Ostrich at home.

One of the ways of doing business is effective own ostrich farm.Breeding ostriches at home - it's exotic, it is claimed, profitable!

Why ostrich?

Every year, this type of farming is gaining popularity, because it quickly pays for itself and starts to make a profit after one or two years.
businessmen reshivshemusya breeding ostriches in the home, in addition to studying the large amount of information from various sources, it is recommended to visit several farms, it specializes in this form of farming.It is required for the formation of a true impression of the planned business and a clear idea of its optimal management.

valuable products ostrich

Why ostrich?Because it:

meat - tasty and useful dietary product, is rapidly gaining popularity thanks to the rich composition of trace elements, high in protein and minimal presence of fats.Reminiscent of the taste veal, ostrich meat lends itself to any type of heat treatment, perfectly absorbs marinades and spices.The output of meat during butchering is about 25-30 kilograms, which is 40% of the birds.One sold ostrich carcass can bring 500 or more dollars at that price for a kilo of such meat to the European and American markets ranged from 15 to 25 dollars.

Fat, widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions as a component of the production of soaps, salves, ointments, creams.The most valuable is the fat emus, has antibacterial, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory properties.On average, an adult bird can give a 7 to 15 kilograms as a valuable product.

Egg, whose weight ranges from 450 to 1,800 grams, which is equivalent to 25-40 chicken peers.The cost of this unusual giant, not inferior in anything chicken egg and are exotic dining table, is 10-15 dollars.On the shelf life ostrich egg is also a record, because it can lie in the refrigerator for up to one year.Robust shell, which is very difficult to break, like porcelain, and demand from the artists as the subject of painting and engraving, as well as demand from the masters, manufactures a variety of decorations.The most valuable are fertilized eggs;their price for poultry farmers up to $ 100 apiece.In this year could reach 3.5 - 8.0 million dollars on the basis that one female per season is able to carry about 70 eggs.
Perot became, along with the reason for the mass extermination of meat of ostriches.The fashion for ladies' hats with a feather in 1840 impoverished the South America 1,000 kg of such a valuable commodity, and in 1910 this figure rose to 370,000 kilograms.Today, the white ostrich feather growing on the back or at the tail of the male willingly bought up by fashion designers, designers, dance groups, as well as visitors to farms as a souvenir.The remaining feathers are used as filling for pillows.Breeding of ostriches in Russia bears even benefit from the sale of the poultry pen, which brings the farmer about 10% of total profits.

Skin - moisture resistant, flexible, high-life (over 30 years), enjoys designers in high demand and is material for the elite models of bags, purses, shoes, gloves, belts, wallets and popular with American cowboy shoes.Ostrich skin in quality equates to a snake and crocodile, can not be faked.Sale of skins of ostrich, the price of which varies from 200 to 300 dollars apiece, fully pays all the costs of breeding birds.

adult birds - is also an important part of the income of the farmer.As a rule, implemented breeding chicks and birds, which can then be used to derive the future offspring.The five-day chick in Russia costs about $ 100 a month strausenka can be purchased for $ 200, a pair of adult ostriches will cost 3,5 thousand and higher.

African ostrich - a favorite of farmers

African ostrich - largest breed (weight 100 - 160 kg, height - about 3 meters), thanks to its simplicity of content is grown in more than 50 countries.This bird is able to endure high and low temperatures.Develops at running speed reaches 50 km / h.Emus, breeding farms which is less developed than the content of African ostriches, do not require special care.It is important to know the behavior of this bird in the wild, then to an artificially created environment optimized for the natural environment, as usual exotic creatures.

Brief description of poultry

In winter, the bird can be kept in unheated rooms on deep litter, 6-month calves in cold weather should warm up to room temperature, 12-18 degrees.Productive season at the African ostrich - in the period from March to October.Egg production per female per season is from 50 to 80 eggs whose weight is equal to 1.3-1.8 kg.The incubation period for young, hatching is happening at the same time is 45 days.Appeared ostriches have a weight of up to 1 kg at growth of 20-25 centimeters.Females reach sexual maturity at 18-24 months, the males - in 24-30 months.

