[Behavior disorders in relation to food intake in African ostriches]

The behaviour of ostriches (Struthio camelus) was observed. The most striking behaviour disorders was feather pecking. However, the animals showed four other behaviour patterns, which also must be qualified as behaviour disorders: Pecking sand, pecking wire, pecking their own feathers and pecking into air, occurred in a random succession. This is a result of the nutrition, which differs from the natural feeding situation, as the animals are fed exclusively on pellets so that the food consumption is completed within a very short time. This results in an accumulation of action specific energy within the functional circle of nutrition. Therefore in the husbandry of ostriches in Central Europe not only the necessary energy and sufficient composition of nutrition should be considered. It is necessary as well, that the food be of a consistency which guarantees food intake of appropriate satisfactory duration.