Rabbit Manure

Your plants are only as healthy as your soil. By feeding your soil regularly you are ensuring that a healthy community of microorganisms are flourishing in your soil, thus benefiting your overall garden health.

We decided as soon as we began gardening not to rely on synthetic fertilizers. For a number of years now we have been keeping a compost bin of kitchen waste and recently started another one for yard scraps. The benefits have been obvious, our plants are heavy producers and disease is at a minimum year after year.

Living in town it can be difficult to get our hands on manure though. Lots of offers from farmers and friends but transportation can be an issue. So we decided after some research that a rabbit would be a welcome addition in our household.

Rabbit manure is arguably one of the best manures available for your garden. It is loaded with nitrogen and phosphorus, which are important for foliage, roots and flowers. This is not to say that it lacks potassium because it does not it just happens to be a bit higher in regards to the other two. The only animal fertilizer I have come across that is higher is bat guano, which we use every so often. One of the main benefits of the rabbit manure is that it is a cold manure so it can be directly applied to the garden. Some people chose to compost it rather than take their chances with pathogens and that is fine as well it only benefits your compost heap in the end.

It is basically an odorless manure, any potential smell is from the animals urine. It is easy to store if one so chooses and of course our little friend is always in the process of making more. So if you happen to be in the process of building up your soil why not consider a rabbit or purchasing manure from a friend?

Tobias Whitaker blogs for Mother Earth News and Grit Magazine. Click on the Mother Earth News logo at the bottom of the page for all of his post. You can also find him on Facebook at Seed To Harvest: Bossy Hen Homestead  https://www.facebook.com/seedtoharvestbossyhenhomestead/ which is a central location for his homesteading blogs and his homeschooling blog, A Mile In Her Shoes: Tales Of A Stay-At Home Dad found here https://amileinhershoestalesofastayathomedad.wordpress.com/