DOI: 10.22620/agrisci.2010.03.010
Abstract
An investigation was carried out with five females and two males (sexual ratio of 1:2.5) of the Black African ostrich (Struthio camelus) during their first and second reproductive seasons. During the whole experimental period the birds were raised extensively.
The studied population reached sexual maturity (10% laying capacity) at the age of thirty-three months.
The length of the reproductive period increased from 195 to 265 days with the increase of the hens’ age. A similar tendency for both indixes – average yearly laying capacity (52.20 and 60.20 eggs per ostrich hen respectively) and egg weight per year (351.53 and 436.57 kg respectively – ð<0.001) was observed.
The peak of the egg laying intensity (respectively 26.80 and 22.70%) was reached in the month of June of the two reproductive years.