Seasonal dynamics of clinical indicators of African ostriches of different age groups under the conditions of Uzbekistan

Abstract

The article presents the results of studies on the seasonal dynamics of baseline clinical indicators (body temperature, heart rate - HR, respiratory rate - RR) of African ostriches (Struthio camelus) depending on age, sex, and origin in the sharply continental climatic conditions of Uzbekistan. The study objects were young birds (3-6 months old), adult males, and five-year-old females (parent flock) of Iranian and Russian selections. It was established that during the summer heat ("chillya", air temperature > +40°C), all groups of birds show strain on thermoregulatory mechanisms, expressed in an increase in body temperature and compensatory polypnea. Young stock demonstrates high intensity of vegetative processes, while adult individuals of Iranian selection show greater evolutionary thermotolerance compared to representatives of Russian selection.