Feeding ostriches

Ostriches, being omnivorous bird, eat what nature gives.Preference is given to the vegetation (grass, leaves, fruits, roots).Do not disdain and various small animals, birds, insects and small lizards.In general, the diet of the birds on 50% should consist of green fodder, to 30% of the combined feed, 20% - at the discretion and capability of the farmer.Adult birds and young age, the need to feed 2 times a day, young up to one year - at least 3 - 4 times.

in farm poultry, the average daily diet of which is 3 kg of feed received:

green fodder (clover, rapeseed, alfalfa, quinoa, cabbage and fodder, spinach, silage maize and cereals, mustard,nettle, leaves of beets, carrots, mulberry).
roughage (hay, clover, alfalfa, prairie grass, soybean, cereals and straw ornithopus).
Root vegetables, fruit and vegetables (pumpkin, radishes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, apples, watermelon, bananas).
Cereals (corn, barley, oats, wheat, rye, millet, sorghum, sunflower).
Feed additives (meat and bone, bone and fish meal).
Minerals (shells, gravel, limestone, shell eggs) that the owls are very willing to seek out and eat with pleasure.This facilitates the normal operation of the digestive system.By the way, the farm should be thoroughly cleaned, as ostriches do not disdain any debris (nails, pieces of plastic).

Systems ostrich

modern ostrich follows three basic systems on which the breeding of these birds:

Intensive .Breeding and maintenance of ostriches similarly stall care of livestock on livestock farms.Birds are contained in a small area in full to ensure their livelihoods personnel farm, which has a positive effect on the development of livestock, especially the young.The close contact and regular maintenance allows the bird to tame and easily manage it.In intensive system, eggs are removed from the nest and incubated, resulting in high rates of reproduction, allowing you to get from one laying up to 80 eggs a year.

Extensive .Ostrich as close as possible to natural conditions: the bird itself is more or less worried about himself.Females thanks to the free movement may mate with different males, bringing the number of fertilized eggs increases markedly.
Semi-Intensive - combined the positive features of the above systems and is recommended for beginners poultry farmers.Here on one adult male there is one female.

Where to start?Business plan

breeding ostriches in Ukraine and Russia is a promising business, because the simplicity of this bird in the care and the high cost of ostrich products will pay a new business quickly enough, began to bring considerable profit in a relatively short period of time.

first step in starting your own farm business will search for a suitable site for the maintenance of ostriches.How to start breeding ostriches?The first steps are equipping the farm for their maintenance and the purchase of young or adult osobey.Razumeetsya, ostrich require some monetary investment, but they are worth it, as will be repaid in the first year of doing ostrich farm.Though unpretentious ostrich is a bird, however, the key to successful initiatives in the ostrich business is to create for her the most comfortable conditions.

Expensive item of expenditure - construction of farm

significant costs require the construction of the farm.The cost of investments will depend on the local conditions, personal and lease agreements, prices of construction materials and the work of hired men.

need to build:

closed insulated space, light and airy, the approximate area of 150 square meters.meters for the content of the average herd of about 30 head of adult: one specimen shall be at least 50 square meters.meters of land;
open-air cages area of 1500 square meters.meters;
fences;
communications, providing continuous vital activity of the farm.

sure you want to pay attention to the remoteness of the farm from noisy highways, production of hazardous emissions;It is also important protection from the wind and terrain.Good access roads and the condition of water - necessary conditions for the smooth operation of the farm.

search less costly ways

in pole position will be farmers who in their own land with buildings on it.

other way with a minimum investment of resources will be to find somewhere in the depths of an abandoned pigsty or cowshed, surrounded by pastures and water.Of course, the premises require repairs (carrying heating, sanitation and ventilation) and the purchase of equipment, but this option will save a significant portion of funds that can be invested directly in the purchase of livestock.Buying 4 adults families and 6 - 8 females will cost 30 - 40 thousand dollars.You can buy grown chicks, which will greatly reduce investment, but will delay the time period of first profit.

Breeding work - a recipe for healthy livestock

From the first days of special attention should be paid to breeding work, periodically updating herd of good and productive poultry culling sick and unfit individuals.In forming families will need to take into account the mutual sympathy ostriches, because the mechanical connection of birds may be counterproductive and cause reduced egg production.

be sure to get an incubator, the cheapest of which is designed for 45 eggs, worth $ 1,500.

for feeding ostriches need to buy the domestic feed for laying hens, including vitamin and mineral supplements.Also the bird would be happy to eat oats, corn, barley, wheat, bran, hay and straw.In summer and autumn bird can translate into green succulent forage: alfalfa and clover.

With a large bird population (500 individuals or more) it is advisable to establish its own production of feed that only cheapen the cost of the content of ostriches.Proper feed can be implemented to neighboring farms.