I’ve mentioned a number of times that after cleaning, I usually apply the waste directly to my garden, plants, or berry orchard. A reader wondered how I am able to do that since the rabbit’s urine is mixed in with the manure in the drop pans.
I’m sure the concern is that the urine would be too strong and could potentially burn the plants. That’s a reasonable concern.
Rabbit manure is a “cold” manure, so it can be applied directly without being aged or composted. The urine is a little stronger. It is also a good source of nitrogen. I think the vision is that it’s sort of like when your dog urinates on your grass and burns a patch. That is not really what happens with the rabbit urine.
The urine is mixed in and distributed throughout the shavings (which are also in the bottom of the drop pans) and with the manure. It ends up being distributed and diluted enough that it does not cause that sort of burning. It is not liquid urine.
I generally use the waste in one of two ways: either tilled into the garden soil, in which case it presents no problem at all or as a top dressing on rows and berry plants. As long as the waste is not heaped up too close to tender stems and is not applied too thickly, it does not cause the burning of the plants. However, that would be true of any type of material or mulch.
If you are concerned that the urine might be too strong for your plants, simply dilute it with water or water the manure immediately after it is applied. This is probably the best avenue if you are applying strong liquid urine. It can also be diluted 5:1 (urine: water) and applied as a foliar spray as well.
Another option is to hot compost your rabbit waste, which is not necessary but can be valuable and will resolve any issues with strong urine, along with potential weed issues from hayseed.
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