Home » Articles about ostriches » Ostrich egg weight
In captivity, in addition to African ostriches, rheas, emus, and cassowaries are bred. The weight of eggs laid by these birds, the color of the shell, and productivity differ.
Size and weight
An African ostrich egg weighs on average 1.5-2.2 kg (record – 2.35 kg). Length - 12-21 cm. The yolk accounts for about 350 g. The average weight of the shell is 200 g, its thickness is 6 mm. The strength is very high - the shell can withstand loads of up to 50 kg.
The mass of ostrich eggs is considered the largest in the world, but when compared with body weight, they can be considered one of the smallest. For reference, the height of an adult bird can reach 270 cm, and its maximum weight is 156 kg.
Emu eggs are smaller - 700-900 g. There are usually no more than 25 of them in the total clutch. In the “harem” of a male rhea there are up to 5-7 females; they lay up to 40 females in a nest. weighing up to 620 g (length - from 9 cm). In cassowaries, the weight of eggs reaches 650 g (length - up to 14 cm).
What a fresh ostrich egg should look like and weigh
The larger size of the bird means that an ostrich egg weighs about 1.2 kg and is equivalent to 20 hens. Standard dimensions 13 x 16 cm. Other characteristics:
- The shell color can vary from bright white to cream. At the same time, the surface is porous, but looks shiny.
- Despite the small thickness of the shell, 2-4 mm, ostrich eggs are very durable. Therefore, they do not break during transportation.
- Almost one kilogram of weight is accounted for by the protein, which determines the high value of the egg.
Good breeding of a bird can be determined by its uniform shell and regular oval shape. Deviation from the norm indicates a lack of the required amount of calcium in the diet.
It should be borne in mind that there are several types of ostriches; their eggs differ slightly in color. For example, emu eggs have a slight greenish tint.
It will take more than an hour to prepare a cool ostrich product. This part is dark yellow in color.
The cost of an ostrich egg is from 500 rubles / egg
Product Application
Due to its large weight, one ostrich egg can replace about 35 chicken eggs when preparing dishes. One piece is enough to feed 8-10 people. Hard boiling takes 70 minutes, soft boiling takes 45 minutes.
Unfertilized specimens laid by young females are used for food; fertilized specimens are used for incubation - they are hatched by a male and a dominant female. When there is a large amount of hatching material on farms, an incubator is used.
The shell is suitable for making crafts - dishes, decorative Easter eggs. To keep the shell intact, it is drilled, the contents are mixed with a long knitting needle and poured out. The shell is washed to remove any remaining egg mass and dried. Due to the large thickness of the material, carved patterns can be applied to the surface.
Cooking recipes
Ostrich eggs have a specific smell and sweetish taste. Most often they are used in preparation:
- omelettes or scrambled eggs;
- custard;
- various baked goods;
- meringue;
- salads and sandwiches.
An extremely interesting and unique dish is “egg cake”: a boiled egg is cut lengthwise, the “layers” are coated with a sauce made from mayonnaise, herbs and garlic.
An unbroken egg can be left in the refrigerator for a very long time - up to 3 months. It is best to consume the entire product at one time, although due to its size this may not be possible. The leftovers are stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, given that after this period it is better not to eat the egg.
Composition and indications for use
Calorie content of 100 g of product is 118 kcal. Due to its low cholesterol content, it is considered dietary. The yolk is bright yellow in color, the white is transparent. 100 g contains 12.2 g of protein, 11.7 g of fat, 0.7 g of carbohydrates. The composition contains carotenoids, vitamins A, E, group B, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, selenium, essential amino acids.
The taste of eggs is rich and pronounced. They can be stored for up to 3 months. Due to its beneficial composition, the product is especially recommended for people who have problems with the musculoskeletal system or are prone to obesity. It strengthens the immune system, strengthens bone tissue and teeth, improves hair condition, and has a positive effect on the nervous system. Contraindication for use – individual intolerance.
Flaws
An ostrich egg may not be digestible if a person is intolerant to the substances it contains. Children are especially prone to allergic reactions. Therefore, if you find yourself or your child with a rash on the skin, if signs of digestive system failure appear, it is better to avoid this product.
