Beef, Brush, and Bobwhites: Quail Management in Cattle Country

Chapter 6. Food Management

SO FAR WE HAVE DISCUSSED management that affects bobwhite habitat at fence-line to fence-line scales. We have decided on brush-control patterns and grazing programs. These practices have both direct and indirect effects on food supplies. In this chapter we discuss more localized practices executed specifically to increase availability of food, including feeding, food plots, strip discing, and patch burning. Before getting into the specifics of management, though, we must set the stage by identifying circumstances that imply a need for increased food supplies. A primer on bobwhite nutrition also is in order because the nutritional needs of bobwhites vary with season and reproductive status. Obviously, food management is designed to satisfy these needs. when food Management Might work It seems logical to expect that higher bobwhite populations would result from increased food supplies. Experience shows this logic is not sound, however . Researchers have identified at least 6 conditions that must be met for food management to be successful: • Food is limiting bobwhite numbers. If food is not limiting, then adding more food to an already adequate supply is useless. Studies indicate that natural foods generally are not limiting for bobwhites. • No other habitat feature restricts the population from growing when food is increased. This means that food is the only limiting factor; all other habitat features are suitable for bobwhites. • Bobwhites will use the food created. The use also must be sufficient to make a nutritional difference. • Bobwhites will be healthier with the improved food. They should be in better condition (more fat) to withstand inclement weather, disease, and so on and to perhaps breed earlier in the laying season and increase nesting attempts. • Supplemental food benefits the entire population, not just adults. If arthropods , an important food source for chicks, are limited and food food Management Chapter 6 82 chapter six management does not address this limitation, then the program may not be effective. • Concentration of quail activity at managed food areas does not foster spread of diseases or increase risks of predation. If feeding increases mortality via disease or predation, then feeding may be counterproductive. Researchers in the Texas Panhandle observed similar winter survival rates for fed and not-fed bobwhites, suggesting disease and predation were not factors for these fed birds. This topic needs further study. There are reports stating that bobwhite productivity and populations can be increased with supplemental feeding. Some of this information may be found published on Web sites and in newsletters. Because such information has not been through the crucible of peer review, it needs to be viewed cautiously. Peer review is a form of quality control in wildlife science. Basics of Bobwhite nutrition The nutritional needs of bobwhites and the objective of the feeding program dictate what and how you feed or plant in food plots. Is the objective to attempt to increase survival during stressful periods such as winter or drought? Is it to attempt to enhance productivity? The general diet of bobwhites is made up of seeds, mast, green vegetation, and insects. The percentage of each item in the diet varies by season. The majority of the diet during fall–winter usually comprises seeds. As spring arrives, insects begin to show up in greater amounts in the bobwhite diet. Insects provide an important nutrient—protein—for egg production. Hens entering the nesting season require a diet consisting of 23% crude protein, 2% calcium, and 1% phosphorus for maximum egg production. Hens can lay eggs with less protein, but egg production is not maximal. After the nesting season, the protein requirements of adult bobwhites drop to 11%–12%. Energy now becomes important in the diet, and seeds once again begin to make up a larger portion of the diet. Corn and sorghum seeds commonly are used to supplement bobwhites in Texas. Table 6.1 provides the nutrient composition of these and other grains. As you can see, corn and sorghum each supply about one-half the required protein, one-third the required Figure 6.2. Insects are an important nutrient for both young and adult bobwhites. Insects provide much-needed protein for growing chicks and laying hens. (Photograph by Fidel Hernández) Food Management 83 phosphorus, and one-sixtieth the required calcium of a breeding hen. If the objective is to attempt to enhance production, then corn or sorghum is inappropriate . A high-protein ration is required to meet the needs of bobwhites. Commercial laying rations...