# manure/urine managment



## David (Oct 15, 2014)

so im looking for ideas  on better manure management  . If it smells  you're doing it wrong has been my motto  with my poultry and outside guinea pigs .  However ive been failing at every attempt with the rabbits and have created a septic system that isent working as hoped . The system is cheap made out of scavanged materials mostly,  feed bags  at slants under the cages that drain into rubbermaids that empty every morring into a large garbage can with wood and holes in the bottom , but it still smells of amonia .

 so what do you guys do to reduce the amonia smell ?


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## mysunwolf (Oct 16, 2014)

The best system I've seen is an outdoor rabbitry, a chain link dog kennel with heavy plastic on all four sides and a metal roof system with plenty of ventilation. There was thick pine shavings and pelletized horse bedding piled beneath the stacks of cages, which was completely changed every few weeks. There was no wood anywhere near the cages, as wood can soak up urine and harbor ammonia fumes and bacteria. The metal cages were suspended and only double tiered. There were only 14-20 rabbits at a time in cages in the 10x10 space. As much as possible was made from metal. Water dishes were not allowed to spill and create damp bedding as they were bolted through the cage wire. Cages were quickly wiped with a handful of hay daily, briefly cleaned once a week, and were scrubbed down about once a month. This was the cleanest setup I'd ever seen and it was certainly not mine... but I can say that they had ZERO odors, and definitely no ammonia fumes.


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## Baymule (Oct 16, 2014)

Many years ago I raised show rabbits. I showed, sold to 4-H and FFA kids and sold the culls as fryers. At any given time, I had as many as 300. They were in a pole barn, with only the north side enclosed. The other sides were covered in wire and in the winter, wrapped in plastic with enough left unwrapped for ventilation. All were in hanging wire cages, single stacked. Urine and droppings fell through the wire to the ground.

Attached to the rabbit barn were the grounds keepers quarters. Chickens. Yup, chickens. The chickens had a roost and nesting boxes. They roamed the rabbit barn, scratching under the cages, eating dropped feed, fly larva and other bugs. The chickens kept the manure turned, kept the flies down and there was no smell. I dug out the manure as needed for the garden or invited friends to bring their truck and load up.

Yes, sometimes the rabbits had ear mites, probably from the chickens. I did a once a month mineral oil in the ears of every single rabbit as a preventative and that took care of it. And yes, the hens had to be taught not to roost on the rabbit cages at night. I had a door so I could close off the roost until they got the idea.

Sounds to me that you are working too hard at this. Not to be a smart alec, but get a couple of hens, enclose the rabbits and let the hens do the work for you. Then you get eggs! Are your cages double stacked? If so, space permitting, unstack those babies and let the chickens take over!


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## mysunwolf (Oct 16, 2014)

Baymule, I think the combination of chickens and open air is the key! We have chickens beneath our cages, but everything is in an old closed-up barn which stays stuffy no matter how many holes I cut in the walls.

And a trick about stacked cages: don't use trays on the upper layer. Instead, use a flat piece of sheet metal that clips to the bottom of the top cage and that slants at a slight angle. That way, manure and urine slide to the ground and not onto the rabbit below, but there are also no nasty trays to clean out. And the sheet metal harbors no smell or bacteria, and rarely needs to be cleaned.


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## David (Oct 16, 2014)

I would put my chickens under them but my chicken run/coop  is uprooted and totaly moved every 3 months then a cover crop or garden is planted in its place  where as my rabbits arent very moveable 
none are stacked all on stands side by side other then the huge growout pen thats made of wood "was payment for watching a farm for 2 weeks"  so if wood is a problem then  that may be whats going on
how well do rabbits do on a deep litter system ? I have a large tractor I could put them in


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## Baymule (Oct 16, 2014)

Wood framed cages soak up urine. And rabbits ALWAYS go in the corner, where the poop won't fall through.  What about putting a few of your girls in with the rabbits? It would be worth it for all the work they would do for you!


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## M.L. McKnight (Oct 16, 2014)

When I had rabbits they were suspended and I kept a nice layer of hay/straw under their pen. I replaced the hay/straw once a week and tossed it on the compost heap. I never had much trouble with odor at all and I'd always find the best worms to fish with under those pens!


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## David (Oct 17, 2014)

problem with the straw method is its so wet here we get an average of 48 incs a year  and they arent under a uniform roof each cage is roofed on its own "feed bags stapled to boards draped over the top so it covers 3 sides and the top" so the straw would be a soaked mess in no time  , partly why im moving towards ducks they handle the weather better


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## animalmom (Oct 18, 2014)

David, I find that household vinegar works wonders in removing odors from my rabbit housing.  I have two layers of cages suspended over slant boards so everything flows to the back and down into a large plastic container.  The slant boards get hosed down daily and all the flushed piddle and berries gets tossed into various gardens.  I add a splash of vinegar to the slant boards that are at the far end of the  collection point and let the vinegar run through the system to the collection container.  Not only does it neutralize odor but it also helps with the calcium buildup.

Wooden cages are a problem as they do absorb the urine.  Maybe you could splash vinegar in the corners?  Vinegar won't hurt your rabbits and the vinegar smell does not linger.

Just a thought.


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## David (Oct 21, 2014)

I love vinegar and use it for everything but I never once thought about that since I dont use with my other animals to prevent killing the good bacteria "everyone is on living compost/deep litter" but the rabbits and with my ashtma  the amonia of the rabbits is a problem for me 

i'll buy a rabbit only spray bottle and vinegar  thank you very much


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## robrilla (Nov 29, 2014)

David said:


> so im looking for ideas  on better manure management  . If it smells  you're doing it wrong has been my motto  with my poultry and outside guinea pigs .  However ive been failing at every attempt with the rabbits and have created a septic system that isent working as hoped . The system is cheap made out of scavanged materials mostly,  feed bags  at slants under the cages that drain into rubbermaids that empty every morring into a large garbage can with wood and holes in the bottom , but it still smells of amonia .
> 
> so what do you guys do to reduce the amonia smell ?



I'm looking at raising meat rabbits in the building behind the home I just purchased.  I'm been looking around for a good manure management system that wont break the bank or give me too many hours of work every week.  I'm still looking.

However, I was thinking...  Since I don't own rabbits, I don't know if the "poop rolls down hill" vs sliding.  This is my tentative plan.

\
  \

^  That's it.

I was thinking of the same thing mysunwolf said in post #4 but with a twist.  I could have the single panel where the urine and manure go but towards the bottom of the panel have a second panel.  lower and slightly further out.  The idea here is to have the urine go into the first slot and the manure to roll off the edge of the panel onto the next panel.  From there, I could dispose of the urine and use the manure for worms or the garden.  I don't doubt not all manure will travel fast enough to get to the second panel but it may be worth a shot?

If there is good separation, a flushing system could be setup and under the edge of the first panel could be a cut 4 inch pipe or something that could catch and move the urine to a designated location.

Anyone think this will work?

-robrilla


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