armanurecompost

Composting Rabbit Manure

There is nothing better for your garden than composted rabbit manure. And it sure beats having to find somewhere to dump the manure.
These pictures show our composting bins. We have quite a few rabbits and this is why we have three bins. To make a compost bin is very cheap and convenient. All you need is four discarded pallets from a warehouse, hammer, and nails.
Take your first pallet and lay it flat on the ground. You then stand up the other three pallets on edge and nail them together at the two corners where they come together. You three pallets standing on edge forming a block �C�, with your bottom horizontal pallet to be used as the floor. This allows air to get under your compost pile and it speeds the process along.
We layer our compost. The first layer will be our clippings (cut grass), spread it out over the pallet. The second layer to be spread out over the yard clippings is your rabbit manure from your weekly cleaning. Spread the manure level over the first level. For the third and final level in the 1, 2, 3 cycle, you sprinkle straw. Use just enough straw to cover the top of the manure. Then the following week when you mow the lawn and clean rabbit cages, just repeat the 1, 2, 3 cycle. Grass, manure, straw. Be sure to wet down your compost pile, the water speeds up the process. To make compost quicker, some people turn the layers with a pitchfork. This is back breaking work. We do not bother turning our
compost pile because COMPOST HAPPENS!
You will have your compost bin full after 3-4 weeks. But if you occasionally water it, it will shrink in height by a third to a full half. This is you composting happening. The three bins in the picture represent one full year of lawn mowing and cleaning rabbit cages.
It is now October and our garden is now receiving the compost. As you see in the picture, we still need to spread the compost from the third bin. We will then rototill the compost back into the garden and pull black plastic over it until next spring.
If you are a fisherman, be happy. Every shovel load of compost we took was filled to the MAX with big fat juicy nightcrawlers (worms).
Now with three empty compost bins, we will just keep mowing the yard, cleaning rabbit cages, and sprinkling straw for the next year and repeat this process next October.

Note: When you see steam arising from your compost piles, don�t be alarmed. This is just natures micro-organisms making compost and nutrients for your garden.

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