Rabbity straw....

[4pygmies]

Smallest's two rabbits seem to produce tons of muck....every day I seem to half fill a bin liner........I can't put it straight on the garden as it is has some old rabbit food in it and the rodent hordes will pounce on it and all my dalek composters are getting really full. BUT I have just found an old plastic blue bin with a tap which has been stuck behind the barn for years. It is just under 4' tall with an open top and no lid that I can see.......I was wondering if I could shove all the rabbit mess and straw into it and let it fill up with whatever rain it gets and use it as a liquid manure. What do you all think? Will I just get a rancid, smelly mess or do you think it might work?

[madonplants]

Oct 8, 2008 10:15:34 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Smallest's two rabbits seem to produce tons of muck....every day I seem to half fill a bin liner........I can't put it straight on the garden as it is has some old rabbit food in it and the rodent hordes will pounce on it and all my dalek composters are getting really full. BUT I have just found an old plastic blue bin with a tap which has been stuck behind the barn for years. It is just under 4' tall with an open top and no lid that I can see.......I was wondering if I could shove all the rabbit mess and straw into it and let it fill up with whatever rain it gets and use it as a liquid manure. What do you all think? Will I just get a rancid, smelly mess or do you think it might work?

Not sure, 4P. I think it might end being the rancid mess and the flies would love it!! Haven't you got enough nettles to use for liquid manure, anyway?

Only one way to find out, though! Are you feeding the rabbits too much and how much exercise are they getting? Here is someone talking, with absolutely no experience of keeping rabbits, so who am I to give advice!! ;D

[4pygmies]

I think they're fine - I used to breed rabbits many moons ago so I'm not a novice but they are messy little blighters...... I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry about flies until next Spring......what shall I do with it all then??

[debbiem]

How long does straw take to break down? Would the time taken for the breaking down process outweigh the benefits of the end result if you have to keep the bin open?

(Does that make sense?)

[madonplants]

Can you not just spread it around the garden, obviously not too close to the stems of plants and so using it as a normal fertiliser.

[debbiem]

Can't you make a small area for another compost heap? It would make life a lot easier, just chucking the old straw on there. It wouldn't attract your ratty chums would it?

[4pygmies]

Well I would worry about the rats getting the food that's in it really. I have enough trouble round the goat sheds with them..I don't want to encourage them elsewhere in the garden. I have 4 dalek composters which I got when the local council offered them really cheaply but my sister uses them too (she doesn't want rats in her garden) so they have filled up really quickly. They aren't on offer any more, I looked at the website the other day - £17 each now...I paid £4!

[madonplants]

Oct 8, 2008 10:39:51 GMT 1 @madonplants said:

Can you not just spread it around the garden, obviously not too close to the stems of plants and so using it as a normal fertiliser.

Just re read your first post, silly me, that's the problem!!! As I was shredding more ivy, was thinking about this thread. Could you mix in some pepper dust, in with the poo and put it about? Would that stop the rat population having a nose about? Just how bad is the rat problem, can you not get the council in, to get on top of it? That would solve things, though it would probably mean poison being laid, I know. Use hubby's booze money for this!!


Just been doing a quick search, as I didn't think rats would be really interested in the poo, as rabbits only eat green food and found this. Does it help at all?

[4pygmies]

Hmm...I think I shall stick to the composter with the lid off plan. Rats DO like anything you see and they DO like a nice compost bin full of straw. We have rats from the farm next door so they are a perennial problem. I do put rat bait down but it is only to keep the numbers down, I shall never be rid of them permanently. Rats eat anything...........they like my goats food and that's all green stuff. Thanks for the link Keith! X

[madonplants]

Oct 8, 2008 17:06:36 GMT 1 @4pygmies said:

Hmm...I think I shall stick to the composter with the lid off plan. Rats DO like anything you see and they DO like a nice compost bin full of straw. We have rats from the farm next door so they are a perennial problem. I do put rat bait down but it is only to keep the numbers down, I shall never be rid of them permanently. Rats eat anything...........they like my goats food and that's all green stuff. Thanks for the link Keith! X

What does the farm do about the problem? Nothing, I suppose.

Just been reading up on rats. I see they do like everything. So why do they say, as long as you don't put animal or cooked food stuff, in your compost bin, you won't attract vermin?

[4pygmies]

I dunno, it always annoys me because it's not true! Rats will eat anything.........................The only way to keep rats out of compost is to wire it up underneath with really strong metal lathe - chicken wire is just chewed through........and to leave the lid off occasionally to get the compost wet. They won't nest in wet compost.

[emseypop]

I keep all my hen muck/straw in a separate bin with a piece of wood on top, the rain does manage to get in a bit tho, when I emptied out a darlic of compost I dragged the black bin over to the darlic, managed to turn the hen bin over onto the place where the darlic sits, it came out like a huge stinky quivering jelly, I managed to wallop the darlic over the mess before the whole thing collapsed I was quite proud of myself really, ( did the whole thing in my good trainers too ) So I know the poop will be well rotted by the time the bin is full. I dunno about making a liquid feed out of your rabbit much, but you could put a makeshift cover on the bin you've got.