Ostrich Care Help

[Bob the chicken man]

I had another thread asking about these things but it took a turn. This is the thread if you want to take a look: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ostrich-farm.1237874/ . I want this thread to be strictly what i ask so if you have any ideas on the other thread please do put it on that thread. Anyway i asked how to take care of ostriches, like what food do they eat/how much do they eat, basically things like that. I would like to ask is it possible to tame them and if so how? I understand that no matter what they are still aggressive but is there a way to limit that and make sure they don't what to kill me?

 

[Bob the chicken man]

It's been a day and still no answers. I'm not trying to rush anything but I would still like quick responses.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

I'm not familiar with ostrich but maybe @KikisGirls can find some good information for you. She top notch at finding resources!
I do hope you find what you need to know.
Best wishes and luck on your new adventure..

 

[Bob the chicken man]

I'm not familiar with ostrich but maybe @KikisGirls can find some good information for you. She top notch at finding resources!
I do hope you find what you need to know.
Best wishes and luck on your new adventure..

OK thanks I will ask. You should check out my other thread see if you have any ideas there.

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

OK thanks I will ask. You should check out my other thread see if you have any ideas there.

I read over it a little...
But I'll go back and read more and see if anything comes to mind.

 

[SixteenTons]

I had another thread asking about these things but it took a turn. This is the thread if you want to take a look: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ostrich-farm.1237874/ . I want this thread to be strictly what i ask so if you have any ideas on the other thread please do put it on that thread. Anyway i asked how to take care of ostriches, like what food do they eat/how much do they eat, basically things like that. I would like to ask is it possible to tame them and if so how? I understand that no matter what they are still aggressive but is there a way to limit that and make sure they don't what to kill me?

 

[SixteenTons]

Hi Bob,

Raised Ostriches years ago. They are actually very easy to care for. Ostriches have been farmed for many years so there's a lot of literature out there it can be confusing, or just down right wrong.

Ostriches have 3 basic breeds 'Black', Blue, & Red, loosely related to the color of the neck or feather color. In most of the US they have no natural predators and tolerate cold well. If your in an area that routinely reaches the 90's F you will probably have to set up a misting station to keep them cool. Try and secure locally raised birds as they are better acclimated to the climate. They a susceptible to few diseases or parasites, Good housekeeping practices, & Ivermectin once a month for worming is all I ever had to do.

Also it helps if you have a farm vet that is familiar with, & willing to treat the birds. You should learn to stitch up a minor wound to keep the costs down, but, we only had one bird that required stitches.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Ostriches are basically the same as they were in the wild. While relatively safe to farm, like any other farm animal you have to keep your wits about you, and practice safe handling practices at all times. An adult Ostrich cam kill a mountain lion easily if aroused, and can be just as effective killing humans. In five years of farming we never had an injury, but, get careless around them just once, and you will.

Blacks have been farmed for many years, and are considered the easiest / safest to raise. They have black feathers on the rooster, ans dun colored feathers on the hens. By & large they are easy to work with especially if they were hatched by you or raised from chicks. They don't imprint on you like some animals, but, they will grow accustomed to you, show familiarity, & can become pet like. Hens are pretty easy going, but roosters can be snarky especially during breeding season, their beaks will turn reddish and they will boom, & do a mating dance (kind of looks like Al Jolson doing Mammy) They are generally the smaller of the 3 breeds, but, they can supply a pretty good amount of boneless meat & eggs. Their leather is also marketable, but the standards for hides are pretty high so unless you have tons of 1st quality, pristine hides it's not really a profit center. Now a days feathers go for cheap so unless you have a 40 foot trailer full, don't bother.

Blues are considerably larger providing 1.5 times the meat. They are less domesticated and the roosters can be a hand-full. We raised a few blues for meat without incident.

Reds I've been told require special handling because of ill temper. We never raised any, do I can't provide any incite.

Their housing needs are basic, we used a lean-to style with 3 closed sides and the forth half closed in. each stall was 16 feet square with a gravel floor. Each stall would hold 2-4 birds. Typically 1 rooster, & 2-3 hens. Water is easy, I used 50 to 100 gallon rubber water troughs, rectangular or oval is preferable to round, the birds like to skim their beaks across the surface to drink so this provides the space they need. When they are chicks, any flat shallow pan will do, I prefer a darker color so you can throw some shiny silver coins in it to encourage the chicks to drink. For teenagers, I use the 50-100 gallon trough on the ground set it up so it can be easily drained outside the pen for cleaning. for adults I raise the bottom of the trough about 2 feet. We were fortunate to have 2 feed mills that blended & sold ostrich feed, best price is in the 1 ton range, but most will sell small quantities, mash is more available than pellets & can be used for birds of all ages. Purina makes Masuri(sic) but its pelleted and relatively expensive, requiring different sizes for young & mature birds. Pellets have their advantages, but I think from a cost / complexity standpoint mash is the way to go. Caution, chicks don't know how to eat or drink when they are hatched so some shiny coins or any small shiny thing about an inch in diameter, they can't swallow will work. some people use brightly colored balls about 1 inch in diameter be sure to remove all of these things once they start eating & drinking. Once one chick learns they all pick it up.

If you're thinking of going into the Ostrich farming business:

1. Do a very through job of researching the business from all angles
   • Producer
   • Processing adult birds are local firms available
   • Marketing: Make sure before the first dollar is spent you know if there is a market for what you produce. Unlike 'If you build it they will come'. If you don't have a market you don't have a business.
2. Don't overlook potential sales, eggs both intact & blown out, can be sold for a good profit for cooking & crafting.

