Ostrich Eggs

[KarenandDerek]

Hi..we are new to hatching..anyway we tried hatching 3 ostrich eggs in a modified Little Giant incubator.. They didnt hatch so we opened them up..all were fully formed but they died without pipping internally..we are sooo bummed and want to try again but don't want the same results! Anyone know what we did wrong???

 

[Grassman 52]

With Large eggs - ventilation and lack of oxygen could be the problem

"Pipped eggs that do not hatch
If chick embryos develop to the pipping stage, or at first shell cracking at hatching, they are normally healthy enough to hatch unless some incubator adjustment prevents it from happening. The problem is usually caused by either 1) poor ventilation or 2) improper humidity.
The air exchange requirement within an incubator is greatest during the last day of incubation. The chick embryo's oxygen requirement continually increases during development and especially when breathing using the respiratory system just before hatching. The vent openings are frequently restricted at this time in an attempt to boost incubator humidity. Instead of helping the chick hatch, the chick is suffocated from lack of ventilation. Never decrease ventilation openings at hatching in an attempt to increase humidity. Increase humidity by other methods. If any vent adjustments are made, they should be opened more."



MSUCARES.com

 

[KarenandDerek]

Thank you so much for info. We are actually thinking about getting a Janoel incubator that has temp/humidity digital instead of using the Little Giant..any thoughts on whether we should switch incubators..the one we are looking at is $200 and cost of ostrich eggs is $40 each..getting costly!

Thanks again!

Karen

 

[29PalmsRanch]

Where are you getting eggs for $40.00 and what kind are they?

With respect to incubators, we've learned our lesson VERY well. Generally the more you spend wisely, the better your hatches will be. I wouldn't recommend attempting to incubate in a little incubator. Ostrich eggs need very low humidity. They give off a TON of CO2. If you aren't using a forced air incubator, then you will have dead chicks, no doubt about it. 97.5% is the ideal temp. 15% - 20% is what we usually stay at max. We weigh our eggs as the development process goes on. It's easy to figure out by weighing if they have too little, too much, or just the right amount of humidity.

We use 4 different incubators to incubate/hatch. 2 Natureform NOM-45's, and 2 Sportsmans. The GQF sportsman can hold up to 9 eggs depending on their size. You have to drill your trays or get large egg dividers for them. They have to go in the middle only in order so they can be turned in the auto turner mode. The eggs have to be turned every 3 - 4 hours by the way.

Has anyone talked to you about what to do when they come out of the egg? )

 

[KarenandDerek]

Thanks for the info..we got our eggs from Ostrichland USA in Solvang, CA. Our Little Giant was forced air..We also put two eggs in a Reptilepro 6000 but they were not fertile. I want to try again probably with the Reptipro. We want to add two ostriches to our bird farm so buying an expensive incubator for a couple of birds is not feasible. I now realize the importance of weighing the eggs. I think my main problem though was the air..both had forced air but i had the incubators in a room with the door closed..think i needed fresh air???? I am a school teacher and plan on dedicating my summer break to caring for the eggs. I will be turning them manually.. <(")

 

[29PalmsRanch]

Do you know what kind of ostriches they are (Reds, Blues, Blacks, hybrids)? Are you picking the eggs up in person or are they being shipped? There are a lot of unknowns here and I'll be more than happy to help you in any way I can.

With respect to the little giant incubator... I'm not sure that's going to work out so well. These birds are on the extremely difficult part of the easy to hard scale. If you don't have the correct equipment, you are going to have a pretty low hatch rate. In fact I haven't heard of anyone being successful with a styrofoam incubator. It's just that the ostrich egg put off a TON of CO2. If you don't have really good air flow and venting, they are going to die in the egg. I'm not sure your door being open or closed has anything to do with it.

I know that Natureform and others recommend a room that can refresh its air supply 4 - 6 times per day. And that's using a MONSTER size incubator.

I'm also shocked that the Cali operation is selling their eggs for 40.00 a piece. That doesn't make much sense to me. There is SO much that goes into proper care for these animals. 2 years before you see an egg. And the offspring? We are averaging over 2500.00 per bird that goes for meat production as we have the meat processed by a USDA inspected facility, packaged, and stored in a giant walk in here at the property. Then once a week we deliver meat to restaurants and wholesalers that are within a 200 mile radius of us. We are getting 300 - 500 for cured ostrich leather hides of first quality, 100 - 200 for the feathers, a contact in China buys the dried beaks/phallus/talons for 40.00 per ounce, and the meat trades for 30.00 - 40.00 per pound depending on cut and quantity. Average ostrich puts out about 50 - 70lbs of meat. So if you do the math there is a lot of money to be made with each bird. A 40.00 egg makes me go "Huh?".

 

[KarenandDerek]

The Ca operation is more a petting zoo type of operation not so much as an ostrich ranch..They have a store where they sell eggs for decorative purposes for $30 I think and you can get a fresh layed egg..possibly fertile, straight from a nest for $40..last time we had them shipped ground..this time we are going to pick them up.

Yeah..my biggest concern is ventilation..I was sooo close with the hatching (I.e. fully formed chicks) so I really think that the smaller incubators may work as long as I figure out ventilation issues?

 

[29PalmsRanch]

Ok that makes more sense. Picking them up is a great idea by the way. We ALWAYS push our customers to make the trip whether it is for eggs or chicks. Tell me about what you were doing for humidity in the incubator and can you tell me what the average humidity is in the room you are incubating in?

 

[KarenandDerek]

Well, in the reptipro 6000 we actually had to keep its door cracked open often as the humidity gage showed 60% without adding water..in the little giant added small amounts of water here and there to keep it between 35-40 RH..the room was just an extra bedroom with a ceiling fan and windows closed.

 

[Nicophorus]

Do you know what kind of ostriches they are (Reds, Blues, Blacks, hybrids)?

Well I made a separate thread about this ^^, would love for you to explain it to me/us!