Ostriches are massive birds with unique features specially during the breeding and mating seasons. Compared to other birds, ostriches are ready to mate at 3 or 4 years’ old which is late. In the period of breeding, the dominant male ostrich can mate with 3 to 5 hens. They have special behaviors before mating to attract each other and after mating to protect eggs before hatching. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at the whole process of breeding in ostriches.
The behaviors of ostriches in breeding season
During this season the color of bare parts in the body of male ostriches changes and they sway from side to side and shake their tail feathers while sitting on their legs to attract the attention of females. Females ostriches are pecking aimlessly while their heads are close to the ground. They also stretch out their wings and shake them gently next to the body.
The time of mating season in ostriches
The breeding season in ostriches is approximately long and lasts about six months. This period starts from June and ends in late October or early November.
The numbers and features of ostrich eggs
Ostriches are famous for laying the biggest eggs among birds but in comparison to the size of the adult bird, they are so small. The number of eggs laid can reach to 60 in each season if the eggs are removed from the nest, as usually done in ostrich farms. The size of ostrich eggs is about 15 cm long and 13 cm wide and its weight is about 1.5 kg. The egg shell is so strong due to its thickness that make it easy for birds to incubate and rotating them with their backs. The color of eggs is bright cream which is glossy and marked with small pits.
Different systems of breeding in ostrich farms
Ostrich farmers can take advantage of two breeding systems known as the flock system and the trio system in their farms in order to make ostriches mate with each other and produce ostrich chicks.
The flock system
The flock system is a system similar to the ostriches that live in the wild. In this system ostriches live in a large farm and the ratio of male ostriches to the females is 1:2. Birds can move freely and males have a wide choice of females to mate with.
Why is ostrich leather so expensive?
The trio system
In trio system one male ostrich and two females are put in a small place. In this system, controlling birds is much easier than the flock system because of the small size of the camp and fewer number of the birds. These three birds are kept together until they mate but if the mating doesn’t happen, ostrich females will be replaced.
The nest and incubation period of ostriches
After mating, when females are ready to lay eggs, male ostriches make a shallow nest into the ground. During the incubation period that lasts about 35 to 45 days, both female and male ostriches incubate the eggs, females during the day and males during the nights. After the incubation period, chicks are born with spiky, grayish-brown down. They grow brown feathers after 4 months. Males develop a black and white plumage while females continue to have a brown plumage. When chicks can live without help and protection of parents, the breeding season of ostriches comes to an end.