Rabbit manure info below. Don't read if you are about to eat
dinner...consider yourself warned!

I have been raising rabbits for over 15 years and have a herd around
75 in the winter and up to 250 in the summer. The feces that rabbits
eat, they eat in the morning, it is produced during the night as they
sleep and it is much softer than the normal pellets that they
produce. It doesn't appear to be wrapped in mucous...but it could
be. It is much darker, and much softer than normal feces, also much
smaller and is about the consistency of the clay that you use for
throwing pots in art class. They produce this to re-introduce
bacteria to their guts much like humans eat yogurt cultures.

As a matter of fact, when bunnies are given antibiotics they should
also be given yogurt as the antibiotics kills off the good bacteria as
well as the bad bacteria and rabbits, especially young rabbits, can
die VERY quickly without it. This is also the main reason that most
Easter bunnies die a horrible death (by diarrhea literally POURING out
of them...painful rapid death within hours). When you change their
diet (go from pellets to grass or lettuce) quickly, it will most often
kill young bunnies. ANY changes in their diet should be made over at
least a week...and lettuce is way to wet for them unless they are VERY
used to it...or older rabbits that can handle the change a little
better. (I don't care if you had one when you were a kid that you
only fed grass...they can't handle changes made quickly and it will
kill...especially young bunnies) Yes, they can eat an all grass diet,
IF started on it SLOWLY when they are young, adults can handle quick
changes better, but they get an upset stomach and lose weight. I can
actually force a moult by switching feed brands for a week in the fall
and spring to bring in the new coats.

I have heard, that rabbit manure can actually be used raw on a
garden. I don't remember where I read it or why they said it was
ok...something to do with it breaking down quickly if I remember
right. (Maybe it is because the bacteria is already in the
manure???) I do remember reading that it is excellent for roses, and
put it raw on my roses, and had no problems with it burning the plants
at all. I have been putting about 4-10 wheel barrel loads in my
garden for the past 4-5 years with no problem. (garden is about 20x20
ft) The only time that I have seen a large problem was when the
manure was mixed with wood shavings. That wasn't good.

Last year, I dumped 2 big loads in a very small area that was a strip
of clay through the garden about 3x4 ft, and put potatoes there. I
had TONS of potatoes last year...they grew better than I have ever had
them grow. I had plants (in far north Mn) that were almost chest high
with foliage in that spot...and even in the fall, you could still see
the solid manure pellets around them.

I do till it in before planting, and perhaps it has something to do
with the feed I use, but I haven't had any problems with it burning
even seedlings. I have TONS of tomatoes every year...and the flavor
is amazing. Everyone around me asks for tomatoes...and last year was
a horrible year for most people in our area as it was very rainy with
little sun, but I still had more tomatoes than I knew what to do
with.

I plant zucchini, corn, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, brussel
sprouts, cucumbers, and petunias and other flowers in my garden and I
have a spot for irises and lillies in the front garden...all are
fertilized with rabbit manure yearly...and my poor yard downhill from
the rabbits...my husband HATES mowing there because he has to mow
twice as often there as the rest of the yard.

One more hoopla for it, I spread it REALLY thick on my horse pasture
(about 20 loads in an area about 14x60 along with ash from our wood
stove. Before, that area of the pasture was fairly barren with lots
of clay bare spots. By fall, that area of the pasture was a good 8-10
inches taller than the rest (I kept the horses off of it to see what
would happen) and it had super thick vegetation and was a deep dark
green with super broad leaves.

I will say...that I had my rabbits under pine trees for about 8
years...and it did kill the pine tress directly overhead over
time...but the urine was also leaching into the soil, and I only put
the dry manure on my garden...the urine leaches away, and I scrape the
pellets off the top with a wide shovel. Perhaps the urine is what
burns, or that it was just too much nitrogen for the pines??? I plan
to take pictures next year...of my plants with and without rabbit
manure...so check rabbit sites for that next fall through google. I
am not going to post my website because the last time I did that...the
junk mail was horrible.

In my book, rabbit manure has been the best thing for my barren
wasteland of mainly clay based soil. And to think...I used to give it
ALL AWAY!!! Check for a rabbitry in your area...they will likely give
theirs away too...but remember to ask for it in advance with NO pine
shavings...or take it from the far side of their manure pile. I hope
this helps someone anyway (either with their garden or to save a baby
bunny from a horrible death. Sorry this is so long.

Oh, two more things...worms LOVE rabbit manure. They can be grown
along with rabbits in special setups....worms are advertised in rabbit
books. My garden is full of them. Down side is, when it gets really
really wet, like last year, the slugs seem to flourish in it
too...but, I just pulled the lower leaves that cover the ground (like
on brussel sprouts, and cut the lower leaves of tomatoes and thick
vegetation, and this seemed to help. Slugs don't like sun.

I think I may post this very reply on my website...Thanks for readin
it!

In article
,
Ocartist wrote:

Rabbit manure info below. Don't read if you are about to eat
dinner...consider yourself warned!

