Jul 11
1
Identifying Malnutrition in Ostrich
Successful ostrich farming is a dependent on many things. However, the ability to provide a consistent supply of slaughter birds is essential as that is the only way to fulfil orders. This supply must also be produced at a cost our consumers can afford and at a quality that satisfies the market.
The title of this article is Malnutrition in Ostrich. The reason for this is that nutrition is the foundation to achieving commercial levels of production and to providing a product to the quality that is acceptable to the consumer.
What do we understand by malnutrition? Our first reaction to that question is something close to “starvation” defined as “lack of access to sufficient food”. Maybe it is better defined as “lack of access to sufficient nutrients to support optimum health and production”? In humans a simplified definition of production can be “the ability to perform a days’ work free from pain and/or disease and the need for medication”.
The following are examples of the many symptoms of malnutrition currently experience in ostrich production:
- Statements that “Ostriches die for No Reason”
- Short breeding season (less than 275 days)
- Increasing problems with fertility, hatchability and chick survivability as the season progresses
- Variable chick problems such as: yolk Sac Infections, Bad Legs, High Chick Mortality, Slow Growth, Yellow colouration of the skin and/or eyes , Yellow Livers and other signs of abnormal internal organ development
- High levels of Chick Mortality
- Stunted and slow growth
- At slaughter birds presenting with poor livers, multi-coloured muscles, excess fat, too little fat, fat yellow in colour, poor muscle development – extended time taken to ensure sufficient meat yield
There are two important comparisons to be noted in the illustration. Photographs A, B and C illustrate the same batch of chicks at the time of weighing. Note the size of the chicks alongside the farmer with them. Also note that these chicks still have their golden baby feathers normally change from around 200-210 days. The birds in these photos dominate the man with them as a result of their size.
In comparison note the size of the scientist in photograph D kneeling while scanning a breeder hen and the proud new owners alongside one of the new breeder hens they had recently purchased in photograph E. Photograph D was part of a scientific study to understand why hens were not laying well. These hens have no size, both in height or depth of body.
Whilst genetics have an influence on size, the overall appearance of the birds in C and D is that of birds suffering from stunted growth during their development. It is just plain common sense that birds stunted in growth during their development are less able to produce viable eggs in adulthood than birds on quality nutrition throughout their life.
It is essential to overcome the current malnutrition experienced to achieve viable levels of commercial ostrich farming.
