What do ostriches eat at home and in natural conditions. What do ostriches eat in the wild and at home

African ostrich(lat. Struthio camelus) is a keelless flightless bird, the only representative of the ostrich family (Struthinodae).

Its scientific name in Greek means " camel sparrow».

The ostrich is the only modern bird that has a bladder.

common feature

The African ostrich is the largest bird of modern birds, its height reaches 270 cm; it weighs up to 175 kg. "A very principled bird" - the ostrich has a dense physique, a long neck and a small flattened head. The beak is straight, thin, with a horny "claw" on the mandible, quite soft. The eyes are huge - the largest among land animals, with thick cilia on the upper eyelid. The mouth opening reaches the eyes.

Ostriches are flightless birds. For their typical complete absence and underdeveloped pectoral muscles; the skeleton is not pneumatic, except for the femurs. The wings of ostriches are underdeveloped; two fingers on them end with claws or spurs. The hind limbs are long and strong, with only 2 fingers. One of the fingers ends with a semblance of a horn - the bird leans on it when running. When running, an ostrich is able to reach speeds of up to 60-70 km / h.

The plumage of an ostrich is loose and curly. Feathers grow over the entire body more or less moderately, so that pterylia are also absent. The structure of the feather is primitive: the beards are practically not linked together, therefore the feather does not appear dense plates-fans. The head, neck and hips are not feathered. There is also a bare patch of skin on the chest, the pectoral callus, on which the ostrich rests when it lies down. The plumage color of an adult male is black, and the feathers of the tail and wings are snow-white. The female ostrich is smaller than the male and is monotonously colored - in grayish-brown tones; wing and tail feathers are off-white.

The ostrich forms a few subspecies that differ in size, skin color on the neck, certain features of biology - the number of eggs in the clutch, the presence of litter in the nest, the structure of the eggshell.

Distribution and subspecies

The ostrich habitat covers dry, treeless places in Africa and the Near East, including Iraq (Mesopotamia), Iran (Persia) and Arabia. But due to intense hunting, their population has been greatly reduced. Near Eastern subspecies, S. c. syriacus, has been considered since 1966. Even earlier, in the Pleistocene and Pliocene, different types of ostriches were widespread in Frontal Asia, in the south of Eastern Europe, in Central Asia and in India.

There are two basic classes of the African ostrich: East African ostriches with reddish necks and legs, and two subspecies with bluish gray necks and legs. Subspecies S. c. molybdophanes, found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia, is sometimes isolated as a separate species - the Somali ostrich. Another subspecies of ostriches with grayish necks (S. c. australis) lives in southwestern Africa, where its range is very mosaic. In subspecies S. c. massaicus, or Masai ostriches, during the mating season, the neck and legs are painted bright red. Another subspecies is distinguished - S. c. camelus in North Africa. Its natural range extends from Ethiopia and Kenya to Senegal and in the north to eastern Mauritania and southern Morocco.

Ostriches with reddish necks, found in southern Africa, for example, in the Kruger State Park (South Africa), are imported individuals.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The ostrich lives in open savannas and semi-deserts, north and south of the equatorial forest zone. Outside the mating season, ostriches are usually kept in small packs or families. The relatives consist of an adult male, four or five females and chicks. Often ostriches graze together with herds of zebras and antelopes, and together with them make long migrations across the African plains. Due to their own height and beautiful eyesight, ostriches are the first to notice danger. In the event of a threat, they take flight, speeding up to 60-70 km / h and making steps in 3.5-4 m wide, and as needed abruptly change the direction of the run without slowing down. Young ostriches already at the age of one month can run at speeds up to 50 km / h.

The usual food of ostriches is plants - shoots, flowers, seeds, fruits, but on occasion they also eat small animals - insects (locusts), reptiles, mice and leftovers from predators' meals. In captivity, an ostrich needs about 3.5 kg of food per day. As ostriches don't have teeth, to grind food in the stomach, they swallow small stones, and often everything they come across: nails, pieces of wood, iron, plastic, etc. Ostriches can do without water for a long time, getting water from the plants they eat, but with case willingly drink and love to swim.

The testicles of ostriches, left in the absence of supervision of adult birds, often become the prey of predators (jackals, hyenas), as well as carrion birds. Vultures, for example, take a stone in their beak and throw it at the egg until it breaks. From time to time the chicks are caught by lions. But adult ostriches are not safe even for large predators - the 1st blow of their strong leg, armed with a hard claw, is enough to seriously injure or destroy a lion. There are cases when males, defending their area, attacked people.

The legend that a frightened ostrich hides its head in the sand may come from the fact that a female ostrich, sitting on a nest, in case of a threat, spreads her neck and head on the ground, trying to become inconspicuous against the background of the surrounding savannah. Ostriches do the same when they see predators. In that case, to approach such a hidden bird, it instantly jumps up and runs away.

