Ostrich farms are mostly profitable enterprises. Many entrepreneurs today would like to organize such a profitable business in Russia. And, of course, novice farmers who decide to keep ostriches have many questions regarding the rules for keeping and breeding a finicky exotic bird.
For example, how often do ostriches lay eggs? How to properly collect, store and incubate them? Find answers to these and other questions in our article.
How do farms make money?
Farms specializing in ostrich farming organize several sources of income at once. In addition to excursions to the farm, entrepreneurs organize sales of:
- meat;
- ostrich leather;
- fat;
- feathers;
- eggs
Ostrich meat, like chicken, is considered a dietary product. It contains little cholesterol and is very popular among consumers. Now ostrich meat has surpassed beef and pork in popularity - its excellent taste and ease of preparation have captivated many housewives. Farmers sell ostrich leather, which has a unique texture, to factories for making clothes and shoes. Products made from it are soft, pleasant to the touch, and comfortable to wear.
The fat is sold to pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies. Ostrich feathers are used mainly for decorative purposes. Since they also have dielectric properties, they are often used to clean dust on electrical appliances.
Ostrich eggs
Farmers earn quite decent money from poultry meat, fat and skin. Ostriches grow very large; the weight of an adult can reach 160 kg with a height of 2 m. However, ostriches also produce another product that can bring excellent income to the farmer. Birds live 50-70 years, and for most of their life (about 40 years) they are able to lay eggs, the weight of which sometimes reaches 1.5 kg. So the answer to the question of how many eggs an ostrich lays per year and during its life is of interest to many novice entrepreneurs, we will talk about this below.
Farmers leave some of the eggs for incubation, since the population of ostriches, if they are also bred for the sale of meat, fat and skin, periodically needs to be replenished with young individuals.
Farmers sell some of their ostrich eggs for sale. In Russia, mainly expensive restaurants that offer exotic dishes to their customers are interested in such products. In Europe, ostrich eggs are often used in baking bread, buns, or making confectionery.
How often do ostriches lay eggs?
How much can a farmer earn from selling eggs, and how quickly does the herd of ostriches replenish? Females of this exotic bird usually begin laying eggs at the age of two years. However, male ostriches reach sexual maturity only at four years of age. This is exactly the period the farmer needs to wait so that the selected male breeder can fertilize the eggs.
Exotic giant birds fly differently than chickens and other poultry. The question of how many eggs ostriches lay per month, for example, may be somewhat incorrect. Their egg laying, unlike chickens, occurs in cycles of 30-40 days. Female ostriches have about three such productive periods per year. Using certain care technologies, farmers achieve 4-5 cycles per year.
During the productive period, female ostriches usually lay eggs every other day, most often in the afternoon. That is, the answer to the question of how many eggs an ostrich lays, the answer will be: 15-20 eggs per cycle and about 60-100 eggs per year.
How long does it last
The process of laying eggs occurs every other day. After which the female rests and gains strength. During the season, a healthy pair of birds produces eggs with a fertilization rate of over 92%. At the beginning and end of the period, she may be unfertilized.
How long will it take the female to replenish the clutch? This happens for about 2 months. If the birds started laying in February, then the last offspring should be expected at the end of March. In the autumn, ostriches give eggs in the same rhythm, thanks to which the owner receives new offspring and fresh products.
The egg takes 2 days to form. If you provide the female with good living conditions and good nutrition, she will bring 12 - 17 pieces per cycle. This is followed by a 1-2 week break. During the warm period of the year, old women have on average 2–4 such cycles. The reason for the cyclical nature of these birds has not been fully elucidated by scientists. Some sources claim that sometimes the cycle is long, with up to 27 eggs produced, and sometimes short, with birds producing around 12 eggs.
How ostriches rush
So, we found out how often ostriches lay eggs. But what conditions should be created on a poultry farm in order for it to increase productivity? As with chickens, farmers install nests in the aviary and rooms for ostriches. They are most often installed in the most secluded corner. Like chickens, female ostriches do not choose or defend their “private” space. Several giant hens can lay eggs in the same nest.
Female ostriches take turns guarding the clutch. At night they are usually replaced by males. A bird usually has 20-25 incubated eggs in one nest.
Care and maintenance
On ostrich breeding farms, different housing systems can be used, differing in the rate of maturation of individuals.
There are different options for keeping birds:
- Intense. Incubators are used for breeding. The collected eggs are used to breed ostriches. Birds are kept in a limited area. Ostriches get along well with the workers who serve them. Mandatory activities: daily cleaning;
- disinfection of drinking bowls and feeders;
- regularly - examination by a veterinarian;
- vaccination.
