For Love of Quail

For Love of Quail Subhead Texas quail research leads to FDA approval of medicated feed for stamping out parasites Matt Williams Outdoors Writer Tue, 06/11/2024 - 18:02 Image

• The free choice feeder is designed to keep predators out so quail can dine safely inside. (Photo Courtesy QuailSafe)
• QuailGuard medicated feed is specially formulated to control parasites like eyeworms and cecal worms in wild quail populations. Eyeworms feed on sensitive tissues within a bird’s eyes and nasal passages. Researchers say an infection can compromise a quail’s vision so badly it can’t detect predators. (Photo courtesy, Park Cities Quail Coalition)

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It’s been a while since quail managers across Texas have had much to chatter about, but hopes are high good things may be ahead for the iconic game birds well known for their signature trills.

Much welcomed news surfaced in late May. That’s when quail researchers and scientists got word the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had finally put its stamp of approval on QuailGuard, a medicated feed crumble that has proven to be safe and effective in controlling parasites in wild quail populations.

The news of the approval couldn’t have some soon enough for guys like Dr. Ron Kendall of Ransom Canyon..

Kendall is a cattle rancher, quail hunter and scientist who heads up the Wildlife Toxicology Lab at Texas Tech University, where QuailGuard was developed. He was heavily involved in a long line of research studies dating back more than a decade ago that eventually led to the identification of two parasites -- eyeworms and cecal worms -- believed to have played major roles in the significant declines witnessed in bobwhite quail populations in recent times.

For those who may not know, quail are dapper little dudes that are resilient in nature. The ground nesting birds have a long history of boom and bust cycles.

Numbers are prone to jump in years with timely rainfall to spur adequate cover for spring and summer nesting that ultimately leads to good chick survival. Noticeable spikes may follow when banner nesting conditions result in good carryover of mature birds and significant hatches for consecutive years.

Just the opposite can happen when range conditions are poor. The road to recovery on the heels of a widespread crash can be a long one. It could take years.

The sudden disappearing act that happened across the Rolling Plains of West Texas in 2010 was different. Downright puzzling in a sense.

To hear Kendall tell it, the decline came at a time when all of the common denominators pointed to a banner year for Texas bobwhites. Poor habitat and drought weren’t part of the equation at the time.

“Everything was set up for a great hunting season in 2010,” Kendall said. “The habitat was in perfect shape throughout the summer all across the Rolling Plains. You had to be really careful driving around ranch roads because there were so many broods. Then, come fall, you couldn’t hardly find a quail. I’m not talking about losing a few. Many ranches lost 70-90 percent of their birds.”

Kendall wasn’t the only one baffled by the vanishing act. Not long thereafter, the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation in Roby enlisted a team of wildlife scientists from Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M Kingsville to launch a multi-year research project aimed at unraveling the mystery behind the feathered calamity.

The RPQRF’s Dr. Dale Rollins initially coined the project “Operation Idiopathic Decline” medical jargon that means “the doctor doesn’t know.”

The doctors eventually found out, though. But not before sampling more than 2,000 quail across nearly three dozen counties.

The intensive effort led to the discovery of significant parasite infestations in wild quail all across the region. Researchers documented eyeworm infection levels in the Rolling Plains region at more than 60 percent and cecal worms infection levels as high as 90 percent throughout Texas, according to a recent report from the Park Cities Quail Coalition.

Park Cities is a non-profit organization run by a group of Dallas-area volunteers who are just as passionate about quail hunting as they are determined to preserve the heritage for future generations. It shows in their generosity.

Founded in 2006, PCQC has donated over $19.1 million to quail research, conservation, and youth programs in Texas. A big chunk of that money helped fund the QuailGuard medicated feed project and the extensive research that led to its development. The RPQRF also contributed to the $6 million project.

“We are proud to have funded this research with money raised by hunters,” said PCQC president Raymond Morrow. “Wild quail naturally have a high mortality rate. It makes sense that high levels of parasites in their eyes and gut contribute to quail mortality. We hope all grassland birds in this region will benefit from this advancement.”

About Those Worms

Researchers have learned that eyeworm and cecal worm infections occur when quail ingest insects like wood roaches, field crickets and several species of grasshoppers.

Both parasites reproduce at rapid rates and are physically debilitating to quail. Kendall says eyeworms are strongly related to a central African eyeworm that can cause blindness in humans.

Eyeworms feed on sensitive tissues within a bird’s eyes and nasal passages. Kendall believes an infection can compromise a quail’s vision so badly it can’t detect predators. Infected birds may fly into barns or vehicles, or have difficulty finding food. Researchers have found as many as 107 eyeworms in a single bird.

Cecal worms gather in the gut, sometimes in big numbers. Kendall said researchers found one quail in Mitchell County that was carrying about 1,700 cecal worms. The sickly bird had minimal breast muscle left. It was actually caught by a dog.

The cecal worms are similar to roundworms found in dogs and cats. Kendall says the parasites rob the birds of valuable nutrition/energy they need to flee danger, while weakening the immune system and reducing breeding success.

“It’s not like the bird gets a lot of parasites and falls over dead,” Kendall said. “They never get to that point; predators kill them before they do. A quail has to perform like a star athlete every day of its life just to survive. Anything that affects its vision or suppresses its energy puts it at risk of predation. Once the infections rise to high levels we start to see loss of birds.”

QuailGuard: Seasonal Parasitic Control

The FDA’s approval of QuailGuard comes on the heels of nine years of research and an extensive application process launched in 2015. The feed will be manufactured in 50 pound bags by Bryant Grain Company in Aledo. It will be available through select vendors in late summer.

Kendall said the feed will sell for about $50 per bag. Most of the sale royalties will go to PCQC for use in more Texas quail research and education. QuailGuard has no paid employees.

QuailGuard volunteer president Joe Crafton pointed out the medicated feed isn’t being marketed as a cure-all for every problem facing quail populations. Instead, the feed is formulated to provide a useful tool for controlling parasites in wild quail in their natural environment, while providing the birds a valuable nutritional boost. It is made from a blend of grains, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids combined with the active drug ingredient, Fenbendazole.

“Of course, habitat and weather are the most important factors,” Crafton said.“However, eyeworms and cecal worms in quail have reached pandemic levels in parts of Texas and this is the first solution to this significant factor in quail decline. This is another sportsman-led conservation success story and only the second wild animal ever approved by the FDA to be treated in their natural habitat with a medicated feed product.”

Kendall said the feed underwent years of rigorous field testing and showed promising results on study areas. He likened the idea of treating quail for parasites to performing routine worm maintenance on dogs and livestock so the animals can live longer, healthier lives.

With parasites kept in check, researchers found they were able to sustain strong quail populations, even in drought conditions.

“If you want to sustain significant populations of huntable wild quail, you cannot ignore the parasitic equation — that’s what science has told us,” Kendall said. “We have seen significantly increased survivability in wild quail and strong covey sizes lasting into the end of hunting season, along with more carryover.”

The FDA recommends that the medicated feed not be broadcast, but offered through strategic feeding stations. Kendell’s son, Ronnie, is manufacturing a rigid feeding station for dispensing the medicated granules or other supplemental feeds. Fittingly called QuailSafe, the feeder holds 150 pounds of feed. It is designed to keep feed dry and minimize waste. More importantly, keeps predators out so quail can dine safely inside.

The feeders don’t come cheap. They sell for $1,250 each at quailsafe.com.

The feeders are extremely high quality. They are fashioned from heavy duty, power coated steel and built to last for decades.

The recommended distribution rate is one feeder and 50 pounds of feed per 200 acres. The feed isn’t intended for year-round use. It works best when administered for 21 days during early spring and 21 days in fall, when high level infections tend to occur. It will treat birds with early stage larvae as well as adult worms. Once feeders are in place, it will cost about 50 cents per acre to maintain a for effective treatment plan.

“It’s important for people to realize we can treat effectively and sustain huntable populations of wild quail at the landscape level. “It makes no difference if it’s a 1,000 acre ranch or or 6,000 acre ranch. This isn’t for a backyard project.”

For more information about QuailGuard, quailguard.com. To check out the supporting research, www.wildlifetoxicologylab.org.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@ yahoo.com.