Ostrich on the farm

The beautiful flight and control feathers of ostriches have long enjoyed consumer interest - they were used to make fans, fans and plumes of headdresses. The strong shell of ostrich eggs was used by African tribes as vessels for water, and in Europe, beautiful goblets were made from these eggs.

Because of the feathers that were used to decorate ladies' hats and on fans, ostriches were practically exterminated in the 18th and early 19th centuries. If in the middle of the XIX century. ostriches were not bred on farms, then by the present time, perhaps, they could have already been completely exterminated, as the Middle Eastern subspecies of the ostrich was exterminated. At the moment, ostriches are bred in more than 50 countries around the world (including countries with a cool climate, such as Sweden), but most of their farms are still concentrated in South Africa.

At the current time, ostriches are bred mainly for the sake of expensive skin and meat. Ostrich meat resembles lean beef - it is lean and does not contain enough cholesterol. Additional products are eggs and feathers.

Most of the coats of arms of Poland have ostrich feathers in the crest. The coat of arms of Australia is a shield supported by a kangaroo and an emu - animals that live exclusively in this country.

reproduction

The ostrich is a polygamous bird. In most cases, ostriches have the opportunity to meet groups of 3-5 birds - one male and a few females. Only in non-breeding time, ostriches from time to time gather in packs of up to 20-30 birds, and immature birds in southern Africa - up to 50-100 individuals. Male ostriches during the mating season occupy an area from 2 to 15 km2, driving away rivals.

When it's time for breeding, male ostriches lek in a peculiar way, attracting females. The male kneels down, rhythmically beats his wings, throws his head back and rubs the back of his head against his back. The neck and legs of the male during this period receive a colorful coloring. Competing for females, males emit hissing and other sounds. They can trumpet: for this they gain a full goiter of air and push it with force through the food tract - with all this, a semblance of a deaf roar is heard.

The dominant male covers all the females in the harem, but forms a pair only with the dominant female and hatches the chicks together with her. All females lay their eggs in a common nesting hole, which the male scrapes out in the ground or in the sand. Its depth is only 30-60 cm. The testicles of ostriches are the largest in the bird world, although they are small relative to the size of the bird itself: testicle length - 15-21 cm,weight - from 1.5 to 2 kg(this is approximately 25-36 chicken eggs). The shell of ostrich eggs is very thick - 0.6 cm, its color is usually straw-yellow, less often darker or snow-white. In North Africa, the total clutch usually consists of 15-20 eggs, in the south of the continent - 30, in East Africa the number of eggs reaches 50-60. Females lay eggs, apparently once every 2 days.

The eggs are alternately incubated during the day by females (because of their patronizing coloration, merging with the landscape), at night by the male. Often during the day, the testicles are left unattended and heated by the rays of the sun. Incubation lasts 35-45 days. Nevertheless, often many testicles, and from time to time all, die due to understaying. The chick cracks the strong shell of an ostrich egg for about an hour, sometimes more. An ostrich egg is 24 times larger than a chicken egg.

A newly hatched ostrich weighs approx. 1.2 kg, and by four months achieves 18-19 kg. The chicks leave the nest the day after hatching and travel with their father in search of food. In the direction of the first 2 months of life, the chicks are covered with brownish hard bristles, then they dress in an outfit similar in color to that of the female. True feathers appear in the second month, and dark feathers in males - only in the second year of life. capable of reproduction ostriches become at 2-4 years old. Ostriches live up to 30-40 years.

Sources:

Ostriches compare favorably with other poultry in their ability to digest fiber exceptionally well, which is absorbed up to 60%, which significantly reduces the cost of fattening and allows you to get a unique quality of red meat with a low cholesterol content.

With an intensive method of keeping, compound feed or home-made grain mixtures containing ground corn, wheat, soybean or sunflower meal, premixes are included in feeding the birds; corn silage, hay or green mass of perennial grasses are introduced into the diet.

The extensive system saves on feeding, in this case the ostriches forage on pastures and consume less end feed, only in the form of a supplement to the main herbal diet. In South Africa, where ostriches have been kept on specialized farms for a long time and successfully, it has been experimentally determined that the bird gives the best gains when grown on pastures sown with alfalfa, while a pasture area of ​​1 hectare will be sufficient for 10 individuals.

At the same time, it is believed that it makes sense to keep birds at the age of two weeks to 3-4 months on pastures, and then transfer them to closed pens and feed mixed fodder and cut alfalfa in crushed or granulated form.

This allows for more economical and rational use of the food supply, since an adult bird tramples down perennial plants and cuts off leaves, leaving a bare stem. Intensive feeding of ostriches from the age of four months, allows you to end up with a better carcass.

Farmers grow ostriches in the fields of forbs when overseeding seradella, clover, and vetch. The bird perfectly forages on stubble after harvesting wheat or other cereal crops.