The farmer shares his experience in keeping and breeding ostriches in the video below:
Territory
The ostrich needs a lot of free space. Especially with the extensive method of keeping. Characteristics of a site suitable for ostriches:
- there must be a forest belt - protection from the winds;
- distance from the city and highways;
- supply of communications - electricity and water;
- land - with grass cover;
- dry area - groundwater level 1 m or more;
- it is desirable that the site has a slight slope of the terrain to the south - so that it is better illuminated by the sun;
- Wetlands and damp lands are contraindicated;
- corral length – from 40 m;
- walking area – 0.4 hectares;
- The territory is fenced with a high 2-meter fence.
To fence an area, a metal mesh with small mesh is usually used so that birds cannot stick their heads through it. The approximate size of the cells is 30x30 cm.
Room
The former pigsty will be used as an ostrich house. We'll just have to organize a new stall. Features of the room in which ostriches are kept:
- A family, which includes a male and two females, should have an area of 12x16 m.
- Door width – 120 cm.
- The recommended stall height is at least 3 m.
- High quality lighting.
- If the floor in the stall is concrete, you need bedding - hay or dry shavings. Otherwise the bird will freeze.
- The area of the pen adjacent to the room is sprinkled with sand - birds love sand baths.
Male ostriches are polygamous; there are up to 4 females in a family. It is advisable to keep families separately - by installing partitions in the stall through which the birds can see their neighbors.
Features of the arrangement of the nest and feeders:
- The nests that the ostrich makes need to be sprinkled with a little fine gravel to ensure drainage. After the gravel, clean sand is poured.
- Feeders and drinkers are installed near the fence so that staff can fill and clean them without entering the enclosure.
- The dimensions of the feeder for one family are length 120 cm, depth 15 cm.
- The dimensions of the drinking bowl are length 75 cm, depth 20 cm.
Conditions of detention
To make ostriches comfortable and not get sick, you need to adhere to the following rules:
- Clean stalls daily.
- Systematically disinfect the room.
- Change water in drinking bowls daily.
- It is necessary to provide a special microclimate in the room:
- Ventilation. The room should be ventilated regularly. The minimum air exchange in a room with 100 ostrich chicks weighing 5 kg is 750 cubic meters. m/hour.
- Temperature. The optimal temperature is 15°C.
- Humidity. High humidity promotes the development of microorganisms, fungi, and leads to respiratory diseases. The humidity in the room for ostriches should not exceed 60%.
- Gas contamination. Determined by ammonia content: 0.001-0.002% - smell;
- 0.003-0.0035% – the risk of respiratory diseases increases;
- 0.0035-0.004% – the bird’s appetite decreases
- from 0.005% – ostriches’ eyes become inflamed and watery, they grow poorly.
Ostriches don't like noise. They may even be afraid to turn on the fan. A sharp sound provokes them to run. While running away, the bird may fall, get hurt, hit a fence, etc.
Inventory
The main equipment needed to equip an ostrich farm is drinking bowls and feeders.
There are options:
- Hanging - they are hung on fence posts or trees. Hanging height – 1-2 m.
- Car tires cut in half. Holes are drilled in the bottom to drain water.
- Plastic containers with legs are a more expensive option.
A concrete feeder is not the best option. It is not recommended to place feeders on the ground, as crowding may occur during feeding.
When birds push, they can hit the feeder and injure their legs. It is prohibited to use metal products such as gutters and drums as feeders.
How to pick up eggs?
We found out how many eggs an ostrich lays per day. In a cycle of two days, the giant bird lays an average of one egg. It is quite expensive on the market, and therefore the eggs laid by ostriches must be handled very carefully and correctly. Collection, storage and transportation of the most valuable product is a responsible procedure. The loss of even a few ostrich eggs can result in significant losses for the farm.
It is advisable to take each egg for storage immediately after it is laid. That is, you need to constantly check the nests in the room reserved for the birds or in the outdoor aviary. Farmers who breed ostriches have noticed that frequent collection of eggs stimulates female ostriches to continue laying: in this way, the bird subconsciously tries to make up for the loss of “offspring.”
The answer to the question of how many times an ostrich lays eggs per cycle is 15-20 eggs, so the farmer will have to look into the birds’ nests more often.
Ostrich eggs must be collected immediately, but the laying hens themselves must not be disturbed during the procedure. If the female has already done her “work” but has not yet left the nest, you should not approach her. It is advisable to collect ostrich eggs without attracting the attention of the bird. The habits of the males of these giant representatives of the fauna also include the protection of the clutch, so the ostriches will have to be distracted with something before collecting the eggs. Otherwise, the farmer may be seriously injured by the angry bird.
