Ostriches are beautiful giant birds. Now they are grown not only in Ukraine, but even in Siberia. Helpful tips will help you fulfill your dream of breeding this overseas bird. Ostriches are the largest birds. There are several subspecies of this animal, this is an ostrich:
- Asiatic;
- Common or North African;
- Somali;
- Syrian;
- African.
The African ostrich is the largest
In height, these birds can grow up to 2 meters 70 cm and gain weight up to 156 kg. The average life expectancy of ostriches is almost the same as that of humans - 75 years. But, unlike humans, ostriches have very small brains - it's the size of their eyes. However, this does not prevent them from fleeing at a moment of danger at a speed of 60–70 km / h, taking steps 3, 5–4 m long and fighting off with their strong legs even from a lion.
Small brain size and fidelity of ostriches do not interfere. This bird has a gentle mental organization. A polygamous male usually has 3–4 females, but one of them is a favorite. If something happens to her or the birds are separated, then there are cases when after a few days the male died without enduring the separation.
Ostriches have been bred as poultry for quite some time now. In our country, ostrich farms are only gaining popularity.
Why is it profitable to breed ostriches
Of the several subspecies of the ostrich, we only breed one. The African ostrich can withstand short-term frost and -38 ° C, so even poultry farmers in Siberia are interested in this overseas bird. In Central Russia, Ukraine also has a number of farmers who have started breeding ostriches. This business is quite profitable, and this is how you can make a profit:
- Organize excursions to the ostrich farm.
- Get very healthy and expensive dietary meat.
- Poultry skin, especially leather, is also highly prized.
- Ostrich feathers are quite expensive.
- The women of fashion use eyelashes by gluing them to their upper eyelid.
- The claws are also recycled.
As you can see, an ostrich farm is practically waste-free production. A useful ointment is made from ostrich fat, which has healing properties. Even the claws of a bird are used. They are sewn onto fur coats as a fastener. Animal droppings are used as soil fertilizers. Therefore, it is beneficial to keep ostriches. Plus, they make souvenirs from eggs. To do this, turn it upside down with a blunt end, bring the edge of a knife or nail to it, carefully hit it with a hammer, free this small place from the shell, slightly mix the protein with the yolk using a hollow tube. Then you need to blow into it and the contents of the egg leaks into a substituted pan. It is enough for cooking scrambled eggs for 8-10 people or for an omelet for fifteen.
After that, the inside is carefully washed, after the shell is prepared, it is painted, and a real work of art is obtained.
As for ostrich meat, its price is quite high - 600-900 rubles per 1 kg.
If you get a special incubator, then you can remove ostriches from the eggs for your farm or for sale. This is also quite beneficial. Since they buy chicks for $ 100, and the cost of one little ostrich that hatches from an egg is about $ 30.
Experienced ostrich breeders recommend buying the first ostriches for breeding in a reliable reputable farm or Agrosoyuz.
Here are the detailed prices for ostrich products (rubles):
- Ostrich chicks (1 day) - 7,000
- Ostrich chicks up to 1 month - 10,000
- Ostriches 2 months - 12,000
- Ostriches 6 months - 18,000
- Ostriches 10-12 months - 25,000
- Sexually mature ostriches (2 years) - 45,000
- Adult ostriches (3 years old) - 60,000
- Family 4-5 years - 200,000
- Hatching ostrich egg - 3000
- Table ostrich egg - 800? 1000 (depending on weight)
- Empty ostrich egg, souvenir - 400
- Ostrich meat (in carcasses) 1kg - 250
- Ostrich meat (fillet) 1kg wholesale / retail - 650? 850
- Wet-salted ostrich skin 1, 2–1, 4 sq. M. - 3,000
- Ostrich leather dressed 1, 2 × 1, 4 sq. M. - 7,000
- Ostrich feathers - 50? 350
- Equipment for an ostrich farm, an ostrich incubator (64? 128 eggs) 75,000? 120,000.
How to keep ostriches
If you decide to breed these overseas birds, you need to think about where. The bird is large, moreover, it requires movement, so the area for keeping should be considerable. It consists of a paddock and a walk. If possible, you can rent, for example, an abandoned pig house. Such a room is great for this bird. It is important that the ceiling height is at least three meters.
Ostriches live in families, there are 3-4 females per male. Therefore, families are usually separated from one another. Separation walls do not need to be solid. Usually ostriches are kept in a room, which is divided into several sections by means of transverse slabs. How this is done and how to keep ostriches, the video below the article will tell you.
The same fences are required at the walking area. It should be quite spacious here for the birds to walk and feel at ease. The height of such a fence for adult ostriches is from 1 m 70 cm - up to two meters. As mentioned above, African ostriches are not afraid of frost, as they are perfectly adapted to extremes and lower temperatures. In their homeland, it can be + 50 ° C during the day, and at night the temperature can drop to + 5 ° C, so ostriches of this subspecies adapt perfectly to the weather conditions.