In a dry period with a small amount of natural food, as well as in a non-pasture period, feeding is carried out as with an intensive method, introducing concentrated feed and green mass into the diet.

With a limited area of ​​​​pasture, a semi-intensive method of keeping is used, in this case the bird stays on a small pasture, moves a lot, living in conditions close to natural, and at the same time receives the main feeding with concentrated feed in the form of granulated complete feed with the addition of green mass and grated vegetables. This method, as well as the method of intensive fattening for growing ostriches at home, is most suitable.

Features of feeding and diet

Newly hatched ostrich chicks can go without food for a long time - up to several days, which facilitates care and feeding when the chicks appear unevenly, and also makes it possible to transport them over a longer distance. Such a long period of stay of ostriches without food is possible due to the presence of a large residual yolk, which completely resolves by the age of 10-14 days.

The initial period of keeping is characterized by a short-term weight loss, but from the second week the chicks begin to gain weight intensively - 250-300 g per day, growing by about 1 cm every day. By the age of three months, the weight of ostriches is about 14-15 kg.

In the first days and in the pre-start period, lasting up to the age of two months, young animals are offered balanced feed for ostrich chicks, in the form of small grains with a fraction close to flour. If there is no specialized feed, they feed compound feed for chickens of meat and egg breeds or turkey poults. For little ostriches, food is poured onto spread out sheets of paper, tapping with a finger, since the chicks are curious and copy behavior, being interested in movements, they will soon begin to eat food on their own.

Young animals must be given gravel, otherwise they will not be able to grind the coarse particles of food in the stomach, they will suffer from indigestion and simply starve. The size of the gravel varies with the age and size of the bird, but in general the pebbles should be between 50% and 75% of the bird's thumbnail size.

According to some technologies, young animals are fed small amounts of adult ostrich droppings in order to populate the intestines of the chicks with beneficial microflora. This process is similar to feeding caecotrophic parents to rabbits. Such a manipulation can be carried out by giving the litter of a completely healthy bird, not infected with worm infestation or intestinal infections. If this is not possible, high-quality probiotics, such as OLIN, are used.

From the age of two weeks, greens - clover and alfalfa leaves - are included in the diet of ostriches, initially avoiding giving fibrous stems, which can provoke constipation or blockage of the esophagus. From the same age, finely grated carrots or pumpkin are gradually introduced into feeding.

In the initial period, which lasts from two to four months, it is advisable to feed compound feed in the form of small granules 3-4 mm in size, then they switch to 6-8 mm granules.

Frequency of feeding ostriches up to six months at least five times a day, young animals up to a year are fed four times a day, older birds - two or three times a day.

Below is a table of the content in feed for ostriches of the main nutrients at different stages of maintenance.

Throughout the content, the most important element is the presence of clean fresh water in the approximate proportion of 2.5 liters per 1 kg of dry food. In hot weather, the bird consumes more water, and in cool weather - about the norm.

Of the grain feeds, corn in combination with wheat, a small amount of oats and barley are considered the main and most suitable for the development of ostriches. The lack of a protein component is compensated by giving soybean meal, meat and bone meal and powdered milk, and for birds older than three months, sunflower cake is added to the feed mixture. Feed yeast is an excellent source of B vitamins and crude protein.

For the preparation of feed at home, special additives containing vitamins and minerals, as well as amino acids, the most important of which are lysine and methionine, must be added to the grain mixture.

Sources of protein, vitamins and fiber are the green mass of clover, alfalfa, oats, and in winter - the hay of these crops, as well as sainfoin, vetch, herbs. The table below shows the average cost of concentrated feed per ostrich aged from six months to one and a half years.

Feed costs for birds of different ages, kg/individual

*kg feed per kg weight gain

**average data at a sex ratio of 10 females and 6 males

Approximate annual requirement of an ostrich in the green mass of perennial grasses, including alfalfa, forbs, clover - 200 kg, the need for alfalfa hay - 120 kg.

With proper maintenance and sufficient feeding, ostriches gain weight at the following rates:

• 0-1 month - 0.75-3 kg
• 1-2 months - 3-10 kg
• 2-6 months 10-60 kg
• 6-11 months 60-100 kg
• 11-14 months 80-120 kg

The effective yield, and hence the income from the costly keeping of ostriches, to a large extent depends on the age and total weight of the bird at slaughter. The table below shows the data on the dependence of the output of the main ostrich products on the age and weight of the bird. After analyzing the indicators, one can be convinced that the greatest expediency of slaughter is with a bird weight of 120 kg or more.

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Breeding and raising ostriches is a profitable business that has been gaining more and more popularity in recent years. But for breeders who are just starting to breed these birds, the question of feeding the bird often arises. It seems to many that this exotic bird eats something special and expensive. In fact, caring for ostriches, keeping them and feeding them is not much different from keeping any other birds: ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens.

