Quality parameters of the tibiae and femora of ostriches

Dietary vitamin D: growth, physiological and health consequences in broiler production

Vitamins are needed in trace amounts in dietary formulations for poultry; however, they are critical for the health, maintenance, and performance of important body organs. Broilers have a lot of leg issues because of their rapid development and lack of exercise. Because of commercial broilers have limited access to direct sunlight, vitamin D supplementation in the feed is critical to reducing the risk of bone deformation and maximizing development. Vitamin D deficiency causes skeletal abnormalities, which may lead also to financial problems. The latest scientific findings on the source, metabolism, mechanisms of action, and functions of vitamin D in broilers are the subject of this review paper.

Profile of Selected Mineral Elements in Tibiotarsal Bone of the White-Tailed Sea Eagle in Its Natural Habitat

Mineral bone composition (dry matter, bones ash, P, Ca, Zn, Mn, Mg, and Cu) and Pb levels of tibiotarsi of seven White-Tailed Sea Eagles were assessed. Lead intoxication in different bird species including waterfowl and raptors is being studied worldwide. The bones were analyzed for Pb by mass spectrometry with excitation in inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS Elan DRC II) and for bone composition by Atomic Emission Spectrometer (Agilent 4100 Microwave Plasma). Pb levels ranging from 3.54 µg/g to 74.6 µg/g DM suggest that some of the investigated birds might have been intoxicated by Pb. Results of this analysis were divided into two groups of bones, with bone Pb levels higher and lower than Pb toxicity levels, and mineral bone compositions of both groups were compared. The present study shows the differentiation of bone mineral composition among seven examined White-Tailed Sea Eagles, considered a specific species in raptors. Pb intoxication may not have a major influence on mineral bone composition in raptors. It also suggests that assessing bone composition of raptor bones may help finding the possible cause of their deaths.

The effect of varying dietary nutrient densities on the relative growth of ostrich body components

The influence of varying dietary protein and energy levels on the relative growth of body components of ostriches was evaluated over a 244-day growth period. One hundred twenty 1-day-old ostrich chicks were randomly assigned to 15 pens. Three varying energy regimes (high, medium and low) and five protein levels (1-5) were supplied ad libitum to each pen. A randomly selected bird from each pen was slaughtered at 1, 35, 63, 103, 159, 168 and 244 days of age. Each bird was weighed, stunned, exsanguinated, defeathered and eviscerated. Individual body components were dissected and weighed at every slaughter age. Proximate analysis was performed on these components, which were ground with the remainder of the carcass, excluding gut content, but including blood and feathers. Based on the analysis of ostrich feathers and the known mass of the feathers, the protein mass contribution of the feathers was deducted from the protein accretion of the bird. All the data were transformed to natural logarithms and regressed against the featherless body protein growth. Intercepts and slopes were compared to determine differences in growth rate ascribed to nutrient densities. Neither dietary energy nor dietary protein level had a significant effect on the relative growth of the measured components in this study. Allometric coefficients were established, which could be helpful to improve the accuracy of simulation modelling attempts for ostrich nutrition.

Phalangeal joints kinematics during ostrich (Struthio camelus) locomotion

The ostrich is a highly cursorial bipedal land animal with a permanently elevated metatarsophalangeal joint supported by only two toes. Although locomotor kinematics in walking and running ostriches have been examined, these studies have been largely limited to above the metatarsophalangeal joint. In this study, kinematic data of all major toe joints were collected from gaits with double support (slow walking) to running during stance period in a semi-natural setup with two selected cooperative ostriches. Statistical analyses were conducted to investigate the effect of locomotor gait on toe joint kinematics. The MTP3 and MTP4 joints exhibit the largest range of motion whereas the first phalangeal joint of the 4th toe shows the largest motion variability. The interphalangeal joints of the 3rd and 4th toes present very similar motion patterns over stance phases of slow walking and running. However, the motion patterns of the MTP3 and MTP4 joints and the vertical displacement of the metatarsophalangeal joint are significantly different during running and slow walking. Because of the biomechanical requirements, osctriches are likely to select the inverted pendulum gait at low speeds and the bouncing gait at high speeds to improve movement performance and energy economy. Interestingly, the motions of the MTP3 and MTP4 joints are highly synchronized from slow to fast locomotion. This strongly suggests that the 3rd and 4th toes really work as an “integrated system” with the 3rd toe as the main load bearing element whilst the 4th toe as the complementary load sharing element with a primary role to ensure the lateral stability of the permanently elevated metatarsophalangeal joint.