Northern bobwhite chick survival, growth, and movement in relation to broadcast supplemental feed and drought

The northern bobwhite is an economically important species across its geographic range that has experienced declining population numbers. There is ample research dedicated to evaluating management practices for the adult life stage. However, the effects of management on bobwhite chicks remain understudied, despite this being the most vulnerable age class. We evaluated the effects of broadcast supplemental feed on bobwhite chick survival, mass, and location both during a breeding season with normal precipitation and one with historically low precipitation. We followed broods via radio transmitters on hens until chicks were large enough to carry their transmitters at around 12 days of age, then followed chicks until independence. From 0-12 days old, broods had higher survival in control units than supplementally fed units, but there was no effect of supplemental feed on 12-35-day-old survival. Likely due to severe drought conditions in 2011, chicks weighed more in 2012 than in 2011. Feed treatment was not predictive of chick mass except for 4-day-old chicks in 2012, for which chicks in supplemental feed units were heavier. This could suggest that, under normal weather conditions, supplemental feed helps hens produce heavier chicks, but that this advantage disappears with age. Additionally, we found that broods in fed units were closer to roads, along which feed was broadcast, than in control units, where roads had no added management impacts. Overall, supplemental feed had little or no clear influence on chick survival and body condition. Despite this, supplemental feed remains a useful management practice for adult bobwhites.