When breeding ostriches in captivity, properly equipped poultry pens play an important role. When constructing them, it is important to take into account habits, especially the content and possibilities of the ostrich. The corral should be strong and reliable, always spacious and safe.
Site requirements for corral equipment
Ideally, the area intended for the equipment of ostrich pens should be:
- large;
- sown with perennial herbs;
- with water supply;
- with intermittent rocky and grassy areas;
- equipped with a sufficient number of feeders, drinking bowls and shelters in case of bad weather.
It is strictly forbidden to set aside areas of pasture for ostrich paddocks adjacent to busy highways. Ostriches have low stress resistance, so cars scurrying back and forth will make them nervous, which will negatively affect fattening and egg production.
In addition, nervous females may lay eggs in the most inappropriate places, making them difficult to find and leading to losses.
A place for walking ostriches should be well lit by the sun, so there should be no vegetation on the site that gives a strong shadow. Scattered shrubs and low trees are acceptable. A protective shrub hedge is possible, protecting the ostrich pasture from the north wind.
Ostrich pen equipment
If it is impossible to carry a water supply to the ostrich pen, there must be a natural reservoir on the site, from which water will be taken.
In hot weather, ostriches drink a lot and love to swim. It is good to arrange special showers for birds. Lawn sprinkler systems are suitable for this. You can periodically make a shower from a hose with a spray nozzle.
Basic requirements for the arrangement of corrals:
- Stray dogs should not enter the pen. Therefore, it is recommended that the fence be placed on the foundation (logs reinforced with clay), and the base of the pillars for the fence should be concreted.
- Ideally, a net with a mesh size of less than 30 cm is used as a fence so that the head of a curious bird cannot get stuck in it. You can use boards, poles and even metal pipes. The distance between them should be either small so that the head does not crawl through, or, conversely, large so that it passes calmly and does not get stuck.
- The height of the fence should not be less than two meters, otherwise an adult ostrich can jump over it.
- To protect from rain on the territory of the pen shelters are arranged. To do this, you can use lightweight plastic, over which straw is laid. Sheds can be placed either along the fence, or reinforced between trees.
- Lowland and wetlands are not suitable for corral equipment. If there is no other land, then the situation can be corrected by drainage of the site. To do this, you can use fine gravel and sand.
It is strictly forbidden to use barbed wire for fencing.
Ostriches
With the free keeping of ostriches (an extensive method), the territory of walking is enclosed. A hectare of pasture is assigned to eight adults. Shelters must be equipped to protect against cold wind and rain.
Although with this method of keeping the birds are on pasture, on the pasture it is necessary to install drinking bowls and feeders to feed the ostriches in dry or too rainy summers.
Ostriches half-enclosed pens
The climate, different from the native one, does not allow the use of the extensive content of ostriches all year round. But in the cold season, and even in the frosty winter, ostriches are also free to walk.
For these purposes, corrals are equipped with doors to the house that open on both sides. Ostriches are free to go out, walk and come back into a warm room.
For every adult ostrich you need 10-15 square meters. m of corral, for an ostrich little animal - 5 square meters. m.
Corrals for young animals
If you buy young on the side or take chicks in an incubator, make a separate paddock for ostriches.
It is impossible to keep adult birds and young animals together. Firstly, adult ostriches can offend not their babies, and secondly, the microflora on the body of adult birds and chicks is different. This can lead to diseases in ostriches.
In cold and rainy seasons, an electric heater should be installed in the pen to warm the chicks. A frame fitted with a film is installed (thickness 150-200 microns or more), a heater is placed under it. This design not only keeps the ostriches warm, but also protects them from rain and cold winds.
Quarantine Corral
A quarantine pen is needed to plant a sick bird. Newly purchased individuals and young animals are placed in it in front of the settlement in the main corrals to the old-timers.
The quarantine pen must be regularly disinfected, especially after the sick bird is there.
Security measures
Make sure that there are no unnecessary objects on the ground, especially sharp and metal ones (glass, wire, nuts, etc.).
In pens for chicks, sand should not be used as soil, as ostriches can confuse it with food and swallow it.
Requirements for feeders and drinkers
Regardless of the conditions and methods of keeping ostriches, pens should be equipped with a sufficient number of feeders and drinkers.
Feeders
The best design for an ostrich feeder is a hanging one. It can be attached both to the fence and to the trees under the awnings.
Do not put food for ostriches on the ground.
For adult ostriches, the feeders are mounted at a height of one to two meters. This is especially true for corrals with an extensive content system, if cattle are also kept there. Only ostriches will have access to highly fixed feeders.
Feeder length:
- for adult birds - 1.5 m;
- for two-month-old chicks - 50 cm.
These sizes will help avoid crush and fights for food. Everyone, even the weakest birds in the flock, will receive adequate nutrition.
Plastic feeders are preferred. They can be both on legs and hinged.
The budget option is to cut tires in half (the most suitable size is 750 × 16 cm). They can fill three to four kilograms of feed.
So that the water that has got into the trough does not stagnate and spoil the feed, make holes in the lower part for its drain. Feeder tires can be hung to the desired height using thick wire.
You can make your own feeders from boards (10 mm). They should be well planed and free from knots. It is not necessary to paint them in order to avoid poisoning of ostriches.
Do not use feeders from:
- concrete (located only on the ground, and if there is a crush, the bird can get injured by hitting the feeder);
- metal (rust can poison ostriches, and sharp edges can damage).
For green food, a nursery is used, which is attached at a height of 50-70 cm.
Feed costs are half the cost of keeping ostriches. Therefore, use feeders of such designs that will help to avoid losses to the maximum. Fill two-thirds of the feeders.
You can learn about the rules of feeding ostriches from the article: "How and what to feed ostriches: all about the methods and mode of feeding."
Drinking bowls
Ostriches need to be watered, because an adult needs 12 liters of water per day. Drinking water should always be sufficient and fresh. If it is not enough, or it is musty, ostriches can enter the territory of another family, which can cause aggressive behavior of the owners of the territory up to a fight.
You can install drinkers used in large poultry farms.
It is easy to independently make a car drinker for ostriches from a barrel (from food plastic, wood or metal), a tube (with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm) and a valve:
- Attach a tube with a valve to the bottom of the barrel on both sides.
- Place the end of the tube in the trough.
- Close the valve.
- Open the barrel and pour water into it.
- Close the barrel tightly and open the valve.
Water will be poured into the drinker until the end of the tube is under water. Now, when the ostriches will drink water, the same amount will again flow into the trough from the barrel.
Keep feeders and drinkers clean. Wash them regularly (ideally daily, before feeding), while removing dirt from crevices and corners.
Equipped pens that take into account the way ostriches are kept and their numbers, with a sufficient number of drinkers and feeders, help to raise healthy poultry. And the right equipment allows you to avoid wastage of feed and reduce the cost of keeping ostriches.