The diet of ostriches

Ostriches are omnivorous birds, not herbivores, as many people think. They eat both plant and animal foods equally well.

The basis of nutrition consists of grass and leaves, various seeds and roots. However, the favorite delicacy of adult birds is insects and reptiles. There is little difference between what ostriches eat in their natural habitat and at home.

Under natural conditions

Ostriches are inhabitants of the spacious savannas. In open spacious areas, they eat greens and young shoots. Grass is the basis of the diet. The bird can go without water for a long time, therefore, for nesting, it chooses an arid semi-desert, where there is a lower chance of meeting predators. In desert areas, they feed on seeds, roots and branches of shrubs. The lack of fresh grass is compensated by insects, small reptiles and even mice. An adult bird needs about 4 kg of feed per day. This amount of food is necessary for fast and long running and active energy exchange.

In a home setting

At home, feeding this large and strong bird is not difficult, but proper nutrition is essential for the health and well-being of the bird. With sufficient and balanced food, young animals grow well and quickly, and females become more productive. The taste of meat and eggs also depends on what the ostriches eat. There are several bird feeding systems:

1. intensive,
2. semi-intensive,
3. Extensive.

Feeding with an intensive system

The intensive system consists in the lack of pasture and the maintenance of birds in small enclosures. With this system of housing and feeding, it is extremely important to provide the birds with the right amount of hay and green fodder. A daily adult requires about three kilograms of compound feed mixed with finely chopped green fodder. If the bird has not eaten food, the amount is reduced. Green fodder should consist of herbs, spinach leaves, rapeseed and alfalfa. Outside of the breeding season, it is recommended to give corn-based feed mixtures.

With an intensive feeding system, the composition and amount of feed depends on the age of the bird:

Semi-intensive feeding system

The semi-intensive rearing and feeding system involves free grazing in the warm season and feeding with concentrated feeds and mixtures.

An important role is played by the creation of conditions close to natural and the ability to find food on their own. Breeding stock in December and January receives an additional kilogram of concentrates, and by March the amount of concentrated feed increases to three kilograms. All concentrates are given only together with chopped green fodder.

Extensive feeding system

An extensive feeding system implies minimal feed costs - in the summer months, birds find food on their own.

An exception can only be a dry or excessively rainy summer. Concentrated feeds are given to birds only in winter and in small quantities.

Regardless of the chosen feeding system, it is worth remembering that at home, the energy consumption of birds is much lower than in nature, which means they also need less food. On average, an ostrich needs about three kilograms of food per day. The protein balance throughout the year is well replenished with lupins, legumes or cake. Feeding of adult birds occurs once a day - more often in the morning.

In winter, vitamin supplements play an important role - grass flour, silage, vegetables, fruits and root crops. Vegetables and root crops must be thoroughly washed and finely chopped. Ostriches are very fond of cabbage, as well as carrots, apples, pears, fodder beets. Some birds feast on zucchini, lettuce, watermelons and melons. They can also be given crackers and fresh bread. Do not feed ostriches with potatoes and parsley. Substances contained in them lead to problems with digestion and death of young animals.

A separate feeder should always have shell rock, fine gravel or pebbles.

Drinkers should be installed in enclosures and pastures. Ostriches can go without water for a long time, but it is better to organize a good watering place for the birds.

Many breeders prefer to install automatic drinkers - they keep the water fresh and clean.

The diet of ostriches during breeding

During the breeding season, males and females require different diets. Females need more calcium, which is actively involved in the formation of eggs. It is better not to give calcium to males during this period - it reduces reproductive functions. An increase in nutrients in the diet of males threatens with obesity and the inability to fertilize a female. Breeders prefer to feed males and females separately during the period - this reduces the risk of problems with malnutrition of the bird. Males are recommended to be kept in an adjacent enclosure, releasing to the female for several hours for mating. However, you should first make sure that the female is full and remove the remnants of food from the feeder.

Feeding ostriches

Separately, it is worth considering the issue of feeding ostriches. Proper nutrition and housing conditions not only affect their growth and development, but also survival in general.

The first four days of life, the chicks do not need food - nutrition occurs due to the resorption of the yolk sac, which is almost half the weight of the newborn.

Subsequently, it is important to ensure that the feeders of the young animals are constantly filled with food. All food for chicks should be of high quality and fresh, especially wet mash. The mixer is made from concentrated feed with the addition of alfalfa leaves. Alfalfa stalks are best removed - they lead to digestive problems. In addition to the mash, young animals are given a chopped boiled chicken egg.

Ostriches can be put in a separate feeder sand with small pebbles, crushed shells, pieces of lime, as well as finely chopped carrots and apples. In the enclosure where the chicks are kept, you can organize a sand embankment. Young growth not only willingly takes sand baths, but also digs in the sand in search of pebbles, shell rock, pebbles and even insects. Shell rock, limestone and shells not only ensure good digestion, but also play an important role in the process of skeletal formation. Monthly, the ostrich grows by 30-35 cm, so the strength of the skeletal system is extremely important.

