What and how to feed ostriches at home. What do ostriches eat at home and in natural conditions

Ostriches, like any other poultry, require a mandatory daily supply with the necessary amount of minerals and vitamins. The state of the bird and, ultimately, the quality of meat or eggs of ostriches depends on how the owner correctly and harmoniously composes the rules for feeding ostriches. feeding ostriches whose diet should be varied is an important component of the success of any

feeding ostriches

The diet of ostriches - more vitamins and minerals

All substances necessary for ostriches can be divided into several mandatory components:

Squirrels: an ostrich can get them from various types of beans.
Minerals: essential for strengthening the skeletal system of birds - they can be gleaned from eggshells, bran.
Vitamins: necessary for ostriches to increase immunity can be found in green-colored feed and hay.

Food for ostriches

Ostriches can be kept in different conditions, so the composition of the feed can vary significantly. However, there are requirements that must be met regardless of other conditions:

It is important to ensure the necessary balance between the content of vitamins and nutrients, it is important to correctly combine proteins and carbohydrates, the ratio of 1:4 is considered ideal.
An adult ostrich can eat about five kilograms of food per day, but this does not mean that all food will be digested. It is important that part of the food is digested easily enough.
Ostriches are gourmets, it is important for their proper development that the food is tasty. These birds are especially fond of pumpkin, turnip, green grass.
For adult ostriches, bran or flour is not suitable as food, the best solution would be food in the form of pellets.

As for the frequency of feeding, adult birds eat no more than two times a day, and young birds three to four times.

Ostrich rearing systems that influence feeding principles:

Semi-intensive: additionally fed with mixtures containing useful substances, as well as hay prepared in advance. With such a rearing system, it is important that the conditions for keeping the birds are as close to natural as possible. During the breeding season, it is important to supplement their diet with useful substances.

Extensive: with such a system, the ostrich receives most of the food while in the open space that the farmer encloses on his territory. Only if the summer is dry or rainy, the owner should organize additional feeding of the bird.

During the period when the bird begins to actively breed, ostriches require additional feeding. Females need to increase the calcium content in the feed, while males should not add calcium to the feed. Since, in this case, zinc decreases in the bird's body, which is extremely important for high-quality offspring. Overeating and excess nutrients lead to obesity in birds and do not contribute to increased fertility.

Ostriches that have just hatched do not need to be fed immediately, because they have a so-called yolk sac, from which they are provided with food for a couple of days after birth. After a week, you can begin to feed the chicks with food containing special substances they need for growth and development. It is important to avoid feeding chicks under four months of age with fiber.

ostrich feeding, diet which should include all the necessary vitamins and minerals - the main component of any farmer. Do not forget about compliance with the drinking regimen. Although ostriches tolerate prolonged lack of moisture well, they are still quite willing to drink water. That is why it is important to provide ostriches with a container of water in time, especially during meals.

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:

intensive,
semi-intensive,
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:

Ingredients (in grams per kilogram of live weight)	0-2 months	2-4 months	4-6 months	6-10 months	10-14 months	Over 14 months old
alfalfa	23	260	430	810	885	420
corn	578	502	464	173	100	—
corn oil	18	18	—	—	—	—
soybean oil	230	90	30	—	—	—
fish flour	120	105	60	—	—	9
dicalcium phosphate	5	7	11	11	11	15
a piece of chalk	18	13	3	—	—	—
methionine	1	2	1	2	2	2
vitamin and mineral	4	4	4.5	2.5	2	2
zinc bicitrate	0.5	0.5	—	—	—	—
alfalfa hay	—	—	—	—	—	552

Semi-intensive feeding system

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

Breeding ostriches is still not widely popular, but a very promising area of farming. Of course, their maintenance requires special specifics compared to other poultry, including with regard to the diet. In this article, we will consider what ostriches eat in the wild and how to adapt their diet to home conditions.

Ostriches are noticeably different from the usual poultry in the structure of the digestive system.. Firstly, ostriches do not have a goiter, due to which the digestion of roughage is accelerated. Secondly, the stomach of these birds is powerful, able to easily cope with coarse food; it has a special tuberculate cuticle, which plays the role of "teeth", and grinds food like a millstone. The intestines are very long, due to which the body receives the necessary substances even from low-nutrient food. In some of its departments there is a special microflora that helps to process cellulose, which is rich in coarse plant foods.

