INTRODUCTION TO OSTRICH AND OSTRICH RANCHING.
Although their range was once much broader, today ostrich are found naturally only in the Savannah areas of Africa. There is only one true species of ostrich (Struthio camelus) although several subspecies are recognized.
Ostrich are primarily grazing animals, existing on a variety of plant and brush material. In many instances, succulent plants and fruits also make up a large portion of their diet as do small insects and lizards. Ostrich travel vast distances to obtain sufficient food and water.
Ostrich are equipped with many advantageous features including excellent eye sight, large external ear canals, and powerful legs which allow speeds of up to 40 mph. Because of these features, mortalities in adult ostrich are not thought to be common. By comparison, mortalities in chicks, usually related to predation, are thought to be as high as 90%.
Ostrich reach an adult height of over 7 feet by 16 to 18 months of age. They continue to increase in weight after this time with adult males reaching over 300 pounds. Ostrich may become sexually mature at 2 years of age although males often mature later than females. It is not uncommon for hens to begin laying at 2 to 3 years of age while males may take as long as 4 to 5 years to be functionally mature. In captivity, females may lay as many as 100 egg in a season, although 20 to 40 are more common. Eggs are whitish in color, weigh about 3 pounds (1000 to 1500 grams) and are generally laid every other day. Eggs are typically laid in late afternoon. Although mating may occur numerous time during the day, it is believed that a single mating may be effective for up to a week.
Adult male ostrich are solid black in color with white wing tips while the smaller females are brownish gray. Male ostrich of East Africa have pink or red skin and are often referred to a "red necks", while the more southern ostrich has blue skin and is refereed to as "blue necks". The color of the neck is dependent on the presence of the male hormone testosterone. The color of the feathers is dependent on the presence or absence of the female hormone estrogen. Thus, castrated males will have normal feather color but not the skin color and immature or spayed females will have black feathers.
In North America, the breeding season is from February to October. The mating behavior of the male is quite elaborate with the male sitting on his hocks, moving his wings up and down while throwing his head from side to side. During this time the male will usually makes a thumping sound and will inflate his neck area and create a loud booming noise. The receptive female walks with her head down, popping her beak and shaking her wings ("clucking"). When approached, the female will sit, allowing the male to mount from the back.
The male digs a depression in the ground by sitting and digging with his legs, pushing dirt backwards, forming the nest . Eggs are laid in these nests and the male usually sits on the eggs at night while the female incubates during the day. Wild clutches usually range from 8 to 14 eggs. Both parents are involved with the rearing of the young.
Although this discussion deals mainly with ostrich, other ratites including the South American rhea (.left), and the Australian emu (upper right) are becoming popular species for ranching. Other flightless birds often encountered are the cassowary (New Guinne) (lower left) and the kiwi (New Zealand) (lower right). Many factors involved in the care and maintenance of these birds are similar, others, however, are not. We will note the exceptions when appropriate.