If necessary, vitamins can be added to the water. In the first months of life, it is recommended to give B vitamins to young animals at the rate of five grams per chick. Under natural conditions, the chicks peck at the manure of their parents, receiving from it the microorganisms necessary for digestion and development of the immune system. At home, the breeder decides for himself whether or not to give manure to the chicks. Minus - the possibility of infection of young animals with worms. Plus - less digestive problems in the future.

The first walks in good weather can be organized as early as three weeks of age.

And chicks should be transferred to enclosures no earlier than when they reach three months of age. The aviary for young birds should be separated from the pens for adult birds and have shelter from wind, rain and sun. Be sure to have drinkers. In rainy weather, ostriches need additional heating - heaters are installed in poultry houses for this purpose. Wet feathers threaten hypothermia and disease.

With the advent of winter, the number of walking is reduced. In frosty weather, as well as during icy conditions, it is better not to release the chicks. In the cold season, the chicks are fed with forb meadow hay, alfalfa, and concentrates. It is better to separate young animals intended for fattening and slaughter, and breeding young animals. During fattening, birds are advised to give more concentrates and feed, as well as vegetables and root crops.

At ostriches reach fighting weight at the age of 9-11 months with a weight of about 120 kilograms.

Further fattening is unprofitable - although ostriches continue to gain weight, the taste of meat is significantly deteriorating.

The ostrich is a feathered giant that looks like prehistoric animals. It is the largest non-flying creature with wings on our planet. This is due to the fact that he does not have a keel in the sternum. However, one born to run does not need to soar: he has powerful, strong legs and is an excellent runner. The weight of an adult can reach 150 kg, and height - 250 cm. Many people wonder what ostriches eat? Despite its impressive size, this gigantic creature belongs to herbivores, although sometimes it can treat itself to small amphibians or bugs.

Ostriches do not live in the most fertile corners of the Earth. They prefer to graze on savannahs or prairies, places where lush greenery or shrubs are not often found, which are the basis of their diet. In order to feed themselves and their offspring, they should make a lot of effort in finding suitable food.

One unique feature helps ostriches cope with difficult climatic conditions in arid regions: they are able to exist for a long period of time without water. When green bushes become insufficient for food, they switch to feeding on seeds, twigs and roots, interrupted, from time to time, by small reptiles. Together with the basic food, they swallow small pebbles contained in the soil, which contribute to better digestion of food.

During the day, this giant absorbs as much as 4 kg of food, but it is absolutely not demanding in the drinking regime. The habit of being content with a small amount of water for a long time led to the choice of a desert area as an areola, in the expanses of which birds even nest.

In home farm conditions, the diet of ostriches is more varied and nutritious:

• all types of cereals;
• alfalfa;
• clover;
• corn silage;
• nettle;
• beet;
• carrot;
• cabbage;
• legume crops.

Features of the digestive system

In birds of this species, there is no goiter, and the intestines, on the contrary, are too long. These characteristic features of the structure of the digestive system were not invented by nature by chance: they are “sharpened” for the processing of coarse fiber of plant origin. The caecum is especially oblong, because in this place the process of decomposition of plant fibers takes place. The stomach looks like a fairly powerful organ with thick walls.

The function of the goiter was taken over by the pancreas, in which food is temporarily collected. Then it passes into the stomach, in which small pebbles and sand are found in sufficient quantities, which have a beneficial effect on its grinding. The further path lies to the small intestine, which is about 5 m long, and passes into the 8-meter rectum, ending in the cloaca.

The diet of ostriches living on a farm or in a private household

The issue of ostrich nutrition is still under study, but many years of practice have proven that alfalfa is the best food for them. It is absorbed the fastest, perhaps that is why the birds are ready to eat it all year round. In the summer it is added to compound feed, and in the cold season it is offered in the form of hay.

The specifics of feeding African birds kept in conditions that are not typical of their natural habitat depends primarily on the time of year: in summer it is much easier to provide them with quality food than in winter. Most of the time they graze and get their own food. The owner of the farm can only make the necessary adjustments to the nutrition schedule, supplementing them with compound feed or cereals. Ostriches love cereals in all sorts of variations: corn, oats, barley, etc.

In a saturated diet, it is desirable to diversify the menu with nutritious legumes, which will significantly increase the energy value of the feed. Feathered giants eat grass in any variety. Nettle, clover and dandelions are very useful for their body.

Special mention deserves the fattening of young shoots. For feeding young animals, the menu for adults should be diluted with all kinds of mineral baits that will contribute to their growth. For these purposes, fish oil, chalk or bone meal are suitable. It is recommended to introduce these components into the diet of ostriches starting from 72 hours of age. Until this time, nutrition is based solely on the residual yolk.

