HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Goonewardene, L. A. Articles by Onderka, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Goonewardene, L. A. Articles by Onderka, D.

Comparative Growth Characteristics of Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

L. A. Goonewardene^*, Z. Wang^*, E. Okine, M. J. Zuidhof^*, E. Dunk^* and D. Onderka^*

^* Livestock Development Division, Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development, 204-7000-113 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6H 5T6
Department of Agriculture Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5

Correspondence: L. A. Goonewardene, E-mail: laki.goonewardene{at}gov.ab.ca

The objective of this study was to model the growth process, derive growth parameters in emus, compare the parameters using broilers as a benchmark, and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of emu production. The Richard's growth model fitted the weight and age data of emu and broilers very well with R² estimates that were 99%. The mature weights of emus were estimated to be 49.5 kg, and broilers were estimated to be 4.6 kg. Lifetime absolute growth rate of emus was 68.4 g/d, and they matured 12.5 times slower than broilers. Inflection age and weight were 105 d and 9.8 kg, respectively, for emus and 36 d and 1.67 kg, respectively, for broilers. Because emus are slaughtered late, growth efficiency is poor, and the feed cost per kilogram of gain is high. Characterizing the growth process is a valuable strategy that could be used to selectively breed emus that grow and mature rapidly and have high gain to feed ratios.

Key Words: broiler • emu • growth curve • maturing rate