Captive red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus)‎ egg production, hatching and chick rearing

Dissertant

Uthman, Hajir Idris Muhammad

Thesis advisor

Muhammad, Ahmad al-Amin
Ali, Uthman Hasan Muhammad

University

Omdurman Islamic University

Faculty

Faculty of Agriculture

Department

Department of Poultry Production

University Country

Sudan

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Date

2010

English Abstract

This study was run to draw values of the captive ostrich egg, artificial incubation and intensive rearing of the chicks.

Thirty four heads (20 females and 14 males) of the parent red-necked (Struthio camelus camelus) flock were used.

Nine males and 19 females were stocked from the wild (Dindir National Park) plus one female and 5 males that were raised in the farm.

The parent flock was between the third to fifth season of production.

Housing was in 6 breeding pens and feeding plane was at 14 % crude protein and 09.23 MJ ME / Kg.

Collection of eggs was done manually and then stored for a maximum of 7 days at room temperature before incubation.

External and internal physical egg characteristics, egg components percent, shell thickness and porosity and egg chemical characteristics were recorded.

Candling of eggs was done before and end term incubation and hatched chicks were brooded and raised as starters for eight weeks and for another subsequent eight weeks as growers.

Starters and growers were fed at 23 and 16 % crude protein and 14.75 and 10.11 MJ ME / Kg respectively.

Body measurements of chicks were recorded fortnightly throughout the starter / grower feeding periods.

The average season values showed 31.50 ± 17.91 eggs produced per hen at a weight of 1640.97 ± 110.28 g.

with fertility 72.11 ± 4.82 % and hatchability of incubated eggs 27.41 ± 17.20 % ; with fertile ones 49.76 ± 15.78 %.

Mean external physical egg measurements were 45.93 ± 1.68 and 42.49 ± 1.79 cm for mean circumference length and width, 14.51 ± 0.91 and 12.41 ± 0.84 cm.

for axial length and width respectively.

Shape index was 85.37 ± 4.40.

Mean internal physical egg measurements were 1.60 ± 00.31 cm.

for albumin height and 0.25 ± 0.09 for yolk index.

Haugh unit was 78.97 ± 3.22.

For the egg chemical values, the shell was of the highest (99.70 %) dry matter and ash (86.99 %) and lowest (8.19 %) nitrogen- free extract.

The highest CP (29.40 %), total essential amino acids (64.90 %), leucine (9.8 %) and ether extract (17.37 %) was in the yolk.

The ash content showed the shell to contain the highest calcium (46.00 mg %) and magnesium (2.70 mg %) whereas phosphorous was highest (4.40 %) in the albumin.

The mean value of shell thickness was highest (1.95 + 00.18mm) at the end, while mean values of branched and single pores were similar (p > 0.05) for the different areas, with highest (3.55 ± 01.28) branched and single (30.72 ± 6.55) pore numbers to the side.

The overall means of hatching egg weight, water loss % of hatched eggs, one day chick weight and the percentage of chick to the egg weight were 1694.58 ± 113.11g.

10.82 ± 2.22 %, 1032.38 ± 75.85 g.

and 61.06 ± 2.47 % respectively.

The overall average performance values of starter ostrich chicks for 8 weeks (initial-8 weeks) were 2013.78 ± 1010.66 g., 36.72 ± 26.32g and 04.93 ± 1.12 for body weight, average daily gain and the feed conversion ratio respectively.

The average daily dry matter intake was 163.55 ± 105.87 g.

The overall average performance values of grower ostrich chicks for 8 weeks (8-16 weeks) were 7935.59 ± 4198 g., 156.40 ± 93.92 g and 03.20 ± 00.99 for body weight, average daily gain and the feed conversion ratio respectively.

The average daily dry matter intake was 487.41 ± 199.43 g.

Starter ostrich chick mortalities (46.67 % of the flock) were due mostly to retarded growth, canabalism or stress.

During the growing period, chick mortalities were due to environmental stress in total affections of 12.50 % of the flock.

Body measurements of starter / grower ostrich chicks (0-16 weeks) were typical of the red-necked type with back height most resembling to the growth rate of chicks.

Beak and head were of lower growth rates.

It was concluded that the wild red-necked ostriches reared in captivity can attain fair levels of production with reasonable fertility and hatchability when fed up to requirements.

Main Subjects

Zoology

Topics

• Behaviour

No. of Pages

105

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-366236