There are intensive, semi-intensive and extensive methods of nutrition. These systems are still under development, but already show good results after application in ostrich farms. Choosing a certain scheme, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the climatic conditions of the ostrich's habitat, its age and physiological characteristics.

Intensive technique

When birds are free-ranged, they should be provided with a sufficient amount of hay and particulate green fodder, which must be mixed with grain-based food. One individual can consume up to 3 kg of this assortment.

The main component of the "lunch" should be in the form of rich, juicy grass-based feed. For these purposes, rapeseed, alfalfa or herbs are perfect.

At the stage of female readiness for oviposition, the intensity of feeding is increased for the entire period of "motherhood". If you suddenly make adjustments to the existing "culinary" regimen or reduce the degree of saturation of the body with nutrients, the bird may stop laying.

Note! We should not forget about the need for the presence of sand and pebbles in the diet of ostriches: they must be in constant open access.

Semi-intensive technique

This diet involves walking birds in pastures and abundant feeding with concentrated mixtures. If possible, birds should be provided with conditions reminiscent of their natural habitat and fed with natural-based feed. It is very important that they are engaged in the extraction of their livelihood in sufficient quantities.

At the laying stage, additional feeding should be provided to the birds. In winter, it is advisable to give ostriches 1 kg of compound feed, gradually raising this figure to 3 kg.

In addition, it is important to ensure the constant availability of dispersed green mixtures. When birds do not show much interest in the mating process, it is necessary to increase the intensity of feeding.

Extensive technique

The cost of food according to this technique is minimal: the bird is independently engaged in the extraction of food. In order to apply this method, the owner of the ostrich farm will need a fenced large area of ​​non-arable land on which birds can freely graze along with livestock. The only disadvantage of this system is its dependence on climatic conditions and natural characteristics. In the event of a dry period or, conversely, a prolonged rainy season, the pasture may not be suitable for walking birds.

Feeding during oviposition

The need to increase the saturation of the bird's body with nutrients during egg laying differs between the female and the male. For example, in expectant mothers, due to the maturation of the shell, the need for calcium increases significantly. But for proud dads, the presence of a large amount of this element in the diet can do a disservice: calcium will inhibit the absorption of zinc, which is so necessary for the formation of sperm.

During this period, the method of separate feeding is recommended. It is advisable to keep the male in an adjacent enclosure with the female, taking her to the territory for mating every other day. It is very important to ensure that the female is fed by the time of intercourse.

Nutrition of ostriches

Complete feeding and high-quality conditions of detention are the main components that contribute to the good survival of chicks. Newborn ostriches need feeding not from the first day of their birth: at first they exist due to the yolk sac. Then you should constantly ensure that the chick feeders are constantly full. Adults can be fed twice a day, and babies should be given 24/7 access to a high quality liquid formula based on concentrated feed and de-stemmed alfalfa.

This point is very important, because alfalfa stalks provoke constipation in ostriches.

Gradually, starting from the 16th week, food with a fiber content that exceeds the previous norm should be introduced into the menu of babies. Also, before this period, they are forbidden to graze in meadows with alfalfa. In addition to food for the first 4 months, babies are happy to eat chicken shells, limestone, carrots, small stones, an apple, in a word, everything that they can find in the walking area.

It is recommended to make a hill of sand and crushed shell rock in the aviary in order to improve the digestive processes of young animals. It is also desirable to add B vitamins and biotin to the feed. These elements are important for the good formation of a strong musculoskeletal system.

It is not advisable to keep mature individuals in the same enclosure with the younger generation. This prohibition is associated with the risk of infection.

Drinking regime

Feathered giants easily endure thirst. However, if you provide them with a large amount of drinking water, they will drink a lot, and with great pleasure. It is advisable to water them at the same time as feeding. To maintain the chick population, it is very important to constantly add fresh water. In addition, drinkers should always be cleaned and comply with sanitary and hygienic standards. The recommended cleanliness of cleaning is 1 time per day.

Features of catering on ostrich farms

In order to organize a bird breeding business, it is important to understand how many elements they need for full development.

Accepted norms of nutrients

Indicators	Starting type of diet	For young animals	For an adult bird
Metabolic energy, kcal/g	2540	2430	2485
Crude protein, %	18	19	20
Crude fat, %	4	4,25	4,40
Crude fiber, %	8	10	10
Dehydrated fiber, %	15	15	16
Calcium, %	2	2	2,5
Phosphorus, %	1	1	1
Lysine, %	1	1	1,2
Methionine, %	0,34	0,34	0,4
Cystine, %	0,3	0,3	0,3

In the form of additional food, you can feed cake and meal to birds. It is very important to give babies only soybean meal until they are 12 weeks old. Boiled potatoes and chopped vegetables will also have a good effect on their body. In no case should you feed parsley.