I have been raising rabbits for over 15 years and have a herd around
75 in the winter and up to 250 in the summer. The feces that rabbits
eat, they eat in the morning, it is produced during the night as they
sleep and it is much softer than the normal pellets that they
produce. It doesn't appear to be wrapped in mucous...but it could
be. It is much darker, and much softer than normal feces, also much
smaller and is about the consistency of the clay that you use for
throwing pots in art class. They produce this to re-introduce
bacteria to their guts much like humans eat yogurt cultures.

As a matter of fact, when bunnies are given antibiotics they should
also be given yogurt as the antibiotics kills off the good bacteria as
well as the bad bacteria and rabbits, especially young rabbits, can
die VERY quickly without it. This is also the main reason that most
Easter bunnies die a horrible death (by diarrhea literally POURING out
of them...painful rapid death within hours). When you change their
diet (go from pellets to grass or lettuce) quickly, it will most often
kill young bunnies. ANY changes in their diet should be made over at
least a week...and lettuce is way to wet for them unless they are VERY
used to it...or older rabbits that can handle the change a little
better. (I don't care if you had one when you were a kid that you
only fed grass...they can't handle changes made quickly and it will
kill...especially young bunnies) Yes, they can eat an all grass diet,
IF started on it SLOWLY when they are young, adults can handle quick
changes better, but they get an upset stomach and lose weight. I can
actually force a moult by switching feed brands for a week in the fall
and spring to bring in the new coats.

I have heard, that rabbit manure can actually be used raw on a
garden. I don't remember where I read it or why they said it was
ok...something to do with it breaking down quickly if I remember
right. (Maybe it is because the bacteria is already in the
manure???) I do remember reading that it is excellent for roses, and
put it raw on my roses, and had no problems with it burning the plants
at all. I have been putting about 4-10 wheel barrel loads in my
garden for the past 4-5 years with no problem. (garden is about 20x20
ft) The only time that I have seen a large problem was when the
manure was mixed with wood shavings. That wasn't good.

Last year, I dumped 2 big loads in a very small area that was a strip
of clay through the garden about 3x4 ft, and put potatoes there. I
had TONS of potatoes last year...they grew better than I have ever had
them grow. I had plants (in far north Mn) that were almost chest high
with foliage in that spot...and even in the fall, you could still see
the solid manure pellets around them.

I do till it in before planting, and perhaps it has something to do
with the feed I use, but I haven't had any problems with it burning
even seedlings. I have TONS of tomatoes every year...and the flavor
is amazing. Everyone around me asks for tomatoes...and last year was
a horrible year for most people in our area as it was very rainy with
little sun, but I still had more tomatoes than I knew what to do
with.

I plant zucchini, corn, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, brussel
sprouts, cucumbers, and petunias and other flowers in my garden and I
have a spot for irises and lillies in the front garden...all are
fertilized with rabbit manure yearly...and my poor yard downhill from
the rabbits...my husband HATES mowing there because he has to mow
twice as often there as the rest of the yard.

One more hoopla for it, I spread it REALLY thick on my horse pasture
(about 20 loads in an area about 14x60 along with ash from our wood
stove. Before, that area of the pasture was fairly barren with lots
of clay bare spots. By fall, that area of the pasture was a good 8-10
inches taller than the rest (I kept the horses off of it to see what
would happen) and it had super thick vegetation and was a deep dark
green with super broad leaves.

I will say...that I had my rabbits under pine trees for about 8
years...and it did kill the pine tress directly overhead over
time...but the urine was also leaching into the soil, and I only put
the dry manure on my garden...the urine leaches away, and I scrape the
pellets off the top with a wide shovel. Perhaps the urine is what
burns, or that it was just too much nitrogen for the pines??? I plan
to take pictures next year...of my plants with and without rabbit
manure...so check rabbit sites for that next fall through google. I
am not going to post my website because the last time I did that...the
junk mail was horrible.

In my book, rabbit manure has been the best thing for my barren
wasteland of mainly clay based soil. And to think...I used to give it
ALL AWAY!!! Check for a rabbitry in your area...they will likely give
theirs away too...but remember to ask for it in advance with NO pine
shavings...or take it from the far side of their manure pile. I hope
this helps someone anyway (either with their garden or to save a baby
bunny from a horrible death. Sorry this is so long.

Oh, two more things...worms LOVE rabbit manure. They can be grown
along with rabbits in special setups....worms are advertised in rabbit
books. My garden is full of them. Down side is, when it gets really
really wet, like last year, the slugs seem to flourish in it
too...but, I just pulled the lower leaves that cover the ground (like
on brussel sprouts, and cut the lower leaves of tomatoes and thick
vegetation, and this seemed to help. Slugs don't like sun.

I think I may post this very reply on my website...Thanks for readin
it!
Http://www.plantea.com/manuer.htm

How common manures measure up

Manure Chicken Diary cow Horse Steer Rabbit
N 1.1 .257 .70 .70 2.4
P .80 .15 .30 .30 1.4
K .50 .25 .60 .40 .60

Sheep Alfalfa Fish Emulsion
N .70 3 5
P .30 1 1
K .90 2 1
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merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

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