African blue-necked ostrich is the best breeding ostrich breed in the world
Among the common ostrich breeds in the world, such as the Australian ostrich (Emu), the black-necked ostrich, the native New Zealand ostrich (kiwi), the American ostrich (lung), and the native African ostrich, it is the largest species of ostrich.
Breeds of African breeding ostriches
There are different types of African ostrich, which include:
Red neck ostrich
Blue neck ostrich
Black-necked ostrich
The largest species of ostrich is the African ostrich, whose varieties are known as blue neck, red neck and black neck. These species are mainly used for feather, skin and meat production. The smaller species of this bird, which is known as the emu, is specific to the regions of Australia and the fat under its skin has an economic value. Native species or ostriches of South America are smaller than other species and have fingers. The habitat of these birds is in Latin America, and its industrial production has not been significantly developed yet. The breeding of African ostrich has been considered due to its high weight, good skin quality, high resistance to drought and harsh conditions, and adaptation to environmental conditions. The average age of an ostrich is 50 years and it can live up to 75 years. The weight of the male ostrich is 130 to 150 kg and the weight of the female is 100 to 120 kg. It should be noted that the type of breed has a significant effect on the weight of the ostrich. The height of the bird from the ground to its crown is two to two and a half meters.
The color of the feathers of male birds is black with white outer wings and the tail is decorated. The female bird is usually smaller and has light brown feathers and molts several times before reaching puberty. Reproduction in ostriches starts at 30 months and continues for 20 years. Usually, the family of this bird consists of a female and a male. The average number of eggs laid in each period is 40, and the sleeping period on eggs lasts 42 days. The female ostrich may start sleeping on the egg at the age of two, but this is not normal and the appropriate age for it is 4 to 5 years. Production ability in ostriches is highly variable and depends on farm management and feeding.
The life and ability of resistance of the chicken depends to a large extent on the management methods and the loss of chickens is about 40%. According to available statistics, on average, 20 chicks are produced per year from each female ostrich. From the point of view of skin quality, African black ostrich has the highest skin quality. Also, this type of ostrich has the largest amount of oil for the production of skin solutions and ointments. From the skin of an African black ostrich, 14 square feet of leather is obtained, from which three pairs of boots can be made at an approximate price of $800 per pair. A 250-pound (about 112 kg) African black-necked ostrich can yield 58 kg of red meat.
Different species of African ostriches
North Africa (red neck)
This species has a red neck and hairless horn pieces on the head and curly and strong feathers. Their eggs are larger and smoother than the South African species. This breed has more meat production, later maturity and less egg laying.
East Africa (blue neck)
They are slightly larger than the South African variety and have a bluish neck. Their place of residence is mainly Tanzania, but nowadays other countries also raise this type of ostrich.
Somali (black neck)
This species is smaller than the South African species and has a characteristic horn patch on the skin and its body color is gray. It is a quiet and calm animal, but it is weak in producing chickens and has a small size.
This post is written by Aryanalab