Annual feeding rate of birds

Taking into account the fact that the ostrich is a rather large and active creature, the space for its breeding should be large enough in terms of the area it occupies. Novice farmers should equip a paddock and paddock for birds. An aviary for pigs can be converted as a place for birds to live. A pigsty is great for housing ostriches, but you need to make sure that the height of the ceilings is approximately 3 m. These African birds prefer living together in families. As a rule, one male takes care of 4 females at the same time.

If desired, you can fence off the walking area from the "home" territory using a metal mesh with a small mesh. This is necessary so that a naturally curious bird does not have the opportunity to stick its head through the hole.

Popular questions when breeding ostriches

Novice farmers who decide to acquire a feathered farm for the purpose of breeding birds will be interested to get acquainted with the statistics that make the ostrich business so attractive.

How profitable is the ostrich business?

Ostrich meat is invaluable because it is dietary. The amount of fat in it is extremely small, the cholesterol level is very low, and the protein content, on the contrary, is very high. Such positive meat characteristics allow this type of meat to top the lists of the most popular products. An important point is the rapid weight gain in poultry: in terms of the rate of weight gain, they will give odds to any farm animal. In the list of indisputable advantages, one can also add the fact that ostriches are quite unpretentious in feeding, while up to 40 kg of pure meat comes out from one adult.

The skin of this feathered one is in no way inferior to the skin of a crocodile or a snake in terms of its popularity. It is used in the production of belts, shoes, bags, clothes, and about 1.5 square meters comes out of one mature bird. meters of skin.

Ostrich feathers are also widely used: in the filling of pillows, jewelry and all kinds of accessories, in the lining of down jackets and jackets, etc. With a standard haircut once every 8 months, you can get up to 2 kg of feathers from one adult.

Ostrich eggs are known throughout the world, although they are not very suitable for culinary purposes. But this product is of great value to farmers who want to breed birds. During one season, the female lays up to 50 eggs.

Tips for ostrich farmers

For the purpose of artificial breeding of ostriches, it is necessary to use a double incubator. For the first 39 days, the eggs must be kept in the main incubator. After they are placed for about 1 week in a brood incubator, which differs in keeping conditions: lower temperature and higher humidity.

The ostriches continue to live in it for about 3 days after hatching, then they are transferred to a separate room with a strict temperature regime of 25 ° C. It is possible to let the younger generation into fresh air if the air has warmed up to 18 ° C.

Video - How to keep ostriches at home

Due to the fact that ostriches gain weight very quickly when fed relatively inexpensive feed, and their meat has excellent palatability, breeding birds of this breed is a very profitable investment with a quick return on investment. In addition, in addition to dietary meat, ostriches have excellent plumage, which is widely used in industry. Despite the fact that these African birds come from warm, southern countries, due to their unpretentiousness, they take root perfectly on our continent and give full-fledged offspring.

The African ostrich is the largest living bird, reaching 2.7 meters in height and weighing 160 kg. Ostriches are herbivores and feed on grass in pastures, shrubs, and tree shoots. Often eat insects and small vertebrates. Ostriches have very sharp eyesight and good hearing. Ostriches are excellent runners, in case of danger they can run at speeds up to 70 km/h. In battle, they are quite brave and as rivals are dangerous. The two-toed ostrich paws are a reliable weapon. For one centimeter of the human body, when an ostrich is kicked, there is a force of 50 kg. African ostriches live on average up to 60-70 years. Females are productive for 25-30 years, males up to 40 years. In nature, ostriches live in groups - one male with several females.

Breeding

For breeding in households, the largest among other types of ostriches, the African black ostrich, is most suitable.

The African black ostrich is a cross between a South African and a North African. The growth of an adult male can reach 2.7 m, body weight - up to 150 kg, females - 2 m and 120 kg, respectively.

Ostriches are considered long-lived, as they can live up to 80 years. However, the reproductive function of these birds persists only up to 40 years.

While African black ostriches begin egg-laying at the age of four in their natural habitat, at home it starts much earlier - from 2 years. If under natural conditions the female usually lays 12-18 eggs, then in the household she can bring from 40 to 110 eggs. The average weight of one egg is 1400-1900 g. Depending on the weight of the egg, the incubation period ranges from 42 to 45 days.

A feature of breeding ostriches is that the female and male take turns incubating eggs: the female - during the day, and the male - at night. It turns out that if one female brings 60 eggs, then up to 40 chicks can be hatched, the live weight of which can exceed 100 kg per year of cultivation. Thus, the total amount of meat in live weight will exceed 4 tons, which is not capable of any farm animal.

cultivation

It is recommended not to feed or drink during the first 6-8 days, so that the body absorbs the residual yolk and excess moisture from the muscles. Ostrich chicks endure this very easily. During this period (the first week), the chicks should be kept in a room with heating lamps, protected from drafts.

