Breeding the rhea and the emu <i>Rhea americana</i> and <i>Dromiceius novachollandiae</i> at Winnipeg Zoo

Bowthorpe, Gladys; Voss, Günter

doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1968.tb00468.x

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Fertility and hatchability values obtained here fall within the respective range cited for Greater Rheas (Bowthorpe and Voss, 1968;Chapman and Bass, 1994;Navarro and Martella, 2002) and for other ratites in captivity (More, 1996;Deeming, 1997). We found that microbial contamination of eggs appears to be a factor that can decrease production of rhea chicks.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Microbial contamination of artificially incubated Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs

Lábaque¹,

Navarro²,

Martella³

2003

British Poultry Science

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1. This paper is a report of biological agents that contaminate Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs during artificial incubation. 2. The cleanliness of eggs when collected, and the period of storage prior to incubation, were investigated to assess their effects on microbial contamination and hatchability. 3. A total of 14 bacteria and 4 fungi species were isolated within the egg in the laboratory. 4. Microbial contamination was higher (24%) in very dirty eggs than in eggs which were clean or dirty (16%). Hatching success was lower (30%) for very dirty eggs, compared with 42% for clean or dirty eggs. 5. The percentage of microbial contamination of stored eggs (10%) did not differ significantly from that of non-stored ones (5%). 6. The extreme lower and upper limits of infection rate estimated for artificially incubated Greater Rhea eggs were 4% and 40%, respectively, being higher than in poultry species. 7. It is concluded that collecting eggs soon after laying will reduce the risk of microbial contamination.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Microbial contamination of artificially incubated Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs

Lábaque¹,

Navarro²,

Martella³

2003

British Poultry Science

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“…Several authors had described hatching and rearing of Greater (Krishne Gowda, 1962;Kaczmarek and Pohorecka, 1965;Wayre, 1966;Bowthorpe and Voss, 1968;Brown and Kimbell, 1972;Bruning, 1973b) and Lesser (Kruczek, 1968;Bruning, 1973b) rheas in zoos. Also, a twin embryo has been reported by Bruning (1970) in Lesser rhea.…”

Section: Incubation and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

Sales¹

2006

Avian & Poul. Biolog. Rev.

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Knowledge of Greater (Rhea americana) and Lesser (Pterocnemia pennata) rheas, both native to South America, are important for the purpose of conservation of wild populations as well as the potential commercialisation of captive bred animals.Whereas the different subspecies of Greater rheas are distributed through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, habitat of Lesser rheas are mainly limited to the Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. The two Andean subspecies (Pterocnemia pennata garleppi and Pterocnemia pennata tarapacensis) of Lesser rheas are endangered in the wild. Information on divergences between rhea and other ratite taxa are still inconclusive. Anatomy and standard metabolism of rheas in general are in agreement with that of other ratite and avian species.Vigilance is an important component of daily activities. In contrast to adult birds, several different vocalizations can be distinguished in young chicks. Rheas, that reach sexual maturity between 20 and 24 months of age, can be described as polygynandric in that males are simultaneously polygynous, whereas the females are sequentially polyandrous. Only 5 to 6% of the male population bred successfully each year in the wild. Rheas are ground-nesting birds with females laying eggs for up to 12 different males during the laying season, and males incubating the eggs for a period of around 42 days. Rheas are characterised by high rates of nest desertion (65%) commonly associated with egg predation, orphan eggs laid far away from active nests, and egg stealing between males. In the wild males took care of the chicks for 4 to 6 months, with chick adoption from other broods a common phenomenon. As with other ratites rheas grow at exceptionally slow rates, with a final mature live weight of around 25 kg, depending on gender. The digestive system of the rhea is characterised by a relative huge caeca and colon, which may serve as fermentation chambers for the utilisation of fibre. Diseases and parasites commonly found in other ratites also occur in rheas. Conservation and commercialisation of rheas are hampered by a lack of knowledge about the biology and requirements of these species.

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“…osteoporosis and rickets), several other nutrition-related diseases or debilities of uncertain aetiology have also been reported in captive-bred ratite chicks. These have been variously linked with imbalances in the protein to energy ratios, or with the calcium to phosphorus ratios and associated levels of manganese and vitamin D, or attributed to other specific or broad micronutrient deficiencies or excesses (Bowthorpe & Voss, 1968;Brown & Kimbell, 1972;Flieg, 1973;Dolensek & Bruning. 1978;Gutknecht, 1975;G .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food intake and growth rate of Cassowary chicks Casuarius spp reared at Mendi, Southern Highland Papua New Guinea

Reid

1987

International Zoo Yearbook

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Breeding the rhea and the emu Rhea americana and Dromiceius novachollandiae at Winnipeg Zoo

Cited by 11 publications

References 4 publications

Microbial contamination of artificially incubated Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs

Microbial contamination of artificially incubated Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) eggs

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

Food intake and growth rate of Cassowary chicks Casuarius spp reared at Mendi, Southern Highland Papua New Guinea

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