Nutrition at home

Their productivity largely depends on what ostriches eat (the rate of weight gain and egg production of females). Ostriches at home usually receive mainly plant foods: leaves of various plants and grass, carrots and beets, as well as beet tops, cabbage, zucchini and apples. Alfalfa is very well suited - fresh in summer and hay in winter. Also in winter, the ostrich can be fed with cereals and concentrated feed.

Chalk, chicken egg shells, bone meal, crushed shell rock will serve as good mineral supplements. Mineral feeds should not be mixed with regular feeds, they should be in a separate feeder. At home, this bird also eats food waste, which further increases its profitability on the farm. There are several nutrition systems: intensive, semi-intensive, and also extensive. By adjusting the amount of what ostriches eat, as well as the types of food, you can achieve the desired result.

intensive system. Birds are kept on the farm in small enclosures without access to pasture. In this case, you will need a sufficient amount of hay and green food, which should include alfalfa, spinach, rapeseed and herbs. In winter, corn-based mixtures work well.
Semi-intensive system. Birds graze on the pasture in the warm season, besides they are provided with additional feeding in the form of concentrated feed and mixtures: in December and January for an additional kilogram, by March increasing the weight of supplements to 3 kg.
Extensive system. The bird eats only what it finds on its own in the pasture (in the warm season, of course). Ostriches can be released to the same place where sheep, goats or cows graze. They will not harm each other if there is a good and reliable fence of the site. Of course, in the case of a too rainy summer or, on the contrary, a dry one, when the grass burns out, an exception must be made. With such a system, concentrated feed is given to ostriches only in winter and little by little.

During the ovipositor, males and females are fed separately: females must receive a large amount of calcium so that the eggs have a strong shell, but if the male eats more than usual, this, on the contrary, inhibits reproductive functions.

Nutrition in natural conditions

In the wild, an ostrich usually consumes up to 4 kg of food per day - this allows them to get the right amount of energy for running. Green fodder is young shoots of shrubs, fresh herbs, seeds and roots of various plants. However, ostriches are omnivorous, in addition to plant foods, such a bird often eats insects and even reptiles and small animals (for example, rodents).

Feeding the chicks

Their harmonious growth and health in the future depend on what to feed the chicks - due to the wrong diet, the limbs may develop incorrectly. What is unusual compared to poultry is that the ostrich does not eat anything for the first four days of life: it receives nutrients through the resorption of the yolk sac. But then feeding should be done carefully: the chick should receive food as soon as it gets hungry, so the feeders should always be full. In this case, it is especially important to monitor the quality and freshness of the feed, especially wet mash.

During this period, you can add alfalfa leaves to the feed, but not the stems - they can upset digestion. Boiled chicken eggs are well suited for protein feeding. In the aviary for chicks, you can create a sand embankment: ostriches love to swim in the sand and rummage in it, looking for insects, pebbles, shell rock, etc. If this is not possible, mineral dressing should be in any case - limestone, shell rock, and also shell help to properly form bones, and also provide good digestion.

Video "Ostrich Breeding"

In this video you will hear useful tips on keeping ostriches.

African ostrich (lat. Struthio camelus) is the largest bird in the world and the only representative of the ostrich order, the ostrich family, the genus ostrich. Belongs to the class of birds, subclass ratites.

International scientific name- Struthio camelus, Linnaeus, 1758.

conservation status- causing the least concern.

The biological name of a flightless bird, translated from Greek, literally sounds like “camel sparrow” (Greek στρουθίο-κάμηλος). Such a well-aimed allegory arose due to the characteristic features of an ostrich: it has the same expressive eyes, framed by long eyelashes, two-fingered limbs and a pectoral callus. The comparison with probably arose due to small, poorly developed wings.

Ostrich - description, structure, characteristics, photo. What does an ostrich look like?

The African ostrich is a unique bird in its nature, which cannot fly, has no keel and has only two toes, which is also an exception in the class of birds.

Being the largest birds on the planet, large individuals of the African ostrich boast a height of 2.7 meters and an impressive weight of up to 156 kg. However, the usual weight of an ostrich averages about 50 kg, with males slightly larger than females.

The skeleton of an ostrich is not pneumatic, with the exception of the femur. The ends of the pubic bones fused and formed a closed pelvis, which is also uncharacteristic for other birds.

African ostriches are distinguished by a dense build, a very elongated neck and a small flattened head, ending in an even, wide, flat beak, on which a soft outgrowth of horny tissue is located. The ostrich has large eyes, and the upper eyelid is dotted with long, fluffy eyelashes.

The outgrowth of the sternum, or keel, characteristic of representatives of the class of birds, is completely absent in ostriches, and the sternum itself is poorly developed. On its surface there is a bare area of thick skin - a special pectoral callus that acts as a support when the bird lies on the ground.

