Apr 11
26
Chick Mortality in Ostrich Farming
Chick mortality in ostrich farming is recognized as an important issue for many years and generally referred to as Fading Chick Syndrome (FCS). The word syndrome is usually given to any sickness showing similar symptoms that a true cause cannot be easily explained.
The symptoms of FCS are various and include:
- Chicks stop eating or gradually cut back on feed consumption and can cut back on water consumption
- Droppings can range between extreme diarrhoea and extreme constipation
- When a group of chicks run together, the FCS affected chicks can run a short way, then sit down and close their eyes, sometimes making a trilling sound
- In advanced stages of FCS, chicks are listless, lethargic and spend a lot of time sitting
- Chicks can die suddenly for no other apparent cause
- FCS death rates in groups of chicks are usually very high and in one group maybe over a very few days of each other
- Surviving chicks often fail to thrive
Autopsy may reveal variable signs such as:
- Greenish brown liquid in the intestines, stomach or gizzard
- There may be signs of enteritis (redness or haemorrhaging) on some of the intestines
- The stomach maybe void of feed or may have feed that simply has not been digested
- The stomach may contain sticks and/or other large objects that the bird has consumed as a result of a stressful situation
- In some cases autopsy reveals little or no fat around the heart, deformed heart, no fat around the belly, minimal fat in any of the body and in very young chicks odd colored livers and/or yolk sacs that are variable in size and color. At one time odd colored yolk sacs were thought to be yolk sac infection. This was ruled out during the FCS study carried out in South Africa around 10 years ago with acceptance that a healthy yolk sac will be green in color indicating excellent supply of bile.
The picture illustrates 2 chicks and their stomach content on autopsy. Both chicks are from the same batch and the same age. Chick 1 had grown reasonably well dying as a result of an accident. Chick 2 failed to thrive with little growth, but hung on for 24 days. Note Chick 1’s healthy liver and well digested stomach content by comparison to the yellow liver of Chick 2, very full gizzard, empty gut and poorly digested stomach content.
Chick 2 is a typical example of a chick hatched with internal organs poorly developed and unable to digest and utilise food. This is a direct result of the lack of nutrients fed to the breeders to enable adequate transfer through the egg to the chick. Ostrich Farming Production Depends on Quality Egg Production discussed the importance of adequate quality of ostrich eggs.
The causes of ostrich chick mortality are multi-factorial. Successful ostrich farming depends on overcoming these issues enabling successful chick rearing.
