A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Rabbit Manure???

Well, our rabbits sadly passed away this winter, but we have PILES of manure stored up. Should I get this in the ground before, after, or while planting? Take in mind that it's not the fresh hot stuff, so I don't think that it will burn the plants...It's at least a couple months old already. Suggestions? Thanks!!!

it might take a little longer than a couple of months, so i would use the older stuff first. then, i'd put mix it in the soil that you use to back fill your holes with or work it into the soil just before planting.

You know, one of the refreshing things about this forum is that in the middle of it all someone will end up asking about something as perfect as rabbit droppings. It's not that it's rabbits or that it's droppings that make it perfect. It's the fact that the person has an excess and doesn't know what to do with them. The perfect problem. I wish it were my problem.
I think you should send them to me. Simple solution.
Alternatively, i reckon get 'em dug into the soil. For beds like cucurbits(pumpkin, squash, cucumber etc) you won't cause any problems. Dig 'em in and plant your stuff. Those plants love manure. Older stuff, use for brassicas. (Cabbage, broccolli, cauliflower etc. They like plenty of nitrogen but don't like the heat of breaking down bulk organic matter. Anything that's well composted use for the rest. Tomatoes, peppers and other solanums such as potatoes. Sweetcorn. Perennials like asparagus, herbs too. Load 'em up with the older stuff.
Or just send the rabbit crap to me!!!!

We have six rabbits. When we clean the cages, I store the litter and droppings all winter long for use in my summer compost piles. The litter is pine based, so I've got my carbon. The urine provides some nitrogen, and the droppings other nutrients. All I have to do is add fresh cut grass, and I've got some smokin' hot compost. I find that stored rabbit manure gets really hard. Hot composting softens the rabbit droppings considerabily.

Thanks for the tips, everybody!!! And sorry, Longy, I think I'll keep the poo to myself. :p (by the way, how in the world would you send the stuff?!?)

by the way, how in the world would you send the stuff?!?)
+++++++++++
Fax is pretty fast. Or you could scan some and email me!

A friend of mine went to Florida in Feb/March...
She asked me to watch her 8 rabbits, and I didn't want her to pay me, so I asked her for the bunny poop while they were here..
and *a bag of some old stuff..*
*She's a gardener too and totallllllly understood about wanting the poop.*

I am half tempted to get some rabbits..
*darn husband..*

I grew up on a farm and we had between 100-150 rabbits at any given time. it is the absolute best stuff for fertilizer. as long as its a month old just till it in to the earth. we had a one acre vegetable garden and it sure made our feed corn grow really well for the cattle. good luck!

Seems like I read somewhere that rabbit manure was the only manure you could apply fresh that would not burn plants.

I'll have to dig around to find it and make sure I've got it correct.

rabbit manure was the only manure you could apply fresh that would not burn plants.
+++++++++++++++++
Sheep manure too, but they're very similar aren't they!

I looked for the article I read about using fresh rabbit manure without success. A Google search with "fresh rabbit manure" brought up some hits.

If I were using fresh manure I would be careful not to get any directly on my plants. Making sure I didn't contaminate the harvest with any organism and such.