In nature, ostriches first peck at the manure of their parents, as a result of which they receive microorganisms that help the digestion of plant fiber in the intestines and contribute to the development of the immune system of a growing bird organism. They begin to feed the ostrich cubs with chopped alfalfa, which contains a lot of protein. Stimulation of feeding, especially when previously unknown food appears, is carried out with the help of older chicks, which eat food on their own.

Chicks, imitating the elders, are accustomed to food. Granular feed can first be poured onto the floor, and when the chicks are accustomed to eating from the floor, the feed is poured into the feeders. You can also use hard-boiled eggs to train them to eat.

You can not keep chicks on a sandy surface. Ostriches that have reached the age of three months can be kept in pens with canopies over feeders and heaters. They are included in rainy weather to dry the young. Ostriches grown without adult birds can be grazed in meadows and fields sown with perennial grasses throughout the warm period of the year. In this case, the ostriches quickly get used to the attendants and follow him in unison. Of herbs, they prefer clover and alfalfa. In winter, they are fed, like adult birds, with hay from grass mixtures.

At present, three varieties of the African ostrich, differing in the color of the neck, have become widespread in practical breeding. The first variety has a black neck (the so-called black African ostrich), ostriches of the second variety have a pink neck, and the third one has a blue one. African ostrich at home contain a fairly long period of time. Experience shows that these birds are quite smart, obedient and adapt surprisingly easily to new living conditions. Black African ostriches are the largest of the running birds and they make up the bulk of the world's farmed ostrich population.

The young growth of the black African ostrich is hatched in the incubator on the 42-45th day, usually without outside help. The chick has a mass of about 1 kg. Approximately 5 hours after leaving the egg, the body temperature of the ostrich cubs stabilizes at 38.6 C and they can be transferred to a heated room. It is desirable to equip the latter with electric or gas brooders, under which the temperature is maintained at 32-33 C, while in the room it can be 24-25 C. In the first weeks, ostriches are kept on a wooden or concrete floor with a planting density of 0.25-1, 0 sq. m floor area per head. At the same time, there should be no more than 40 ostriches in the group. From the age of three days, if the air temperature is not lower than 18 degrees, the ostriches are taken out for some time to the yard, to an area fenced with a solid fence measuring at least 4x10 m. This is necessary so that the ostriches can move freely and develop the joints and muscles of the legs. For this purpose, water and food are placed at opposite ends of the site.

After three weeks and up to 6 months, the area in the room for each ostrich gradually increases from 2 to 10 square meters. m. From the age of 6 months, a grown bird needs at least 10 square meters indoors or under a canopy. m area per head. In addition, ostriches must use outdoor pens, which increase in size with age. The height of the fences (board or metal mesh) is 1.5-2.0 m, the optimal area of ​​the pens is at least 5 m2 for each ostrich aged up to 2 months, at the age of 3 to 6 months it increases from 10 to 30 m square, older individuals require 50 square meters. It is desirable that corrals be arranged on grass crops with their subsequent rotation. Shrubs and trees can be planted along the plots designated for paddocks.

What to feed

When breeding ostriches at home, much attention is paid to their nutrition. So, for example, with normal food, young animals grow and develop well, females increase productivity. Today, the best food for African birds throughout the year is alfalfa. In winter, it is given in the form of hay, in summer - fresh with the addition of compound feed. They give at the rate of 1.5 kilograms per adult.

Allocate intensive, semi-intensive, normalized and extensive feeding system. Alfalfa, grass and compound feed form the basis of the latter type of feeding. With intensive or semi-intensive, grains, legumes, mineral and vitamin feeds are added to the greens. Their number depends on the productivity of the bird.

It is worth noting that these ostrich feeding programs are still very conditional and developed on the principle of analogy with other poultry. But, as practice shows, there is a place of its existence. However, you should definitely take into account the place of residence of the African bird, its living conditions, use, age and weight.

In the summer, ostriches should spend most of their time on pasture, on pasture. Once a day, they add 1.5 kilograms of compound feed to special feeders. If the bird needs proteins, it is given lupins, soybeans, meal and cake. Amino acids are added for their better assimilation. For rearing young animals, additional minerals must be added to the feed. This, for example, chalk, bone meal, egg shells, crushed shells. You can also give bran.

As vitamin supplements, especially in winter, ostriches are recommended to give grass flour, alfalfa hay, and silage. Let's take a closer look at all the feeds:

green - grass, leaves, vegetables;
cereals - oats, barley, soybeans, corn;
protein feed - cake, meal, bone meal, baker's yeast;
hay - alfalfa, forbs, soybeans, silage;

It is important to feed the birds in the right way. For example, grain should be given in the form of turf, proteins in the form of flour, vegetables and root crops should be thoroughly chopped. In separate feeders, ostriches should be filled with small pebbles or gravel. For ostriches, there is a different diet, they do not even begin to feed them immediately, but only 6-8 days after hatching. But read about it in our next publications.