Growth rate of ostrich (Struthio camelus) chicks under intensive management in Botswana.
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Author list: Mushi EZ, Isa JF, Chabo RG, Segaise TT
Publisher: Springer
Publication year: 1998
Journal: Tropical Animal Health and Production (0049-4747)
Journal acronym: Trop Anim Health Prod
Volume number: 30
Issue number: 3
Start page: 197
End page: 203
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 0049-4747
eISSN: 1573-7438
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
Abstract
Thirty-seven ostrich chicks raised artificially had their weights, lengths of metatarsus and heights measured weekly from hatching to the 16th week. Despite weight loss during the first week due to utilization of egg yolk by the chicks, the chicks showed and exponential growth up to the twelfth week with an overall mean weekly weight gain of 1.3 kg. Female chicks showed a superior mean weekly gain of 1.6 kg compared to 1.2 kg for males. The metatarsal length grew rapidly at a weekly rate of 2.5 cm, but began to decline in the 11th week even though the weights and heights of the chicks were still increasing. The correlation coefficient between body weight and metatarsal length was 0.97. Individual chicks also maintained their respective heavy or light weight hierarchies throughout the study period. Thus isolation of chicks into groups by weight and raising them separately could have a role in the artificial rearing of ostrich chicks. Furthermore, ostrich chick rearing may be improved by regularly weighing chicks as a means of detecting changes in the growth patterns.
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