The forelimbs of the bird are represented by underdeveloped wings, each of which has two fingers ending in sharp claws. The hind legs of an ostrich are long, strong and muscular, with two fingers, and only one of them has a kind of hoof at the end, which serves as a support while running.

The plumage of an ostrich is loose and curly, relatively evenly distributed over the surface of the body. There are no feathers on the head, neck and legs: they are covered with soft, short fluff.

Ostrich feathers are distinguished by a primitive structure: their beards practically do not interlock with each other and do not form vanes. Birds have very beautiful feathers and there are quite a lot of them: 16 flight feathers of the first order and from 20 to 23 of the second order, tail feathers can be from 50 to 60.

It is very easy to distinguish a male ostrich from a female. The plumage of adult males is black, and only the tail and wings are painted white. Females are rather nondescript: their feathers are distinguished by a patronizing grayish-brown color, and their wings and tail plumage look dirty white.

What does an ostrich eat?

The ostrich is an omnivorous bird, and although the diet of young individuals is predominantly animal food, adult birds feed on all kinds of vegetation. Their diet consists of herbs, shoots and seeds of plants, flowers, ovaries, and fruits, including rather hard ones. However, adults are far from being vegetarians and, if possible, will not give up various insects, for example, as well as small rodents and fell in the form of half-eaten prey of large predators. Ostriches have nothing to chew food with, so to improve digestion, they eat sand and small pebbles, and often various inedible objects: wood chips, pieces of plastic, metal, and even nails. Also, ostriches can safely starve for several days.

Like camels, ostriches are able to do without water for a long time: they have enough liquid from the green mass of plants consumed. But, having gained access to water, the ostrich drinks a lot and willingly. With the same great pleasure, ostriches bathe.

Where do ostriches live? Ostriches lifestyle.

Ostriches live in Africa. Birds avoid tropical rainforests, preferring open grassy landscapes and semi-deserts north and south of equatorial woodlands.

The habitat of ostriches on the African continent. The places where various subspecies of the African ostrich live are highlighted in color. Photo credit: Renato Caniatti

African ostriches live in family groups consisting of a mature male, 4-5 females and their offspring. Often the number of flocks reaches 20-30 individuals, and young ostriches in the south of the range live in groups of up to a hundred birds.

Often ostriches share pastures with whole herds or, while animals and birds treat each other quite peacefully and travel together through the African savannas. Possessing high growth and excellent eyesight, ostriches immediately notice the approach of predators and quickly run away, taking steps up to 3.5-4 m long. At the same time, the speed of an ostrich can reach about 60-70 km / h. Long-legged runners are able to change direction abruptly without slowing down. And ostrich chicks, 30 days old, are practically not inferior to their parents and can run at speeds up to 50 km / h.

Types of ostriches, photos and names.

In the era of the Pleistocene and Pliocene, there were several varieties of ostriches on earth that lived in Western and Central Asia, in India and the southern regions of Eastern Europe. The annals of the ancient Greek historian Xenophon mention these birds that inhabited the desert landscapes of the Middle East, west of the Euphrates River.

The uncontrolled extermination of birds has led to a sharp reduction in the population, and today the only species of ostrich includes 4 surviving subspecies that live in the expanses of Africa. Below is a description of the subspecies of the African ostrich.

Ordinary or North African ostrich(lat. Struthio camelus camelus) is distinguished by a bald head. This is the largest subspecies, whose growth reaches 2.74 meters, while the ostrich weighs up to 156 kg. The limbs and neck of the ostrich are painted in intense red, and the eggshell is covered with thin rays of pores that form a star-like pattern. Previously, common ostriches lived in a large area covering the north and west of the African continent, from Ethiopia and Uganda in the south of the range to Algeria and Egypt in the north, covering the West African countries, including Mauritania and Senegal. Today, the habitat of these birds has been significantly reduced, and now the common ostrich lives only in a few African countries: Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic and Senegal.

Common ostrich (North African ostrich) male (lat. Struthio camelus camelus). Photo credit: MathKnight

Common ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus camelus). Photo by: שלומי שטרית

Masai ostrich(lat. Struthio camelus massaicus) is an inhabitant of East Africa (southern Kenya, eastern Tanzania, Ethiopia, southern Somalia). Its neck and limbs turn intense red during the breeding season. Outside of the breeding season, they are pink.