Well this is just a thumb nail sketch of Ostrich farming, raising. There are many things that come up I haven't covered here. If you need further details, or have questions I'm here to help.

ONE LAST WORD OF CAUTION:

Ostriches are basically the same as they were in the wild. While relatively safe to farm, like any other farm animal you have to keep your wits about you, and practice safe handling practices at all times. An adult Ostrich cam kill a mountain lion easily if aroused, and can be just as effective killing humans. In five years of farming we never had an injury, but, get careless around them just once, and you will.

Cheers!
SixteenTons

 

[Bob the chicken man]

Hi Bob,

Raised Ostriches years ago. They are actually very easy to care for. Ostriches have been farmed for many years so there's a lot of literature out there it can be confusing, or just down right wrong.

Ostriches have 3 basic breeds 'Black', Blue, & Red, loosely related to the color of the neck or feather color. In most of the US they have no natural predators and tolerate cold well. If your in an area that routinely reaches the 90's F you will probably have to set up a misting station to keep them cool. Try and secure locally raised birds as they are better acclimated to the climate. They a susceptible to few diseases or parasites, Good housekeeping practices, & Ivermectin once a month for worming is all I ever had to do.

Also it helps if you have a farm vet that is familiar with, & willing to treat the birds. You should learn to stitch up a minor wound to keep the costs down, but, we only had one bird that required stitches.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Ostriches are basically the same as they were in the wild. While relatively safe to farm, like any other farm animal you have to keep your wits about you, and practice safe handling practices at all times. An adult Ostrich cam kill a mountain lion easily if aroused, and can be just as effective killing humans. In five years of farming we never had an injury, but, get careless around them just once, and you will.

Blacks have been farmed for many years, and are considered the easiest / safest to raise. They have black feathers on the rooster, ans dun colored feathers on the hens. By & large they are easy to work with especially if they were hatched by you or raised from chicks. They don't imprint on you like some animals, but, they will grow accustomed to you, show familiarity, & can become pet like. Hens are pretty easy going, but roosters can be snarky especially during breeding season, their beaks will turn reddish and they will boom, & do a mating dance (kind of looks like Al Jolson doing Mammy) They are generally the smaller of the 3 breeds, but, they can supply a pretty good amount of boneless meat & eggs. Their leather is also marketable, but the standards for hides are pretty high so unless you have tons of 1st quality, pristine hides it's not really a profit center. Now a days feathers go for cheap so unless you have a 40 foot trailer full, don't bother.

Blues are considerably larger providing 1.5 times the meat. They are less domesticated and the roosters can be a hand-full. We raised a few blues for meat without incident.

Reds I've been told require special handling because of ill temper. We never raised any, do I can't provide any incite.

Their housing needs are basic, we used a lean-to style with 3 closed sides and the forth half closed in. each stall was 16 feet square with a gravel floor. Each stall would hold 2-4 birds. Typically 1 rooster, & 2-3 hens. Water is easy, I used 50 to 100 gallon rubber water troughs, rectangular or oval is preferable to round, the birds like to skim their beaks across the surface to drink so this provides the space they need. When they are chicks, any flat shallow pan will do, I prefer a darker color so you can throw some shiny silver coins in it to encourage the chicks to drink. For teenagers, I use the 50-100 gallon trough on the ground set it up so it can be easily drained outside the pen for cleaning. for adults I raise the bottom of the trough about 2 feet. We were fortunate to have 2 feed mills that blended & sold ostrich feed, best price is in the 1 ton range, but most will sell small quantities, mash is more available than pellets & can be used for birds of all ages. Purina makes Masuri(sic) but its pelleted and relatively expensive, requiring different sizes for young & mature birds. Pellets have their advantages, but I think from a cost / complexity standpoint mash is the way to go. Caution, chicks don't know how to eat or drink when they are hatched so some shiny coins or any small shiny thing about an inch in diameter, they can't swallow will work. some people use brightly colored balls about 1 inch in diameter be sure to remove all of these things once they start eating & drinking. Once one chick learns they all pick it up.

If you're thinking of going into the Ostrich farming business:

1. Do a very through job of researching the business from all angles
   • Producer
   • Processing adult birds are local firms available
   • Marketing: Make sure before the first dollar is spent you know if there is a market for what you produce. Unlike 'If you build it they will come'. If you don't have a market you don't have a business.
2. Don't overlook potential sales, eggs both intact & blown out, can be sold for a good profit for cooking & crafting.

Well this is just a thumb nail sketch of Ostrich farming, raising. There are many things that come up I haven't covered here. If you need further details, or have questions I'm here to help.

ONE LAST WORD OF CAUTION:

Ostriches are basically the same as they were in the wild. While relatively safe to farm, like any other farm animal you have to keep your wits about you, and practice safe handling practices at all times. An adult Ostrich cam kill a mountain lion easily if aroused, and can be just as effective killing humans. In five years of farming we never had an injury, but, get careless around them just once, and you will.

Cheers!
SixteenTons

Thanks for the input. You offered a lot of information here. But if I were to enter the business, which I am most likely to do, it won't be for another 6-8 years or more. So I have plenty of time to research and do everything.

Feel free to check my other thread stated in this thread. It will catch you up on why I will enter the business.

 

[drumstick diva]

Think you'd be safer with emus than ostriches