Evaluation of The Performance of Farmed Ostrich Chicks to Juvinile Age in Northern Nigeria

Abstract

A prospectrue obsewatlonal study oftlze lzealtlz and productivzty profile of 59f armed Ostriclz clzlcks U J ~uSnd ertaken
~11ltlrle aclz~ng]uz~enzalgee of12 rrlorltlzs frolfl February 2002 to Februanj 2003 on a corzveme~zcesa rrrple offour (4)
stl~dyfamlslo cateii az tlze Northern Gzlznea Snz~annallz one of Nzgerzn. All the cllzcks zilere enrolled ITZ tlze "Clllck
Colrovt" fmrn sezlerl day old zrntzl renclzzng 12 nrontlzs of age on encl~s tudyfarnl, and zuere szlbscqzlerltly observed
urltzl rlylng, leavzizg the study farin of orlgin or reaclzzng the age of 12 months (zohzclz ever occzrrfirst). Tlze
lnfornrntzon recorded rnclude total nulnber of clzlck deatlz, date and type of disease event, date and type oftreatnrerlt
event, age and rzlrrrrber of cllzcks tlznt dzed of dzferent rlslcfactors z~zclndzizgl ower llnlb defornlzfy and tlle proportzon
snrvlval. Tlle obta~nedr esult reveals that clzzck wastage was unacceptably lzzglz, as 22 (37%)c lzzclcs subseq~lcntly
dzcd before reacllzng tlze age of 12 nlontlzs, of these, 90% dzed before reachz~lgfive(5 ) rilontlzs ofnge, zolrzle 10% dzed
at 11 nlo~zthso f age, 45% dzedwztlz014t lzirlr~anz iltewentlon wlnle 55% zilere slaz~glztered.T lze nrost corrmolz causes
oflieat11z uere the ~Lveloprnerzto flower-Irvnb deforrrnty, accour~t~~lg5f0o%r cllzcks wastage, nizd zt zc~asr ecorded zn
all tllefirnrs,f adlrzg clz~clcsy ndronre accozrnted for 36% deatlz zclztlzz~zt lzefirs t two zueelcs ofnge, zcdnle r~zisaciverzt~ires
and g ~ iztr npactzorz nccourzted for 9% and 4.5% deaf11 respectzvely. The overall stirulval proportzorz of the 59 ostnclz
cll~cltslr lzder study reaclzlng 12 rnoiztlzs ofage was 0.62, wztlz tlze llzghcst sziwival proportzon of 0.73 liz farm 111,
zolrzle the lozuest of 0.58 zuas recoriied zn farnl IV. Tlle result descrlbc and present z~zfornzatiotl on the pevfornlancc
offnnned- Ostrzclz clziclcs from one week old to juvelzzle age of 12 nzontlzs, identzfijlng lou~eljz inb deformzty and
fadlt~gc hzck syrldrorrze as major risk factors catlslrzg deatll and ezltlla~zaszad zirzrzg the first 5 irzorztlls of age. Tlzzs
factors serve as itlalor constraints to tlze developnzent of the Ostricl~c lzzck indz~stnj.H ower~er,tl zere may be otlrcr
fnrln leveljiactors that are associated to clzick sl~rvivall,z ence tlze need to erzlarge the scope of thzs stzidy.