So what is brood habitat? Good brood habitat consists of any plant community that attracts an abundance of insects. This plant community must provide an overhead canopy and bare ground for ease of movement. Bare ground is extremely important. If quail chicks can't maneuver through vegetation to catch insects, their only source of food, they die. How much bare ground is needed? Fifty percent bare ground is ideal. As much as 75% bare ground is fine as long as there is an overhead canopy. Kick a softball through what you consider brood habitat. The softball should roll several feet, bouncing off the vegetation before stopping. If it is hard to see the softball as it rolls through the brood habitat, you have adequate canopy coverage. The canopy coverage protects the chicks from predators and provides a shaded area while foraging for insects. Examples of good brood plants that attract insects include a mix of ragweed, desmodium, foxtail, croton, partridge pea, clover, alfalfa, annual lespedeza, sunflower, and no-till crops. Basically any plant community that attracts insects, has bare ground, and an overhead canopy will provide good brood habitat. Remember, the key to insect abundance is plant diversity. More plant diversity equals more insects.

Brood habitat can be created by burning, disking, chemical setback, and grazing. Even a weedy food plot works well. No matter which management practice you choose, your goal is the same. You want to create bare ground and promote weeds and insects. The timing of these management practices will give you different vegetation responses. Experiment with different practices and timings. Don't manipulate more than 1/3 of any given field. If you plan to manage for brood habitat on CRP ground, you must do so during specified dates. Contact your local FSA office before implementing any management practices on CRP. Check out this website - http://talltimbers.org/research/gamebirdcfe.html. Scroll down half way to the two chick MPEG's. Save them to your computer and then play them. Both MPEG's show 7-10 day old chicks foraging in brood habitat. Notice the bare ground and the shade provided by the canopy coverage.