In Russia, many species of poultry are raised. Recently, farmers have been wanting to start breeding ostriches, as this type of business is considered profitable. Let's look at why these birds are raised, the main promising breeds, and how to organize the keeping, feeding and breeding of ostriches at home. How to organize an ostrich farm as a business.
Why are ostriches bred?
From the ostrich you can get not only the standard products for poultry - meat and eggs, but also fat, feathers, skin and even claws and beak. All this is valued in cooking and light industry as an exotic but valuable raw material.
Meat
Ostriches have a lot of meat, it is tasty, nutritious, but low in calories. Contains proteins in large quantities and contains almost no cholesterol. It tastes like beef, but in cost, of course, surpasses it. As for meat productivity, one bird weighing 100 kg can produce 55 kg of meat.
Eggs
One ostrich egg weighs, on average, 1.5 kg. From one bird you can get about 50 pieces per year. It, like the eggs of other birds, contains a lot of protein, vitamins and minerals. One such egg can feed several people at once; it contains the same amount of content as 20-25 chicken eggs. Various dishes are prepared from them, just like from chicken.
Leather
Because of the original design, ostrich skin is used to sew fashionable expensive bags, shoes and clothes (gloves, belts, etc.). Such products are waterproof, durable and valued by customers, even considered luxury items.
Feathers
Ostrich feathers are used to decorate dresses, hats, and suits. They are painted in different colors or left white. From one bird you can get 0.7 kg of feathers. Black and gray are used in the electronics industry to clean dust from precision mechanisms and parts.
Claws and beak
The ostrich has only 2 claws; they are used to make necklaces, pendants, and bracelets. The powder obtained from the claws is used as an abrasive for polishing precious stones.
Fat
You can remove 5-7 kg of fat from one carcass. It has anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and hypoallergenic properties.Fat is used in creams and ointments; it combines well with other valuable ingredients. Used to treat burns, skin diseases, arthritis, rheumatism.
Popular breeds
African ostriches include black, Namibian, Zimbabwean, and Masai breeds. Australian emus and American rheas are also bred. It is recommended to breed emus for meat, and rhea for eggs.
Premises and conditions of detention
Three methods are used for cultivation: intensive, extensive and mixed - semi-intensive. In the first case, the birds are raised in a small space, where they receive food. In the second case, ostriches grow in large areas, where they partially take care of themselves. The intensive method combines the principles of intensive and extensive methods. Two rearing schemes are used: when birds of the same age are raised together until slaughter age and when birds of different ages are kept in the same area.
Ostriches are kept in rooms with strong walls and high (from 3 m) ceilings. For 1 bird up to 3 months of age, at least 1 square meter will be required. m. They are kept in groups of 10-12 animals. A small number of ostrich chicks reduces the likelihood of diseases and makes care easier.
Rules for caring for birds at home for beginners
The floor of the poultry house is covered with a layer of dry straw or shavings. Wood shavings need to be introduced to shavings gradually, as birds can eat them. The room should be bright, warm, without drafts. The temperature in the room for young animals should not fall below zero.Adults are kept at a temperature of 20˚C and a humidity of 60%. The length of daylight hours is natural in summer, and at least 9 hours in winter. With good lighting, the birds' appetite increases and an increase in live weight is noted.
Ostriches do not like noise or sharp sounds. When frightened, they may run away, hit themselves, or injure themselves. Constant irritation from noise provokes in birds a decrease in productivity, food consumption, feather pecking and pecking. You need to care for ostriches in the same way as other birds, that is, remove droppings and bedding, ventilate the house. Clean feeders and drinkers every day to ensure no food remains in them.
A paddock for walking needs to be built next to the poultry house. Its walls must also be high - at least 2 m, and made of durable material. You can let ostriches out for a walk even in mild frost, but you need to make sure that the surface is not icy.
In addition to the poultry house and paddock, the farm must have a quarantine room where sick or suspicious birds, as well as newcomers, are placed.
Diet
The diet of ostriches consists of grain and grass. Grain can be varied: cereals, legumes. You can give any grass and tops of garden crops, graze on pastures with clover and alfalfa. Do not place in areas wet from dew or rain. This can lead to the death of the young.
For the winter, you can prepare silage, hay, and straw. They eat vegetables, fruits, fish and bone meal. Mineral additives include limestone, premixes, salt, and fine gravel. Ostriches need to be raised for 8-12 months before slaughter. By this age they reach 100-120 kg, the slaughter yield of meat is 55%.
Breeding Features
Ostrich families consist of 1 male and 4-5 females. Both parents incubate the eggs.
Mating season
Sexual maturity in male ostriches occurs at 2-2.5 years, in females - at 2 years. You can determine that a male is ready for mating season by the color of his legs, beak and skin around his eyes. They turn red. In African breeds, the mating season lasts from March to October. Weather conditions may cause minor adjustments to these dates.
Oviposition
The female can lay 40-80 eggs, the frequency of laying eggs is every 2 days. During the first season, young laying hens lay 20% less than adult birds. The maximum number of eggs can be observed during the 3rd season. Females are capable of laying eggs for 30-35 years, the lifespan of the species is 70-75 years. The female lays 12-18 eggs in the nest. To obtain incubation material, it is necessary to regularly remove them from the nest.
Hatching time
African ostriches hatch on days 39-42, emus on days 51-54. The average incubation temperature is 36 ° C, humidity is 24-35% and only during hatching it rises to 60%.
Is incubation necessary?
Breeding in an incubator is used with an intensive breeding method. This is necessary so that the chicks are all the same age. Incubators are special, with trays that can accommodate large eggs. If birds of different ages are kept together, females can be given the right to breed ostrich chicks.
Ostrich breeding as a business in Russia
An ostrich farm is a profitable business that pays off quickly. You can receive a stable profit in the second year. Of course, first you need to spend money on purchasing equipment, premises, young animals, feed, and medicines. But over time it will all pay off.
If the rules of maintenance, disinfection, and care for the health of the wards are followed, losses will be minimal.To sell products, you need to find stores that will purchase them regularly. Otherwise, meat and eggs will have to be stored in refrigerators, which is an additional cost.
If you not only raise birds on a farm, but also organize product processing on its territory, you can receive additional income, since you do not have to sell raw materials at unprofitable prices.
Exotic ostriches can be as profitable as any farm bird that everyone knows about. Meat, eggs, leather, feathers - everything can be processed. The only drawback of the ostrich breeding business is that not everyone knows about the value of the bird and, perhaps, therefore treats it and the products obtained from it with some prejudice.
