Sunday, December 1, 2013

Tray Cleaning 2.0

*from the rabbitgeek notes - update added to the bottom*
The best tip for keeping rabbits in the garage came from Barbi Brown. Usually keeping rabbits in the garage means trays under the floor wire to catch the droppings.

For years we carried trays to the waste can and dumped them there. Barbi suggested we get a bucket and use a dust pan to scoop the poop out of the tray and into the bucket. Then take the bucket to the waste can.

This is so much easier than carrying trays around. Even if you plan to power wash the trays it is easier to move them when they are empty.

We put one or two handfuls of pine shavings in the tray to collect moisture and hold down odor.

If you sell manure you can put plastic bags in the bucket first (8 or 13 gallon trash bags) and tie them off before removing from the bucket. Tied off plastic bags are also good for fly control.

If you use five gallon buckets to move manure for sales, put a plastic bag in it first then tie it off. Will keep the buckets cleaner and reduce the smell. You can put the lids on the buckets and stack them for transport to sale. You sell the bag of manure to the customer, not the pail.

Then when customer takes the bags of manure, you can stack buckets one inside the other for transport home to be filled again.


*New!* Misha Brown from FB says: I use a wheelbarrow, I push it up to the cage, pull out the tray & if it's too heavy I scoop out the front half of the tray before pulling it out all the way or I just let the whole tray drop into the wheelbarrow. When the wheelbarrow is full, if it's too heavy to push I get my hubby out there.

Thanks Misha! One could also stop halfway if the manure is heavy from being moisture soaked due to urine or a leaky water bottle/nipple. So a hand trowel or dust pan dumped into a wheelbarrow or cart with wheels is now added to the list!


Have a good day!

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