The incidence of tibiotarsal rotation in the ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Abnormal lateral tibiotarsal rotation has been reported as one of many abnormalities affecting the pelvic appendicular skeleton of birds. In this study, lateral rotation of the tibiotarsus affected 89 out of 1,407 ostrich chicks between 2 weeks and 6 months of age raised at the Oudtshoorn Experimental Farm. There was no sexual preference, but the lesion affected the right pelvic limb almost exclusively and very rarely the left limb. Pelvic appendicular skeletal abnormalities make a significant contribution to mortalities in ostrich chicks.