Leg disorders

The development of leg deformities has been cited as a common problem in captive bred Emus with clinical signs usually appearing within the first two months of life A number of different possibly interrelated conditions may be involved as well as calcium/phosphorus imbalance and methionine deficiency Maternal nutrition may also be implicated Interestingly, feed restriction has similarly been found effective in reducing theses disorders in meat chickens However the incidence of leg deformities has not decreased in the past 40 years despite an intensive research effort in this area