I haven't done it but have read that worm bins under rabbit hutches works great ... and it makes sense that it would.
I'm not sure if any supplimental feedstock is used as it may or may not be necessary.

I get rabbit poop from a couple up the road. I clean out the rabbit stalls in exchange for the poop. I have never seen any worms in either of their pins. My guess is they keep it way to clean and dry which the worms really wouldn't like. Let us know what happens over time.

I'll be watching this post...I need alot of compost for my yard (carved away earth trackhome type). Do bunnies produce a good amount of waste that I should perhaps consider it? My kids would love it. I live in SO CAL, can rabbits stay outside, or would they need to be in the garage.

Many years ago Mother Earth News published a fairly long article on the subject of vermiculture underneath rabbit hutches. It laid out a step by step method that the person who wrote the article had practiced for several years.
Having been a lifer with MOM in its days before it canceled all the lifetime subscriptions (shame,shame!) I recieved that issue in the mail and still have it somewhere. I plan to someday incorporate that system into a permaculture scheme.
I seem to recall that the individual who operated the composter did add other garden refuse to the worm bed, as well as additional moisture when needed. The one particular concern that that they spoke of was on how to fashion the vermicomposter to where it would survive freezing temeratures.
Perhaps that article is indexed at the Mother Earth News website? It might be worth a look.

My rabbit / worm bin is still in it's early stages so I don't have a lot to add, but here is where I am at. My original grand vision was to build a self-cleaning rabbit cage / worm bin (well at least semi self cleaning). My father helped by taking the sketch I made him of what I wanted and building a rabbit hutch that looks nice enough to put in the living room if I wanted. Bless him, but he is an over achiever. I wanted function, I got furniture. The "hutch" has a lip built into the top that the rabbit cage sits on, and a tray underneath that pulls out so that all the mess at the bottom falls into the worm bin that is underneath. The worm bin from the outside just looks like a big drawer but when you pull it out (cause it is on wheeels) it is actually a platform to set my rubbermaid worm bin onto. The wheels make moving it around easy.

So far my biggest issues have been with flys and excess materials. Basically the rabbit produces more poop and straw waste then my current level of worms can handle. I have had to start removing the excess and putting it in the outside compost bin. I had to put the top back on the worm bin. I was originally hoping that the tray that is built into the hutch would be enough, but I need to keep the flys under wraps so I put the lid pack on with a large screen in the top for air. To "clean" the cage I just have to pull the plastic top off, slide the drawer back under the rabbit hutch, pull out the tray and then everything falls right into the worm bin (thanks to the pieces of metal my dad include in the underside that create a funnel of sorts)I imagine that my set-up is hard to imagine. Maybe I will see if my significant other will help me post pictures, it is a talent I have yet to master.

Bottom line, rabbit really do make alot of poop. I am hoping as my worm population increases that they will keep up with the material better. I started with only a pound of worms. Otherwise I will either keep removing excess to the compost bin or better yet start a second worm bin. I will have to get the "fly" issue under wraps before my boyfriend will take kindly to another worm bin. He is unhappy with the flys, but is trusting that I am on my way to a solution.

What you need is a trap door to drop the "Stuff" into the bin. Then use no-see-em screen.
:-)

OzarkMtMan--did you ever come across which Mother Earth News issue had that article? I have all the archives (on CD) up to 2008 and would LOVE to read that article--but can't seem to find it in the search engine!

Thanks!

Roxanne

I think this *might* be the Mother Earth article:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/1972-05-01/Grow-It-Earthworms.aspx (the rabbit stuff starts on page 2)