J.O. Horbanczuk

Semen collection in the ostrich (Struthio camelus) using a dummy or a teaser female

1. We investigated the feasibility of training male ostriches to ejaculate into an artificial cloaca (AC) using a teaser female or a dummy. 2. Male ostriches develop desirable behaviour patterns that allow them to be trained to the teaser and the dummy female. Training success can be high as both methods rely on natural stimulation and voluntary ejaculation into the AC provided suitable individuals are identified. 3. The key factors to successful training appear to be: the teaser method—temperament of male ostriches, the crouching behaviour of the female ostriches for the semen collector and acceptance of the collector by the male; dummy method—courtship of humans, learning ability of ostriches to habituate and then to mount a dummy. 4. Both methods are reliable, yield ejaculates of high quality and give reproducible results. The ejaculate volume was 1·09u2009±u20090·13u2009ml, the concentration of spermatozoa 4·21u2009±u20090·27u2009×u2009109/ml, the total number of spermatozoa 4·67u2009±u20090·62u2009×u2009109 and motility 4·3u2009±u20090·1. 5. Commercial ostrich production that relies on natural mating can take advantage of those methods to develop artificial insemination technologies.

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) blastoderm and embryo development following storage of eggs at various temperatures

1. The gross morphology of blastoderms in fresh unstored ostrich eggs and in eggs subjected to different regimen of storage and incubation was studied. Then the effects of storage duration of eggs (1, 2 and 3 weeks) and storage temperature (15, 20 and 25°C) on blastoderm and embryo development were investigated. 2. Only incubation following overnight storage at 18°C advanced blastoderm development (1·5-fold increase in diameter) to a stage comparable to hypoblast. 3. Storage of eggs at 15 or 20°C did not affect blastoderm stage and size whereas, at 25°C, the blastoderm doubled in size and appeared to have advanced to a primitive streak stage. Embryo development was reduced after 2 weeks of storage regardless of the storage temperature. 4. After oviposition and during pre-incubation storage the ostrich blastoderm develops progressively over time in a temperature-dependent manner towards the hypoblast stage and beyond but the viability of the blastoderm and embryo development is seriously compromised by 2 weeks of storage.

Biochemical characterization and sperm motility parameters of ostrich (Struthio camelus) semen

The aim of the study was to obtain baseline values for biochemical parameters of ostrich seminal plasma and sperm motility parameters measured by CASA. Biochemical characteristics of ostrich semen included a high protein concentration (29.3 ± 9.1g/l) and high amidase (280.6 ± 130.8 U/l) and LDH activity (1880.0 ± 983.6 U/l). On the other hand antioxidant, superoxide dismutase, anti-proteinase and acid phosphatase activity were low. Biochemical parameters of semen were variable. Motility of ostrich sperm was characterized by low linearity (23.0 ± 6.2%). The quality of undiluted semen stored at room temperature deteriorated within an hour due to agglutination and gelation. On the other hand, ostrich semen could be stored up to 4h at 5°C without loss of motility after which loss of motility occurred but could be partially mitigated using semen extenders (EK and Ovodyl).

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) ejaculate--effects of the method of collection, male age, month of the season, and daily frequency.

1. Over three breeding seasons on a farm in Poland, semen was collected from 11 ostriches using the dummy and the teaser method to study the effects of the method of collection, male age, month in the breeding season, and daily collection frequency on ejaculate characteristics. 2. A total of 259 ejaculates were collected, with an average volume of 1·28u2009±u20090·6 (±SEM) ml. Sperm concentration was 3·34u2009±u20090·08u2009×u2009109/ml, the total number of spermatozoa 4·32u2009±u20090·22u2009×u2009109, and motility 4·56u2009±u20090·04. 3. There was no difference in ejaculates collected by the dummy and teaser methods, but the between-individual variation was considerable. Ejaculate characteristics increased with male age and varied between months, with little evidence for seasonal decline. Daily collections for 10 days did not affect sperm output. 4. The results open up avenues for further research on development of a viable protocol for artificial insemination in ostriches and efficient semen storage. 5. The between-male variation suggests that the ejaculate output could be maximized through selection.