RABBIT URINE AND FAECES IN VEGETABLE FARMING 

BENEFITS OF USING RABBIT URINE AND FAECES IN VEGETABLE FARMING 

Rabbit farming seems to be gaining popularity among farmers nowadays because of the awareness of the advantages embedded in using the urine and faeces as organic pesticides and fertilizer respectively.

They are small ruminant animals with the ability to consume some selected plant materials, commercial feeds, and kitchen wastes and to give off faeces and urine, which are useful as organic manure and pesticide (pest repellent). Other byproducts such as carcass, pelt, and fur can also be derived from rabbits. Their ability to consume forage makes them cheap to rear.

Basic attributes of rabbits include:

• Highly prolificacy, as their gestation period is within 28–32 days.
• Can adapt to a well-ventilated environment.
• Easy to handle and contribute immensely to poverty alleviation among women, children, and households raising them.
• Rabbit meat has a nutritional advantage over other white and red meats, making it a recommendation for senior citizens (aged), infants (easily digested), and Heart patients.

It is important to note that rabbits hardly drink water; hence, their faeces and urine are very good organic manure. The nutrients in their faeces and urine are held in concentrated form, especially the urine, which has a high concentration of Ammonia and Urea.

Rabbit faeces is said to have the following attributes:

• Contain nitrogen (2%), phosphorus (1%), and potassium (1%). It also contains other trace minerals (Ca, Mg, Br, Zn, Mn, S, Cu, Co, etc.) and micronutrients needed by plants.
• Faeces are twice as rich as chicken manure. 
• It’s not hot (cold manure) and can be applied as a top dressing or tea immediately. It doesn’t burn the stems or roots of plants. This means composting is not necessary.
• Improves poor soil structure, drainage, and moisture retention.
• Also improves the life cycle of microorganisms in the soil. Worms love rabbit manure.
• Doesn’t have an offensive odour. This makes it easy to handle.
• The Nitrogen in rabbit faeces is higher than that in sheep, goats, chickens, cows, or horses. (Nitrogen contributes to strong green growth.)
• Phosphorus in rabbit urine is higher and helps to transform solar energy into chemical energy, helps plants withstand stress, and contributes to bigger blossoms and root growth.
• Potassium in rabbit faeces is also high and contributes to fruit quality and reduces disease.
• Can be used as organic manure in nursery medium, vegetable cultivation, and some selected crops.

Rabbit urine, on the other hand, is said to have the following attributes:

– Rabbit urine has dual purpose, which makes it useful as both organic fertilizer and pesticide (insect repellent)

Rabbit Urine As Organic Fertilizer

• The urine contains ammonia and urea, which means it’s corrosive and can’t be applied directly to plants. Hence, it’s encouraged that you mix 1 part of the urine to 5 parts of water before application.
• It’s rich in basic mineral elements (NPK) needed by plants and can be applied via fertigation or foliar spray.
• Used as an Organic Pesticide/Insect Repellent
• Contains ammonia and urea in high concentrations, which makes it have a pungent smell. This pungency gives a repellent effect to Aphids, Mites, Bugs, Leaf Miners, Caterpillars, Moths, worms, Whiteflies and other sap-sucking insects
• Has an advantage over synthetic pesticides in that it only repels insect pests and does not kill beneficial insects.
• Because it is an organic source of pesticide, it doesn’t constitute a nuisance to the environment, nor does it have a residual effect on crops.
• It can be applied via foliar spray. This can be done at the sprouting, colouring, and flowering stages of a fruiting crop. 
• Confirmed that over a period of time, the application of other forms of manure will not be necessary as the residual effect of rabbit urine will help build the soil’s nutrients and structure.

Therefore, rabbit faeces and rabbit urine have the potential to replace synthetics if well used.

What’s your opinion about this topic? Have you been using rabbit urine and faeces on your farm?

Kindly share with us your views in the comment section.