Masai ostrich male (lat. Struthio camelus massaicus). Photo by: Nicor

Masai ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus massaicus). Photo credit: Nevit Dilmen

somali ostrich(lat. Struthio camelus molybdophanes) on the basis of analysis of mitochondrial DNA is sometimes considered as an independent species. The males have the same head baldness as the common ostrich subspecies, but their neck and limbs are bluish-gray in color, and the female Somali ostrich has especially bright brown feathers. Somali ostriches live in southern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya and Somalia, and the local population calls them the beautiful word "gorayo". This subspecies of ostriches prefers to live in pairs or singly.

southern ostrich(lat. Struthio camelus australis) is also distinguished by the gray color of the plumage of the neck and limbs, and its range is dotted through southwestern Africa. The ostrich is found in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana, lives south of the Zambezi and Kunene rivers.

Southern male ostrich (lat. Struthio camelus australis). Photo by: Bernard DUPONT

Southern ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus australis). Photo by: Yathin S Krishnappa

Ostrich breeding.

Puberty of ostriches occurs at the age of 2-4 years. During the mating period, each male vigilantly guards his personal territory within a radius of 2 to 15 square kilometers and ruthlessly drives out competitors. The neck and limbs of the current male become bright red, and to attract females, he falls to his knees, intensely beats his wings, arches his neck back and rubs the back of his head against his back. During the rivalry for the possession of a female, males make very original trumpet and hissing sounds. Having taken more air into the goiter, the male ostrich sharply pushes it into the esophagus, announcing the surroundings with something like a guttural roar, reminiscent of a lion's growl.

Ostriches are polygamous, so the dominant male mates with all the females of the harem, but pairs exclusively with the dominant female for subsequent incubation. After mating, the future father personally digs a nest up to 30-60 cm deep in the sand, where all fertilized females periodically lay their eggs, performing a similar manipulation once every two days.

Among all bird diversity, the ostrich has the largest eggs, although, in relation to the body, they are quite small. The average size of an ostrich egg is 15 to 21 cm long and about 13 cm wide. Egg weight reaches 1.5-2 kg, which is equivalent to 25-35 eggs. The thickness of the shell is approximately 0.6 mm, and its color is straw yellow, sometimes darker or, conversely, lighter. In eggs laid by different females, the texture of the shell varies and is glossy and shiny or matte and porous.

Ostrich egg versus chicken and quail egg. Photo credit: Rainer Zenz

In the inhabitants of the northern part of the range, the joint clutch, as a rule, contains from 15 to 20 eggs, in the south - about 30, in the East African population the number of eggs in the nest often reaches 50-60. After laying eggs, the dominant female ostrich forces the competitors to leave and rolls her eggs into the middle of the hole, identifying them by the texture of the shell.

The incubation period lasts from 35 to 45 days, at night only the male incubates the clutch, during the day the females take turns on duty. This choice is not accidental: thanks to the patronizing coloration, the females go unnoticed against the backdrop of the desert landscape. During the day, the masonry is sometimes left unattended and warmed by the heat of the sun. Despite the general care of the parents, many clutches die due to insufficient incubation. In populations where there are too many females, the number of eggs in the clutch may be such that the male cannot physically cover all the offspring with his body.

An hour before birth, the ostrich chick begins to open the shell of the egg, rests with its outstretched legs on its sharp and blunt ends and methodically pecks at one point with its beak until a small hole is formed. Thus, the chick makes several holes, and then with force hits this place with the back of the head, so ostriches are often born with significant hematomas that tend to pass quickly. When the last chick was born, an adult ostrich mercilessly destroys the non-viable eggs lying on the edge, and immediately they gather at the feast, which serve as food for the chicks.

Newborn ostriches are sighted, well developed, their bodies are covered with light fluff, and their weight is about 1.2 kg. The chicks that were born move perfectly and leave the nest the next day, setting off with their parent in search of food. For the first two months, ostriches are covered with black and yellow bristles, the crown has a brick color, and the neck is off-white in color with dark longitudinal stripes. Only with time do they form real feathers, and the outfit of all chicks becomes similar in color to the plumage of females. Male ostriches acquire the black color characteristic of adults only in the second year of life.

Taken from: www.reddit.com

Ostriches are very attached to each other and if two groups of chicks meet, it is no longer possible to separate them, due to which flocks of ostriches of different ages are often found in the savannas of Africa. Being polygamous birds, the male and female start a fight between themselves, and the stronger parent gets further care for the brood.

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 base, 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 bred 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, which lasts up to the age of two months, young animals are offered a balanced compound 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, becoming 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 that 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 expensive 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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