Características reprodutivas de avestruzes (Struthio camelus) criados no Centro-Oeste Mineiro pela análise espermática e ultrassonografia morfométrica folicular

Abstract

The objective was to verify in ostriches the follicular activity by ultrasound and the sperm characteristics at different seasons of the year, relating them to photoperiod, rainfall, posture, follicular morphology, semen characteristics, morphology of the phallus, and staining intensity of the beak. Eight females and five males were evaluated for 12 months in monthly collections in animals raised in the state of Minas Gerais. The antimere that offered better access to ultrasound evaluation was the right one. The breeding season lasted from April to November. There was no correlation between the posture and follicular activity with the amount of rain, but they were high when correlated with the photoperiod. The period of greatest activity spermatogenic was from November to July, when the semen showed the following characteristics: Volume: 0.87 ± 0.56, motility: 26 ± 17; concentration (X106): 213.717 ± 292.258; normal spermatozoa (%): 54 ± 23; major defects (%): 14 ± 2 and minor defects (%) : 31 ± 27. There was no significant variation in the size of the phallus and in the intensity of staining of the beak in the animals during the period of evaluation