adding salt to improve rabbit populations

jackrabbit · Post by **jackrabbit** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:19 pm

i know some of you were talking about the idea of adding salt to enhance habitat recently, i dont remember what you decided. ive come across this ideas in my research on rabbit mortality...... what are your thoughts on it...?

jackrabbit

Rosewood · Post by **Rosewood** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:44 pm

Salt is a mineral that is needed in all animals. It can help keep the rabbit population healty in an area that already has rabbits. It is especially important during the time when does are having little rabbits. I have read where some people soak pine boards in salt water for a couple of months then nail them to fence posts or somewhere that rabbits visit frequently then rabbits can chew on the boards. I tried this but it didn't work for me.
Overall I don't think this will increase the rabbit population in an area.

jackrabbit · Post by **jackrabbit** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 9:58 pm

thanks for your imput

what do the rest of you think.....?

Dogdreamer · Post by **Dogdreamer** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 10:16 pm

Kind of off the topic but this hits a little close to home for you jack...

Don't try this at home

A friend of mine in Huntington had a problem with deer destroying his flower beds. So, he asked a neighbor how to keep the deer off of the flowers without hurting them(the deer). His neighbor suggested that he use a salt block.

Convinced that a little bit of salt wouldn't hurt the deer, my friend purchased a salt block and posted it...in his flower bed.

You can imagine the dismay of the two of them as they went to check on their strategy. The neighbor, expecting my friend would put the block away from his plants, and my friend who thought the salt was a deer repellent. Then you have all the deer, exstatic at the new treat, who converged on the flower bed and trampled it into mud.

Greeeeen Acres is the place to be...

blackdirt beagles · Post by **blackdirt beagles** » Thu Feb 06, 2003 10:38 pm

we put out salt blocks deep in brush piles where the deer cant get to them and the rabbits have cover from hawks and owls. we have noticed an increased activity in the areas we have done this. kinda nice when you have a young dog and know there is gonna be a fresh rabbit close by. ive read salt is essential for the mom and young rabbits to get off to a healthy start. salt is cheap, we might spend $40 between a few of us putting out salt, but the effects help us out for the entire year.

Schag · Post by **Schag** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 8:34 am

I put salt blocks in brush piles and thickets also. Safe from deer and safe from hawks and owls. It seems like we have plenty of rabbits and in the winter around the blocks there are a lot of bunny tracks. If not anything they like the taste of it. That is the least I can do for the bunnies.

jackrabbit · Post by **jackrabbit** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 9:00 am

Purdue University did a study about 8 years back. they found that putting salt out for the rabbits had a significant positive effect on rabbit populations. the first year had only a minor increase, but the second and subsequent years the rabbit population increase was tremendous. the rabbits didnt have more litters, their litters were larger. the study found that indiana habitat is lacking in salt. and by supplying this needed mineral we actual do have a positive effect on rabbit reproduction. the suggested way of doing it is to use salt cubes. they recommended salt cubes with holes in them.( i have no idea where to get something like that) and to run a wire thru a bunch of them to keep them from being carried off. Purdue also mentioned taking a five gallon bucket and cutting it in half length ways. use something to keep the salt off the ground and put the cut bucket on top of it. this keeps the salt from getting wet and melting into the ground. the ideal situation would suspend the salt off the ground , have a cover to keep the rain from melting it, and be protected from the deer. adding salt to the habitat definately increases the carrying capacity of the area , and can easily be accomplished by anyone.

this information came from the indiana department of natural resources and so naturally they pointed out that it is not legal to use salt to bait deer and you must discontinue this practice 10 days before deer hunting in the area.

and oh yes, dont put it in your flower beds....lol.

jackrabit

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 9:54 am

Amen Jackrabbit.

The round salt wheels with a hole in them can be purchased at the local farm supply. Electris fence wire works with them well.

