Near-term embryonic mortality during artificial incubation of the ostrich eggs

Abstract

The hatchability of fertile eggs of artificially incubated ostrich eggs is lower than of eggs incubated naturally (Swart et al. 1987). Philbey et al. (1991) found that on 7 ostrich farms, hatchability from 1988 to 1990 was 43 to 75%. Hatchability recorded by Sahan and I pek (2000) for two years in Turkey was 64 and 73%. Most mortality of artificial incubated ortrich eggs takes place in the last 7-14 days before hatching (Brown et al. 1996, Philbey et al. loc. cit., Deeming, 1997). Oedema in artificially incubated ostrich embryos is a common problem (Davis and Ackerman 1987, Philbey et al. loc. cit.). Malpositioning was the other predominant symptom of dead in shell ostrich eggs which fail to hatch (Philbey et al. loc. cit.; Brown et al. loc. cit.). This research was carried out to determine. the causes of mortality and age of mortalities within the last 14 d of incubation in ostrich embryos