Observational study on the breeding performance of emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) in Brazil

J.C.P Quintero,Y.R Moreira,A.J Almeida,L.F.L Calixto,K.A.A Torres-Cordido,S.S Rocha

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-12028

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to describe emus’ breeding performance in Brazil at different ages, grouped in couples or colonies. The duration of the breeding season and the production of eggs per female housed were recorded, and the productivity and breeding variables were associated with the variation of the photoperiod. The total production of the flock was 180 eggs, and the breeding season lasted 167 days (April-September), a period with an average of 11 h and 11min of daylight. The breeding season lasted 113, 133 and 82 days, the numbers of eggs produced per female were 7.29, 25.67 and 17.3, and productivity values were 31.6, 38.6, and 45.4% in the groups of birds with ages of two, four and seven years, respectively. The breeding season in 2016 occurred between April and August in Brazil. Older birds tended to start breeding later. The production rate observations indicated that earlier peak production was associated with lower egg production potential. Finally, there was a tendency for better breeding performance of birds housed in couples than in groups with more birds.

Highlights

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), a ratites species of Australian origin, is the second biggest bird in the world
Studies have demonstrated that the egg production peaks between the fourth (Senthilkumar et al, 2014) and fifth breeding season (Szczerbińska et al, 2014), and declines after that
This study describes observations of the reproductive performance of emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) of different ages raised in groups of couples or colonies in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, during the 2016 breeding season

Summary

Introduction

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), a ratites species of Australian origin, is the second biggest bird in the world. Emu reproduction is related to factors like age, housing conditions, group hierarchy, climate conditions, nutrition and genetics (Szczerbińska et al, 2014). Sexual maturity typically occurs between two and three years old, but birds in captivity can breed at younger ages (Patodkar et al, 2009). Studies have demonstrated that the egg production peaks between the fourth (Senthilkumar et al, 2014) and fifth breeding season (Szczerbińska et al, 2014), and declines after that. They recommended not using females more than seven years old for captive breeding

Objectives

Methods

Results