One other tip is in all areas there is something growing that rabbits use to worm themselves. In Alabama it is the MImosa tree, and if you don't have any growing in your pens, you should cut off branches and lay them down in your enclosures or starting pens along with the salt wheels hanging by a wire to really see your rabbits increase.

For any health need of animals, nature provides a cure or remedy, we have to help them in some cases because we have destroyed their source in many areas.

mobeagles · Post by **mobeagles** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 4:08 pm

For the people that put out salt, do you try to keep the salt out year round or just spring and summer when they are raising their young?

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 4:12 pm

We put it out one time about this time of year. They are breeding already here. I can see where they eat the dirt under the salt wheels after they have melted by this fall. Keeping them off the ground helps.

D.Gross · Post by **D.Gross** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 5:26 pm

I have talked to a fellow from Michigan that put salt out years ago as it helped in reproduction. Indiana state F&WA's have been putting salt out for several years. The first I heard of it was 7 years ago at Salomonie Res. property. About the third year they had a harvest of 1,ooo plus on the property. Willow Slough has been putting it out for 3-4 years and seems to have helped. Winamac FWA put out 3,000 lbs. last year and property manager said it had very little success and he can't get rabbit population up. I also heard Glenndale FWA has put it out and they shot somethig like 2,000 rabbits last year, and led the state in rabbit harvest on state properties. They were all taking salt blocks and breaking off baseball sized chunks and throwing in brush. In sping I have seen where small game had been licking it. For what it's worth!!

jackrabbit · Post by **jackrabbit** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 7:03 pm

according to the research purdue did it takes awhile to see the results. they said they didnt get much results the first year, but the second year the increase in habitat was tremendous.

who told you salamonie is putting out salt. to date they have done very little other than complain about dogs. to hear tyson edwards and dennis white talk you would think that if the dogs were not on the property wild game would abound. salamonie spends little money on anything to increase the quality of habitat. ive hunted it since before the reservoir was there. and if they do put salt out you can bet it will be in areas three and thirty.... thats their pet project to get our hunting dogs off all state properties.

jon cornett · Post by **jon cornett** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 9:20 pm

GLENDALE DOES PUT OUT SALT AND HAS FOR YEARS. THEY HAVE LEAD THE STATE IN RABBIT HARVEST THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AT LEAST. ME AND ANOTHER GUY WENT THERE LAST DAY OF BUNNY SEASON THIS YEAR AND THEY HAVE ALREADY PUT THE SALT OUT. THEY BUST THE BLOCKS UP AND PUT IT OUT UNDERBRUSH, AROUND LOGS, EDGE OF WOODS AND ANYWHERE THEY CAN PUT IT. INCEDENTLY, WE KILLED FOUR WITH THREE JUMPS ON THAT TRIP. DONT THINK SALT DOESNT HELP!!!!!!!!!

jackrabbit · Post by **jackrabbit** » Fri Feb 07, 2003 9:58 pm

theres an old saying that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. glendale must do more for the wildlife and the hunter than salamonie. ive hunted salamonie longer than the reservoir has been there and never have i seen salt of any kind. i havent seen habitat enhancement either. there is almost like night and day differance between the way the salamonie and the mississinawa are ran. the mississinawa is managed for good game numbers. the dove hunting areas are just one exception. the fields are taken care of , the strip disking is kept up. and the seed plants are well tended.... at salamonie weeds are king....lol.

im glad to here glendale is also well taken care of.. ive heard that the bunnie running there is fantastic.

jackrabbit

cooper · Post by **cooper** » Sat Feb 08, 2003 7:52 am

Glendale mows strips and keep excellent habitat for rabbits. They have huge flat grown up fields and it makes walking very easy. Rabbits are extremely easy to jump but sometimes because of the size of the fields there harder to kill. Anybody wanting a easy place to get rabbits up and have long runs then you should make a trip to Glendale. Tom Gross

The American Beagler Forum

adding salt to improve rabbit populations

adding salt to improve rabbit populations

interesting

yep and heres what purdue university found out.

salt

it takes awhile

glendale

an old saying......