EVALUATION AND MONITORING MICROBIOLOGICAL FERTILITY OSTRICH EGGS BY ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION

Abstract

The present investigation pretends to show that the ostriches lot of the EEA El Mantaro-UNCP can produce fertile eggs and obtain appropriate hatchability and hatching under artificial incubation at 3 200 mosl and to contribute to the knowledge of the factors that impact on the fertility and hatchability in ostriches. The incubation process was carried out in the town of Yanamuclo-Jauja, and the microbiológical test was carried out in the Microbiological Laboratory of Zootecnic Faculty - UNCP. The period of investigation was from April 2008 to March 2009. The results were: Nº of eggs taken place for incubation was 64 total for the two months of reproductive cycle; the average weight of the eggs was 1,512 Kg.; there were carried out 13 loads of eggs to the incubator, with an average of 4,92 eggs/load, the weight average of the eggs/load was 1,519. The female Nºs 1489 and 1405 was the best egg-laying with 19 and 14 eggs respectively and they had the best behavior regarding its fertility, because the first and second candling they presented the biggest number of eggs in incubation process. The best males were the Nºs 2042, 1412 and 1331. The weight average of the eggs to the 1ª candling was 1,453 Kg., being discarded 32 eggs and being 32; and to the 2ª ovoscopy it was 1,349 Kg, being discarded 16 eggs and being 16. The loss of weight of the eggs of 1ª to the 2ª ovoscopy on the average was 0,124 Kg. There is a significant correlation level among the values of loss of weight of the eggs from the beginning of the incubation until the 1ª ovoscopy and the 1ª and 2ª ovoscopy. The fertility percentage was 50% and the hatchability percentage was 0. The laboratory reports indicate the presence of Escherichia coli and Bacillus sp, in an individual or combined way in all the taken samples, at the beginning and at the end of female reproductive cycle.