It should be remembered that cholesterol has a relatively low specific gravity in ostrich eggs, but this does not mean that they can be abused. Excess cholesterol is harmful to blood vessels. Moderation is important in everything.
Another disadvantage is the difficulty with opening. You won’t be able to break a shell the same way as a regular chicken shell.
Features of oviposition of African ostriches
Sexual maturity in female African ostriches occurs no earlier than 2 years. From this moment on, they begin to lay eggs in cycles of once every 2 days (the duration of the cycle is a little more than a month). Females are ready to conceive at 2.5-3 years, males mature for reproduction at 3.5-4 years. When a family is formed, there are usually up to 4 females per 1 male.
Females rush into a common nesting hole dug by the male. Masonry size – 30-60 pcs. for 1 cycle, depending on family size and living conditions. During 1 cycle, each individual produces 10-17 pieces. The break between cycles is 10-16 days. In captivity, females undergo up to 4-5 cycles - as a result, the annual productivity of each of them is 50-60 pieces. Females that lay fewer than 25 eggs per year are culled on farms.
The shell is strong, but porous, there is no film - this makes the product vulnerable to microbial damage. The color of the shell is white, straw-yellow, or less often dark. The weight of ostrich eggs is the largest among other birds. The duration of incubation is 42 days.
Where to buy
Today it is not difficult to buy a giant egg - you can purchase an exotic product by visiting ostrich farms or ordering home delivery via the Internet. During the season, farms offer fresh products with quality confirmed by certificates.
How much does an ostrich egg cost? The price of an “average” copy ranges from 1800 to 2200 rubles, but may be slightly higher. The purchase is destined to be a hit at any feast, since any dish made from an ostrich egg is very unusual for the average consumer.
Features of oviposition of rheas, emus, cassowaries
Emus begin to lay eggs at the 40th month of life, rheas - upon reaching the age of 2.5 years, cassowaries are ready to lay eggs at 3 years. The color of the eggshell is different. In emus it is dark green, almost black, in rhea it is yellowish-pink, in cassowaries it is green (from light to dark tones). The incubation period is, respectively, 56, 32-38, 52 days.
We use the shell
After eating an exotic egg, you can find a use for its shell. It is characterized by increased strength and is suitable for creating decorative products and souvenirs.
In ancient times, glasses, lamps, and boxes were made from this material. The cost of such products is quite high, since one wrong move by the craftsman can lead to cracking of the entire product. But even without engraving and painting, the shell, left without content, can become an interesting decorative item, finding its place in the interior of the apartment.
Conditions affecting egg weight
How much an ostrich egg will weigh depends on the quality of food and conditions of detention. The best indicators are for those females who receive daily food:
- carbohydrates - they are supplied by grains (millet, corn, barley, oats, bran);
- proteins of plant and animal origin - lupine, cowpeas, soybeans, insects;
- minerals (bone, meat and bone, fish meal);
- vitamins (green and succulent food, grass meal).
Large eggs are laid by females, who are raised in spacious enclosures. When keeping birds in captivity, attention is paid to the temperature regime - optimal indicators for good egg production: +16...+20 °C. To avoid disruption of egg laying, birds are protected from stress as much as possible.
Storage
The optimal storage temperature is 0…+8°C. A product with an intact shell can be stored at this temperature for 3 months and will not lose its beneficial properties.
If the contents were removed but not used immediately, you can put the leftovers in the refrigerator; in this form, the product can be stored for 2-3 days. But not longer!
How to get the contents?
The use of ostrich eggs is no different from what everyone is used to doing with chicken eggs. They are boiled and used to make scrambled eggs, omelettes, as well as bakery and confectionery products. However, there are still differences. They relate to the technical side of cooking. For example, to get rid of a shell, you cannot simply break it with the usual movement of your hand. Cooks have developed several methods.
- We need to find the dumber side. Place a knife with a sharp tip in the center. Tap it lightly with a hammer to mark the hole. By turning the knife, widen the hole until the tube fits into it (you can use a piece of a dropper). Insert the tube and move it up and down to break the membrane. Turn the egg with the hole down over the dish and blow into the tube. The contents will begin to pour out, pushed out by the air entering the shell.
