RABBIT MANURE SOLAR OVEN TEST - UPDATE FROM PAPA-PEPPER
I hate wasting resources, so I try to get creative and make the most of what I have.
On our homestead, we have quite a few rabbits. We really enjoy watching them grow from tiny little baby bunnies into mature adults. I share more about the rabbits in this video.
ANIMALS ON THE HOMESTEAD : RABBITS
THE REASON FOR MY EXPERIMENT
To help reduce the cost of raising the rabbits and also provide the healthiest life for them, we have been transitioning their diet to include a good amount of wild edibles and pasture grasses. Sometimes we keep them in rabbit tractors, but even when they are in more traditional cages, we offer them these fresh plants.
When the rabbits are in the rabbit tractors, they have greater access to these greens, but we cannot collect the rabbit manure. As many a gardener will testify, rabbit manure is amazing for growing plants, and since it is a cold manure, it does not need to be composted first.
The problem with feeding them wild edibles and grasses and then collecting the manure is that the seeds from the plants can wind up in the manure. This can pose a particular threat to your garden. Seeds from invasive plants like Bermuda Grass can end up in this precious manure, and there is no way that I want to introduce such a plant to my garden site.
Since seeds need to remain cool, dry, and dark to remain usable, I decided to make a type of "rabbit manure solar oven" to make them wet, hot, and expose them to a lot of sun. The goal was that this process would prevent the seeds from ever germinating while still allowing us to use the rabbit manure.
When you have such incredible quantities of this extremely beneficial manure on hand, it would be a lot to waste. Here is my video where I explain the process of using my rabbit manure solar ovens.
RABBIT MANURE SOLAR OVEN VIDEO
THE BASIC PROCESS
I gave the "ovens" about a month to work their magic. During that time I closed off the ovens to prevent insects and pests from invading the manure and it also gave a chance for any larva or flies already in the buckets to get cooked by the sun.
With the colder time of year arriving, I hoped that there was enough time for this experiment to be successful. I'd like to be able to use this manure when I plant my dormant trees and when the spring arrives and we get into more gardening. If the experiment was unsuccessful, I'd just be filling my garden with grass seed in the spring.
For my test to see if the solar ovens had worked, I added some of the "processed" manure to some five gallon buckets that I have some seedlings planted in. If the experiment worked, then no grasses would be found sprouting in the buckets. If it didn't, then I would know, and I would be able to deal with the invasive grasses in a closed environment where they would be contained. This would prevent me from creating a disaster in our new garden area.
RABBIT MANURE SOLAR OVEN TEST UPDATE VIDEO
So far, it looks likes my experiment has been a success. Technically, there is no reason why my plan shouldn't work, but I wanted to test the results before creating more problems or issues for me to deal with. Some days, I already have enough to do! Here is my update video. Enjoy it!
Hopefully someone else can find this information valuable. I know that it has already helped us, and I am glad that I got the chance to use some creative problem-solving skills.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-a-successful-experiment-so-far
Until next time…
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I don't usually comment on your posts because I am not an animal or plant enthusiast. However, because of the selfie challenge that you are currently running, I started to go through your blogs. I was aware of you and the good work you are doing since a long time but since it clashed with my interests, I never read your blogs because I think one should post meaningful comments on blogs and not just spam them with 'good work' and similar comments. Since I hate spamming, I made sure not to do it myself. However, through the selfie contest, I got to see the 'loving' side you have. You are such a family person and the love you have for your family is incredible. That love is often visible in many of your posts and since I am a family person, your loving/ family side really inspired me. Hope and pray you and your family always stay happy and that your farm keeps on growing better and bigger. Just thought to share my feelings with you here :)
Wow! Very interesting. Thank you for that real comment and for being honest. I am glad that such a silly contest could bring us together. Thank you for that!
Thank you for that; if you hadn't started it, I would have never seen this side that you have. Your wife and kids are so lucky to have you and I'm sure you are lucky to have them too :) I basically ventured on steemit to earn some extra money and then found out, I enjoyed expressing myself here more. Nonetheless, when my household expenses increased, I began looking for more contests and came across yours. It is silly but it is such a good way to meet more people and forget your worries and the prize pool is exciting too. :P Keeping the money factor aside, I like how for 10 minutes every day I forget about all the worries and just take some silly selfie. My silliest was posing with a donkey since I'm really scared of animals and was pretty sure the donkey wanted to sniff me at that time lol
This natural manure is a type of organic fertilizer for the soil which is extremely beneficial for a good yield. These organic fertilizers have higher advantages from those of the chemical fertilizers which have the indirect negative effect on the ecosystem. I too have dug up a pit in my backyard where i dump my food and organic wastes like soiled vegetables. They take few months to become the manure.
P.S. It is a clean, eco friendly way to make your soil fertile. I would love to have one of those buckets for the upcoming Vegetable crop 😉.
@mirhimayum During the time you dump your organic waste did you notice the kind of heat that use to come out from it?
Love your shity post! 😂
Very informative and great way to recycle. I know someone who just started raising rabbits and will certainly show them your post...many thanks!
This post has been upvoted and resteemed.
@papa-pepper , you are a genius. I salute your vast knowledge and doff my hat for your creativity. I love this your tutorial, video expalnation. This post was well understood. Bravo! Looking out for your next posts.
LOL - #genius!
You have very hard work, as you find on all the time.
Your idea is cool! I congratulate you for that ! :)
https://imgur.com/gallery/mDYZT
Great! Now, build it bigger and better and collect the methane to run your farm on, and... but, I am getting ahead of myself.
Wow! Great experiment. The RABBIT MANURE SOLAR OVEN TEST, u carried out is it also suitable for growing farm food and is it highly acidic in order to avoid it damaging ur crop plant?
Rabbit and sheep manure, probably some others, are called 'cold manures' precisely because they will not 'burn' or damage your crops while adding directly like chicken manure or other 'hot manures'.