Gardening and Horticulture - Rabbit droppings w/bedding as fertilizer
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Stumped1
06-10-08, 10:21 AM
I want to use rabbit tirds as compost but I am too lazy to pick out the dropping from the pet bedding (some hay mixed in as well).
Can I just till in the droppings/bedding/hay into the soil as compost? The bedding is made from wood pulp so it should be biodegradable.
This will be used in planting beds, not a vegetable garden or anywhere food is (or will be) grown.
Can I just till in the droppings/bedding/hay into the soil as compost? The bedding is made from wood pulp so it should be biodegradable.
This will be used in planting beds, not a vegetable garden or anywhere food is (or will be) grown.
Gunguy45
06-10-08, 10:25 AM
Stumped
You should really compost the bedding/hay/droppings first, to help break it down and sterilize it. Otherwise you are going to have tons of weeds popping up. I think it will also help balance out the Ph?
I'm sure someone will come on with a longer answer, thats just my quick take.
You should really compost the bedding/hay/droppings first, to help break it down and sterilize it. Otherwise you are going to have tons of weeds popping up. I think it will also help balance out the Ph?
I'm sure someone will come on with a longer answer, thats just my quick take.
twelvepole
06-10-08, 11:06 AM
Uncomposted manure should never be applied to crops. E. coli and other pathogens can contaminate produce. Tomatoes are being pulled off shelves as we speak due to an outbreak of salmonella. Foods contaminated by feces can result in illness and even death.
Newt
06-10-08, 02:21 PM
And to expand on Twelvepole's explanation, you can still get e-coli on your hands, so don't use manure that isn't composted first. Uncomposted it can burn the roots of your plants too. This is helpful. Be sure to especially read 'How to use manure'.
http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm
Newt
http://www.plantea.com/manure.htm
Newt
Stumped1
06-10-08, 03:25 PM
If I am too lazy to pick it out of a litter box, I am definitely too lazy to compost!
thanks for the link though, good information.
thanks for the link though, good information.
GregH
06-10-08, 03:58 PM
In addition to the danger of contamination the droppings themselves are very durable.
If you put them directly in your garden soil you will have them intact for likely several seasons.
If you put them directly in your garden soil you will have them intact for likely several seasons.
Gunguy45
06-10-08, 04:39 PM
I guess (according to Greg's post) you could use 'em in a slingshot to keep other critters away....hmmm...lol:D
GregH
06-10-08, 07:40 PM
Ya, that's about it!
I raised New Zealand White meat rabbits for a couple of years and had a pile of droppings that had been exposed to the elements a year or so.
I thought I would hasten the process before adding to a compost heap by repeatedly driving over the pile with a one ton truck to break down the pellets.
Virtually none of the pellets would come apart and it took a damp compost heap to make them usable.
I raised New Zealand White meat rabbits for a couple of years and had a pile of droppings that had been exposed to the elements a year or so.
I thought I would hasten the process before adding to a compost heap by repeatedly driving over the pile with a one ton truck to break down the pellets.
Virtually none of the pellets would come apart and it took a damp compost heap to make them usable.