However, the room in which the bird will spend most of the time should be well adapted to this. If the floor is concrete, you need to lay straw, hay on it with a layer large enough so that the bird is not cold. You can keep ostriches on an earthen, wooden floor, then the layer of hay and straw can be slightly less. For 2 families, consisting of two males and six to seven females, the indoor area should be approximately 150 m2, and the area for walking - 5 thousand m2. Sand is poured on the floor of the part of the pen, which is adjacent to the room, this is necessary so that the ostriches take sand baths.
Rubber mats are laid on the concrete floor for young animals up to one month old.
If you want to separate the walking area with a metal mesh, it should have either a very small mesh so that the bird cannot stick its head in there, or a large one. After all, ostriches are curious by nature. If the size of the mesh cells allows, they will push their heads into the hole to see what is there? If the mesh cells are equal to the volume of the head, the bird can stick its head in there, but not back. Unfortunately, there were times when it ended sadly. Therefore, the size of the mesh must be taken into account or a fence made of wooden slabs.
Ostrich feeding
These birds are not picky at all. An adult ostrich eats 3 kg of food per day. They are fed twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. Most of the feed should contain vegetable feed - 70%. The rest is special mineral supplements for ostriches, compound feed.
Ostriches love cabbage very much, you can add fodder beets, carrots to it. Experienced farmers advise against introducing potatoes into the diet of this royal bird.
Vegetables are finely chopped, as ostriches have no teeth. If it's summer outside, add chopped grass, alfalfa, rapeseed, spinach. If this is the period when the ostrich does not lay an egg, you can add corn. Mixed feed is added to this mass, minerals are mixed. Food is poured into special wooden trays. It cannot be laid on the floor or on the ground.
Attention
Ostriches of any age should not be given parsley, and chicks should not be given rye. For better digestibility of food, sand and pebbles are poured nearby, which the bird pecks as needed. This promotes better digestion of food. Small stones, pebbles perform in this case the function of teeth - they grind pieces of food.
Feeding the chicks is different
After they hatch, they can not be fed for 2–6 days, since babies feed on the yolk sac at this time. He is in their umbilical cord for the first few days. However, they must have food. If an adult bird is allowed to eat on a schedule - twice a day, then the chicks' feeders should always be filled.
They are prepared a liquid mash of crushed alfalfa leaves, concentrated feed. Until the age of four months, the fiber content in the feed is limited. Ostriches can be given chopped apples, carrots. They peck eggshells and small stones with pleasure.
Limestone and shell rock should be freely available to young animals, since they are necessary for chicks to form a skeleton.
Every day, 5 grams of biotin and vitamins of group B are added to the feed for each ostrich chick. Also, young animals and adult birds should always have fresh water, although they may not drink for quite a long time.
What you need to pay special attention to
As mentioned above, ostriches should not be given parsley, small ostriches - categorically, potatoes - undesirable. Animals can swallow objects. Therefore, where these birds are located, it is impossible for nails and pipes to lie. An ostrich can swallow a hairpin or other similar object, which leads to dire consequences.
Breeding ostriches
In Central Russia, depending on the weather, the breeding season for ostriches begins in March and lasts until October. Sexual maturity in males and females occurs when they reach 2–3 years of age. During this period, the legs and neck of the male become bright, they make various sounds - hiss, trumpets.
Ostrich eggs in the photo Despite the fact that the male covers all the females in his harem, he incubates eggs in pairs only with the dominant one. In the ground or sand, the male digs a hole 30 × 60 cm deep, where all females lay their eggs. The weight of the eggs is 1.5–2 kg, and their length is 15–21 cm. In captivity, the eggs can be slightly lighter - 1, 2–1, 6 kg. The shell is quite dense - 0.6 cm thick. A child of 7-10 years old can easily stand on them.
A family of three birds will bring the owner 40-60 eggs per year. At ostrich farms, eggs are taken and taken to a sterile box, where an incubator is equipped. After 42 days, chicks are born here. At this time, you need to tirelessly watch whether the bird itself can break the shell in order to gradually get out. If not, the person gently breaks the shell with a special wooden mallet, so that it is easier for the ostrich to get rid of it. After that, the ostriches are transferred to special boxes, where they dry out in the warmth.
In the photo, young ostriches eat food. Young animals are kept separately - by age. At first, babies weigh 1? 1, 2 kg, by 4 months they gain weight 18? 19 kg.
Proper maintenance, proper feeding, disease prevention, care, care, adherence to important recommendations will help the little ostrich to soon become a large and strong bird.
Video on how to breed ostriches in Russia, how to feed and other tips for keeping birds in the winter:
Other photos of ostriches:
