How many eggs does an ostrich carry per year, month and day: incubation features

Ostriches, like any birds, lay eggs. They are just as tasty and he althy as chicken, only much larger. Breeding ostriches on home farms, you can earn good money by selling eggs. Consider how many eggs an ostrich lays per year, per month and per day, how often females lay. What factors affect egg production, how do females incubate eggs at home.

How do farms make money?

Each egg weighs 1.5 kg for African breeds, 0.7-0.9 kg for emus. They can be sold in large quantities for food, or they can be sold individually to tourists during farm tours. Fertilized material to sell for incubation, it will cost more.

How many eggs does an ostrich lay?

The total egg production of a female ostrich depends on the breed. On average, it is 50 per year, maximum - 80 pieces. African ostriches carry so much, Australian ostriches have 11-20 pieces for each female, and rhea is considered the leader in this indicator.

The egg-laying period for birds raised on home farms falls in the spring. Females lay 1 egg per day, followed by a break. Thus, a month from an ostrich you can get from 15 pieces.

How often do ostriches rush?

Puberty in female ostriches occurs at 2 years. They do not rush constantly, year-round, like chickens, but only during a short breeding season. If males also live with females, then the eggs will be suitable for incubation. If they are not fertilized, then they can only be used for nutrition.

What affects egg production?

The number of eggs received from females can be affected by the conditions of detention, climatic conditions and food quality. The state of the body and the functioning of the reproductive system are affected by temperature, humidity and lighting. If the ostriches are hot or cold, they will rush, but not as intensely as at a comfortable temperature - 15-20 ˚С.

Humidity in the room where the birds are kept should not be high, because at home ostriches live in arid areas. Humidity of 60% is enough for a comfortable stay of birds and stable egg production. The length of daylight hours should be at least 8 hours. To do this, during a short day, you need to turn on the lamps in the mornings and evenings for a while.

If the conditions are violated, the females begin to lay fewer eggs than can be expected from them.The strong stress experienced by females during relocation to another room, transportation, and the appearance of a new individual in the flock can reduce egg production or temporarily stop it. However, the effects of the stress do not last long and the females start laying again.

Affects the amount of demolished and food. From what the bird will eat, the work of its body depends. With a good, balanced diet, females rush as expected. But if the body is deficient in nutrients, this will affect the formation of eggs. During the breeding season, ostriches should not only be fed plenty, but also fed with vitamin preparations, premixes or just greens, vegetables, fruits, herbal flour in winter, give chalk and s alt.

How does a bird hatch eggs?

Under natural conditions, ostrich families consist of 1 male and 1-3 females, one of them is the main one. She is the first to lay an egg in a common nest and incubate the clutch. All females rush in turn to the same place. The laying lasts 2 months. By the end, there may be dozens of eggs in the nest.

The female sits on them, covers them with her body, spreads her wings. It is in the nest all the time during the day, even in the midday heat, it does not get up to eat. Only predators can drive the female. She pretends to be injured, runs away to lead the animals away from the nest. In some cases, this helps, and the nest remains intact.

At night, the male replaces the female, he sits on the eggs until the morning. He also does not leave the masonry, warming with his body. Heating at night is more important than ever, because at this time it is cold, the temperature can drop below zero.

Incubation lasts 6-7 weeks. The exit from the egg takes 2 days, the ostriches themselves peck the shell and get rid of it, adult birds do not help them with this. The chicks that have appeared for the first 2 days sit with their parents under the wings. They do not eat, they have the yolk in their stomachs, which serves as food for them.

On the 3rd day the birds leave the nest, adult ostriches eat the remains of the shell to knock predators off the trail. And at the same time replenish your body with calcium and vitamins. The male brings up the chicks, he teaches the kids to run, find food, and get away from danger.

In nature, the hatchability of ostriches is low - about 10-40%, as many eggs are carried away by predators. When breeding on a farm, this result is higher (up to 90%). Under artificial conditions, ostriches are bred in an incubator, although the females have not lost their instinct and can hatch themselves. To obtain material, males and females make up families (1 male for 3-4 females). Eggs are taken from the common nest, leaving 1-2 pieces in it every day so that the birds continue laying.

Incubation time - 6 weeks. Conditions: temperature - 36-36.5 ˚С, humidity - 25-35%, in recent days - 70%. The ostriches are taken from the incubator, as soon as they dry out, the fluff will fluff.They are fed for 3 days. First they give light food - a mixture of boiled eggs, cottage cheese and greens. After 3 weeks of life, they are accustomed to compound feed or grain mixtures with grass, vegetables, root crops.

Up to 3-4 months ostriches are kept separately from their parents and other birds. The room where they live should be warm and light. Only one year after hatching, ostriches will reach more than half their adult size and weight.

How many eggs an ostrich can lay depends on the species. The largest ones carry African breeds. Usually they are bred on farms - to obtain egg and meat products at the same time. With the right organization of economic activity, an ostrich farm can bring a good income and be a local attraction.

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