I've learned is that bunnies are horribly wasteful when it comes to hay. I need to make or buy hay feeders that attach to the side of the cages the same way that their pellet feeders do.

That leads to the garden question... I've read that volunteers from the timothy hay can come out of the poopz much less the hay that they scratch out... saving up all of the hay without sorting out the poops into a composting roly-poly ball thing seems expensive for the ball thing, and seems like it would pile up really fast.

how do you sort shit out? :laugh:


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Dakine said:


> how do you sort shit out? :laugh:


I didn't ... it went right to the garden row to be tilled under ... but that is just me ...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I never sorted the poop either. In fact the farm I spent my childhood on allowed the chickens to peck and scratch the bunny poop helping it compost further.

You could use a plastic drum like a compost tumbler to 'tumble' the poop out of the hay. Just drill holes a tiny bit bigger then the poop. Either put it on a stand or roll it around the yard. The hay should stay in the drum for the most part.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

well, I haven't got the time/resources to start yard birds just yet but I'm working on it. rabbit poop is perfect as is in that it doesnt need further composting but passing it through chickens or earthworms sure doesnt hurt. 

I think a LOT of my hay waste will be resolved when I buy or fabricate hay feeders instead of putting a giant handful in twice a day that they eat some of, scratch a lot of it out of the cages, and turn even more of some of it into pee/poop tainted that has to be pulled out of the cage simply because that's the direction the rabbit butt was pointing at that time.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

*Andi said:


> I didn't ... it went right to the garden row to be tilled under ... but that is just me ...


I am with Andi.:2thumb:
Rabbit waste is rich in NPK & will not burn like chicken manure.
I till mine under & add any leave I laying around with it.
Till every time seedling come up until you plant, then mulch about 6 inches of leave or straw.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Dak is there some reason why you feed your Rabbits extra Hay? I raised about thirty Rabbits a few years back and never once gave them Hay, just the pellet food, plenty of water and a Carrot or Apple once in a while as a treat. All were very healthy and produced more young than I could handle. Feeding them Hay is really not necessary as the pellet food has all they need to thrive. I also never allowed my Rabbits to graze on grass as they can and will pick up Parasites.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I've read that feeding the hay is healthy for them because their teeth grow 13cm per year, and nonstop gnawing on hay keeps their teeth at a healthy length, I've even seen photos of sabertooth rabbits where they were apparently starved (as opposed to me just giving them hay) and the lower teeth actually go into their little bunny brains and kill them!

I've also heard that pellets are enough, but I haven't tried that yet.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

As a side note ... We also gave the rabbits hay. In a mini hay net.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

There are many things that you can give your Rabbits to prevent their teeth from over growth. You can give them a chunk of fruit wood, a piece of Deer Antler, an old Bone or something similar. If you eliminate the Hay and place trays under the cages, Rabbit care will become much easier.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

*Andi said:


> As a side note ... We also gave the rabbits hay. In a mini hay net.


Lots of people give their Rabbits Hay, it's not wrong, just an unnecessary expense and the Rabbit doesn't need it, except maybe for a treat. Eliminating Hay just makes life easier with less clean up, and the droppings can go right to the Garden with no fear of Weeds.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

camo2460 said:


> Lots of people give their Rabbits Hay, it's not wrong, just an unnecessary expense and the Rabbit doesn't need it, except maybe for a treat. Eliminating Hay just makes life easier with less clean up, and the droppings can go right to the Garden with no fear of Weeds.


One thing to remember, some of us don't feed pellet food.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

We used both pellets and fresh grass. I always just scattered the droppings in the garden and filled them in. If you're worried about weeds I'd just throw poop and all in a compost pile (or drum to make things go faster) them compost it. The heat should kill the seeds. I wouldn't bother sorting it out.


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