Applied Research Note: “Parameter estimates for egg production and egg weight of individually penned female ostriches maintained for artificial insemination purposes”

Ostrich females producing eggs in the absence of males was a major breakthrough for the development of an artificial insemination (AI) protocol. This study evaluated monthly egg production (EP) and average egg weight (EW) for 71 individually penned female ostriches from 2009 to 2020 and estimated th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied poultry research 2022-03, Vol.31 (1), p.100233, Article 100233
Main Authors: Muvhali, P.T., Bonato, M., Malecki, I.A., Cloete, S.W.P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
correlation
egg production
egg weight
genetic parameters
struthio camelus
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Summary:Ostrich females producing eggs in the absence of males was a major breakthrough for the development of an artificial insemination (AI) protocol. This study evaluated monthly egg production (EP) and average egg weight (EW) for 71 individually penned female ostriches from 2009 to 2020 and estimated the genetic parameters for these traits. EP was highly variable compared to EW (coefficients of variation: 124.9 vs. 10.27%, respectively). EP continued throughout the year with maxima from July to December and minima in February and May. The two-trait heritability (h2) for EP was low at 0.13, while EW had a higher h2 of 0.40. EP and EW were not genetically correlated. The genetic improvement of EP and EW for females used for AI is feasible. Further studies should target incubation and hatching traits after AI.
ISSN:1056-6171
1537-0437
DOI:10.1016/j.japr.2021.100233