- Gently tap the center of the blunt side with a heavy object, such as a metal knife handle. As soon as a crack appears, start breaking off pieces of the shell until you have a hole large enough to pour out the contents.
- If you want to keep the shell as intact as possible, you can use a drill. Drill 1 small hole in the center of the blunt end and 2 in the center of the sharp end. Place the egg over the dish with either end down and blow into the hole from the opposite side.
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All these methods are equally effective. Everyone chooses what is more convenient for them. The only problem is that the ends of ostrich eggs are not much different from each other, so it will not be easy to determine which one is blunter. But it is on this side that the air chamber is located. It will allow, firstly, to break the shell more easily, and secondly, to prevent the contents from spilling immediately after opening.
Which egg is the most valuable?
Ostriches lay eggs every other day, which makes their eggs even more valuable.
This question is most relevant for those who like to eat them. In fact, each of them has its own advantages. Chicken ones are considered the most affordable, which is why they are most often eaten. Their production and sale are controlled by law, so it is almost impossible to put low-quality products on the market.
As for quail eggs, they are very nutritious, but their small size does not allow you to get everything you need. It is recommended to eat 2 - 3 pieces per day, raw or cooked.
Ostrich eggs are considered a delicacy today. However, they are tasty and nutritious. They are really high in protein and various nutrients. But due to the peculiarities of Russian cuisine, you usually have to limit yourself to chicken and sawn eggs.
Thus, it is necessary to diversify your diet to get everything your body requires. It is strongly recommended not to eat raw eggs unless you are sure about the manufacturer. All of them are susceptible to salmonellosis. Also, do not eat expired foods. Bacteria can form in them, which will have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
The weight of the egg does not reduce its energy value and nutritional value. However, many people want to get the highest quality product. It is worth noting that the safest are medium-sized eggs. They were definitely demolished by birds that were not treated with genetic additives.
If you suspect that the egg is not fresh or there are other problems with it, it is better not to use it for food.
It is also important to comply with the requirements of the GOST-R system during storage. Then you can preserve the nutrients and value of the product for as long as possible
Units
Let's look at the defining formula A=F*s. =N*m=J. N is newtons, J is joules. How do you understand what 1 joule is? Let's draw a diagram in which we depict a force that does one joule of work.
The figure shows the initial and final position of the body. We moved it over a distance of 1 m. During the movement, a force of one newton was applied to the body. A=1 N*1 m=1 J. That is, one joule is the work done by a force of one newton when moving a body at a distance of 1 m in the direction of the force.
One joule is a small amount of work. To raise a kilogram weight 10 cm, you need to do 1 joule of work. To raise it to a meter height, you need to do 10 joules of work. If we talk about the work of cranes, they lift tons tens of meters. Therefore, other units of measurement of work are used: kilojoules, megajoules, etc. 1 kJ = 1000 J, 1 MJ = 10^6 J. The hand of the wall clock is driven by a motor. It does much less work than one joule. It is measured in millijoules. 1 mJ=0.001 J. There are also microjoules. 1 µJ=1*10^-6 J.
Beneficial features
An ostrich egg weighing 1.5 kg can contain up to 1000 g of protein and 320 g of yolk. And that means a decent dose of nutrients. Compared to the eggs of our usual poultry, ostrich eggs are more dietary, and also hold the absolute record for selenium and sodium content. They are rich in amino acids, minerals, vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids. For those wondering how many chicken eggs are in an ostrich egg, it will be interesting to know that the ratio is approximately 40:1.
Of course, one cannot fail to note the large size of ostrich eggs. From one such “egg” you can prepare an omelette for 10 people. Which, by the way, has been done in Polish restaurants for a long time. In size, this dish can be comparable to a large pizza. If the invasion of guests is delayed, the ostrich egg can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 months (if there is no damage to the shell) or simply cooked in portions, storing the leftovers in a tightly closed container (no more than 3 days). In addition, the ostrich egg has a strong taste, so adding it to baked goods can add some variety to our usual dishes.
