ostrich and its culture

The ostrich (Ostrich), native to Africa, is the largest living herbivorous bird in the world. It cannot fly but is good at running. The adult ostrich weighs about 120-150 kg and has a height of 1.75-2.75 m. Ostriches grow so fast that one-year-old birds weigh more than 100 kilograms. Under normal circumstances, ostriches can reach sexual maturity at about 2 years old.

Ostrich meat is a high-quality red meat with high protein (containing 21 essential amino acids), low fat, low cholesterol, low energy and fresh taste. It is an ideal healthy food for human beings. Ostrich skin has the characteristics of softness, tenacity, good air permeability and beautiful patterns formed by its hair roots. it is a high-quality raw material for making high-grade clothing, clothing, leather shoes, luggage and bags. its price is higher than that of crocodile skin and is in short supply in the international market. Ostrich oil has high medical value and can be used to make high-grade cosmetics and pharmaceuticals with good performance. Ostrich eggs, hair, bones can be made into craft, light industry and other products.

Ostrich breeding techniques:

Ostrich, the ostrich order includes African ostrich, American ostrich, Australian ostrich, kiwi and so on. African ostriches are basically raised at home and abroad because of their fast growth, strong fecundity, easy feeding and strong disease resistance. It belongs to ostrich family, ostrich genus and African ostrich species in ostrich order. Species is the basic unit of animal taxonomy, while breed is the concept of animal husbandry, which is mainly the product of artificial selection.

African ostriches have been domesticated by humans for only 100 years, and it is only in the last 20 or 30 years that African ostriches have been cultivated on a large scale, so there are only three species of ostriches farmed, namely, blue-necked ostriches, red-necked ostriches and African black ostriches. In order to facilitate introduction, feeding and management, the following is a brief introduction to three species of African ostrich and other major groups of ostrich.

1. Blue-necked ostrich: it is divided into two kinds: South African blue-necked ostrich and Somali blue-necked ostrich. South African blue-necked ostrich native to South Africa, having feathers on the top of the head, blue-gray neck of the male, red tarsometatarsus, no naked crown spots, and brownish-yellow tail feathers, usually raising its beak high. The Somali blue-necked ostrich is native to Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. It has no feathers on the top of its head. The male has a wide white neck ring and its body feathers are obviously black and white, while the female is gray. The neck and thighs are bluish gray, the tarsometatarsus is bright red, the tail feathers are white, there are naked crown spots, and the iris is gray, usually raising the beak high. The blue-necked ostrich is large in size and fast in growth. It can be listed as a commercial bird at the age of 10-12 months, which is 2 months earlier than that of the black ostrich, and its laying performance is slightly lower than that of the African black ostrich.

2. Red-necked ostrich. It is divided into North African red-necked ostrich and Marseille red-necked ostrich. The North African red-necked ostrich is native to the Sahara Desert of northern Africa, having no feathers on its head and a circle of brown feathers around it, extending all the way to the back of the neck. The male's neck and thighs are red or pink, and the beak and tarsometatarsus are redder, especially obvious during the breeding season. Marseille red-necked ostrich is native to southern Kenya to Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, Tanzania. There are feathers on the top of the head, pink on the neck and thighs of the male, and red during the breeding season. The legs are bright pink, the tail feathers are dirty white, brownish or reddish, and there is a small circle of white feathers along the black body feathers instead of bare skin at about 1 stroke of the neck. Red-necked ostriches are rarely raised and are mainly used to introduce blood to improve the growth rate and body size of African black ostriches.

3. African black ostrich. Artificially bred varieties are selected for a long time in South Africa by using primitive varieties such as blue-necked ostriches. African black ostrich is small, short legs, short neck, rich body, gentle temperament, dense feathers, uniform distribution, long feather branchlets, looks very beautiful, easy to raise and manage. Its egg laying performance is better than that of blue-necked and red-necked ostriches. Generally speaking, 5-year-old females laid an average of 100 eggs a year, and the excellent ones can reach 150 eggs.

Other major groups of ostrich

1. Australian ostrich

The body feathers are black and grayish brown, and the secondary feathers of each feather are well developed, becoming the same size as the positive feather. the wing feathers degenerate, leaving only 7 primary flying feathers like the body feathers, with no helmet on the top of the head. The claw of the inner toe is underdeveloped. The adult bird weighs 30ml / 45kg, with a maximum weight of 55kg. It is about 1.5 meters high, similar to male and female, and the head and neck of adult birds are black. During the breeding season, the female has dense black feathers on the head and neck, and the young have black horizontal spots on their heads and necks.

2. American ostrich

The main features and appearance are similar to the African ostrich, but the size of the male is smaller than that of the female. The height of the male is about 1.3 meters and that of the female is about 1.4 meters.

3. American ostrich

The height is rarely more than 1 meter. In addition, there is a strong claw on each wing. The running speed is 60 kilometers per hour. It has good eyesight and hearing, and the two sexes are similar, but the male is slightly darker and slightly larger than the female. He weighs 25 kilograms. American ostriches have distinct rings in the neck during the breeding season. Young birds are darker than adults. The little American ostrich has many white spots on its back, but there are no spots on the back of the young.

Source of ostrich feed:

Plant feeds are: alfalfa, red clover, Stylosanthes, elephant grass, royal grass, sweet potato vines, Ixeris angustifolia, carrots, ryegrass, Mexican corn, locust leaves and so on.

Formula feed varieties: corn, wheat, soybean meal, wheat bran, imported fish meal, alfalfa meal, salt, calcium bicarbonate, shell powder, bone meal, methionine, lysine, multivitamins, trace elements.

Ostrich shed construction:

The fence ostrich farm is separated by a fence, which is about 2 meters high. the material should be smooth without thorns and had better have a certain degree of elasticity to avoid injury when the ostrich collides. Can use barbed wire, metal pipe fence, can also use simple bamboo and wood fence.

Sand paving room and sports ground are covered with sand 5mi 20cm thick to make the ground moderately hard.