A comparative study between mature ostriches (Struthio camelus) and adult cockerels with respect to true and apparent metabolisable energy values for maize,barley, oats and triticale

1. In three successive trials with cockerels and mature ostrich males the apparent and true metabolisable energy values, corrected for nitrogen retention (AME_n and TME_n) were determined by a balance method for malting barley, oats, triticale and yellow maize. All these ingredients were used as sole dietary components with the exception of triticale for ostriches which was diluted with 440 g/kg lucerne meal. The balance trial lasted for 5 d after an adaption period of 7 d for ostriches, and 3 d after an adaption period of one day for cockerels.

2. AME_n values for cockerels of malting barley, oats, triticale and maize were 11.6, 10.48, 11.44 and 14.42 MJ/kg respectively. Significantly higher values of 14.21, 12.65, 12.60 and 14.89 MJ/kg were determined for malting barley, oats, triticale and maize for ostriches.

3. TME_n values determined by regression yielded values in ostriches of 13.92, 12.27, 13.21 and 15.22 MJ/kg for malting barley, oats, triticale and maize respectively. The corresponding TME_n values in cockerels were 11.33, 10.63, 11.82 and 14.07 MJ/kg.

4. The ostrich is capable of utilising fibre more efficiently than poultry. The higher energy values observed for the various ingredients also indicated that the non‐starch polysaccharides such as ß‐glucans and arabinoxylans in the more fibrous energy sources had little if any effect on the available energy of these ingredients as found with poultry.

5. The potential of ostriches to utilise the more fibrous energy sources like barley, oats and triticale allows for their economical use in diet formulation. This possibility may result in markedly lower food costs for ostriches.