Before collecting eggs, the farmer should wash his hands with soap and prepare a container in which he will place the eggs. When collecting ostrich eggs, under no circumstances should you make any sudden movements. You should place eggs in the basket as carefully as possible so as not to break the precious product.
Characteristics of eggs
The shell of such a fruit is extremely similar to porcelain, therefore it is used in artistic direction. A variety of products are made from it and painted or engraved.
The eggshell is surprising in its large size and it is fairly light, but is highly durable. Such a shell is difficult to break. Its color scheme is associated with the color of bird feathers.
Stately, dark-colored Emu ostriches lay dark greenish eggs, white-gray birds are stockier, but bear picturesque pink-yellow fruits.
The yolk has a rich yellow color. To hard-boil an ostrich product, it will take 1 hour and 15 minutes.
The eggshell is surprising in its large size, but it is quite light, but durable. It's hard to break. The color scheme of the eggs is associated with the color of the feathers of the individuals.
Proud Emu ostriches with stately necks and dark colors lay dark greenish eggs, white-gray birds are more squat and bear beautiful pink-yellow fruits.
The yolk has a rich yellow color. To prepare hard-boiled eggs, cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Only one egg is taken to prepare one dish. But, often this is a lot, so you can cook it in parts, and store what’s left in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days. Due to the good strength of the shell, ostrich eggs can last up to three months.
The ostrich egg is highly durable and you can stand on it without fear.
What to do after collection
We found out how often ostriches lay eggs. You need to pick up the clutch on time and store the eggs with all precautions. After collection, each egg is inspected for cracks. A specimen with defects should be set aside and consumed as quickly as possible. Contaminated eggs are carefully washed and dried. This simple procedure has its own subtleties: you can wash ostrich eggs only with warm water, the temperature of which is approximately +40 °C. Cold water should never be used, otherwise the ostrich eggs will begin to “wrinkle,” which will cause pathogenic microflora to penetrate the shell, which will kill the unhatched chick or infect it with an infection.
You need to add a little iodine or bleach to the water for washing eggs. Dried stains must first be soaked. It is strictly forbidden to scrape them off, for example, with a knife, otherwise you can damage the outer layer of the shell, which will also cause infection of the protein and yolk by microorganisms and, as a result, rapid spoilage of the product.
Poultry health
The biggest danger for an ostrich farm is infection. Due to some disease, you can lose your entire livestock. Most often, ostriches suffer from respiratory diseases and digestive disorders.
To maintain the health of the ostrich population, you need to:
- Comply with sanitary and hygienic standards. Cleaning - daily. The staff only wears gloves.
- Check droppings for worms and intestinal infections.
- Follow the vaccination schedule recommended by veterinarians.
- Set up a quarantine pen for purchased ostriches.
How to properly incubate
When ostriches begin to lay eggs, we found out earlier in the article. For incubation, farmers collect eggs only from young laying hens at least 2-3 years old, provided that they have been fertilized by mature males over 4-5 years old. If eggs are intended for incubation, they can be stored for no more than 7-10 days. Of course, to breed ostrich chicks artificially, you should purchase special equipment.
Provided that eggs are continuously laid in a special incubator, the optimal temperature for the development of embryos will be +36...+36.5 °C. The humidity should be equal to:
- for African ostrich eggs - 20-35%;
- rhea - 23-35%;
- emu - 32-44%.
Immediately when laying eggs, the temperature in the incubator is raised to +37.2 °C. Then the temperature is gradually, over about 5 days, slowly reduced to the required +36 °C. At the end of incubation, the temperature is reduced to a value that is 2 °C higher than the ambient temperature.
Caring for ostrich chicks
How viable the ostrich chicks will be depends on the correct incubation and compliance with the rules for raising young animals.
The chicks are not fed for two to three days after hatching - they receive nutrition from the yolk sac. After a week, the chicks begin to be fed with starter food.
Chicks under 4 months of age should not be given fiber.
Housing for young animals should be dry and warm. Babies are kept separately from their parents. The room temperature should be at +30…+33 °C. Chicks can be released to pasture when there is no dew - otherwise they will get sick.
When feeding ostrich chicks, it is important to maintain the norms of calcium, manganese, zinc, and phosphorus. On the 4th day, chicks can be given:
- finely chopped clover leaves mixed with feed;
- a mash of cottage cheese, ground corn and boiled egg.
Plant stems must be fed finely ground, otherwise, lingering in the gastrointestinal tract, they can lead to the death of birds.
Chicks are given feed containing from 19 to 24% proteins. Walk them for half an hour twice a day. Pebbles are poured into a separate feeder. It is important not to let the chicks go out to pasture hungry - if they overeat the alfalfa stalks, they may die.
