Homestead and Gardening

6 Surprising Rabbit Manure Benefits

Hey everyone! We’re so excited to be hosting a guest post from Meg from Traditional Homestead. She has rabbits and was generous enough to share her experiences with us and teach us about the benefits of rabbit manure. Here is her introduction for you:

My name is Meg and I am the blogger behind Traditional Homestead. I have been working towards a more simplistic life for over a decade, and along the way I have learned many useful lessons about homesteading, parenting, and traditional arts that I love sharing with my followers.

My journey started when I realized just how many traditions can be lost in a couple of generations. Our ancestors were self-sufficient, brave, and tremendously smart– I hope to honor them through learning about and practicing the traditional ways they lived. 

Now that we know each other, let’s get to it. What are the benefits of rabbit manure?

The Benefits of Rabbit Manure Are Numerous

Using rabbit manure in your garden has several benefits that help to make it the best manure fertilizer for application with a wide variety of plant types. Rabbit droppings are small, light, pelletized, odorless, and ready to apply to the garden. 

Rabbit manure benefits include:

  • Ready to use 
  • Odorless
  • 2-1-1 manure fertilizer 
  • Affordable
  • Dual Purpose
  • Safe for houseplants
  • Animal safe

1. Rabbit Manure is a “Cold” Manure

Rabbit manure, the droppings from rabbits, can be directly applied to gardens and plants without composting first. Other manures, such as horse and chicken are considered “hot” manures and need to be fully composted over a long period of time before safe use. 

On the other hand, rabbit manure benefits gardeners more because it is considered “cold” manure. Cold manures can be applied directly to the garden the same day it is deposited by the animal. No need to undergo a lengthy composting cycle first! 

2. Rabbit Manure is Odorless

Unlike some other manures, rabbit manure is dry and odorless. It naturally comes in pellets that are not unpleasant or difficult to use.

3. Rabbit Manure is a 2-1-1 Fertilizer

One of the other major benefits of rabbit manure is that it’s a natural 2-1-1 manure fertilizer. It is made up of two parts nitrogen, one part phosphorus, and one part potassium. 

This unique makeup is ideal for promoting the healthy growth of plants. Rabbit manure can benefit plants from sowing to harvest by providing the necessary nutrients needed for a robust growth cycle. Studies have shown a higher success rate of seedlings when the growing medium included rabbit manure. A study in China conducted in 2022 showed that a 3:3:2:2 ratio of rabbit manure, peat, perlite, and vermiculite, strongly benefited seedling root development and overall plant growth.

4. Rabbit Manure is Affordable

Another significant benefit to using rabbit manure in your garden is the price tag. Rabbit manure is readily available for inexpensive prices on Etsy.

Etsy sellers offering rabbit manure are typically small, family-owned operations that already know the amazing benefits of rabbit manure and are happy to share that with their customers.

You may also find rabbit manure for sale locally. Reach out to your local 4-H club to see if there are any rabbit groups near you. You also may want to make a connection with your local farmer’s exchange or farm and agricultural supply store, they may know of rabbitries in your area. Rabbit manure is also available commercially through online retailers such as Amazon for the price of $25/cu ft. 

5. Rabbit Manure is Dual-Purpose

Rabbit is a dual-purpose manure and can be utilized to benefit your garden through slow or quick-release application methods:

Slow Release Method: When rabbit manure is applied directly to the plants (either as a top dress or into the planting hole) the manure pellets will break down slowly. This method will cut down on leaching while allowing the plants to benefit from the fertilizer manure for a longer time. Simply add wet or dried rabbit manure pellets to your garden to take advantage of this method. 

Quick Release Method: Rabbit manure can also be transformed into a “manure tea” to infuse the soil in your garden with the fertilizer manure quickly. Add one pound of fresh rabbit manure to 4 gallons of water in a five-gallon bucket for 3-5 days. Strain off the liquid and add it to your watering can to administer a quick, healthy dose of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to your garden. 

6. You Can Use Rabbit Manure Safely

Rabbit manure is safe to use on your houseplant and around other animals.

Dr. Kevin R. Kazacos, a professor at Purdue University, states, “There isn’t much risk of contracting a zoonotic disease from wild rabbit feces or urine. Rabbit parasites such as pinworms, other nematodes, tapeworms, and coccidia are host-specific, and since they don’t use mammalian intermediate hosts, they won’t be transmitted to other animals, including people.”

Are You Surprised by the Benefits of Rabbit Manure?

I want to thank Meghan from Traditional Homestead for sharing the amazing benefits! I just recently found out that rabbit manure can be so helpful for your garden and is a truly great fertilizer. I wonder if I can convince my family to get a rabbit?

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