The Maasai Ostrich
Male Maasai Ostrich
Ostrich production
Ostrich production is the raising of ostriches for their meat, eggs, feathers, and leather. Ostriches are the world's largest birds and can be a profitable and sustainable source of protein. Ostrich live span is approximately 30-35 years in the wild but tamed ones can live upto 45 years. They take 2 years for a female to reach breeding maturity and 3 years for the males to reach maturity. Their breeding season is splitted into two seasons namely:
First flush which is the shortest season starting from late January to mid-march
Second flush this is the main season in ostrich production, it starts from June to late or mid-December depending on weather conditions.
Various breeds
We have three breeds of ostriches in our farm namely:
1. Maasai ostrich
2. Blue neck/somali ostrich
3. Cross breed of the maasai ostrich and somali ostrich
The Maasai ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus), also known as the East African ostrich is a red-necked subspecies variety of the common ostrich and is endemic to East Africa. It is one of the largest birds in the world, second only to its sister subspecies Struthio camelus camelus.Today it is farmed for eggs, meat, leather and feathers.
Female Maasai Ostrich
Can weigh up to 145 kg
Anatomy
Adult males are 2.1–2.7 m in height and can weigh up to 145 kg; females are typically slightly smaller in size. They have large eyes (50 mm across), long eyelashes, and exceptional vision. Their heads are relatively small compared to their body and are covered in degenerated feathers that give the upper two-thirds of their elongated neck an almost naked appearance. The skin of the neck and thighs of male Masai ostriches is bare and pink in color, which intensifies to an almost reddish hue during mating season.
The Maasai ostrich has two-toed feet, adapted for speed
Adult males are 2.1–2.7 m in height
Covered in degenerated feathers that give the upper two-thirds of their elongated neck
Long legs built for running at speeds up to 70 km/h (43 mph).
Reproductive/ Excretory glands
Example of male Masai ostrich everting penis to excrete liquidUnlike most avian species, male ostriches have a retractable penis that averages 20 cm in length and everts during defecation, urination, and copulation. The ostrich is the only bird to void urine separate from defecation due to the muscular sphincter-like folds located within the cloaca.
Environmental adaptations
Several physiological adaptations have evolved to allow the Masai ostrich to live in the extreme arid conditions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Their feathers have specialized to work as efficient insulators for proper thermoregulation during both hot and cold climates. Increased aldosterone release and use of mucus in place of water for excretion of uric acid promotes water retention in arid environments. Masai ostriches also possess salt-excreting nasal glands which allow for consumption of salt water from saline and soda lakes when necessary.
Distribution & habitat
Wild Masai ostriches are located across Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Denser populations are often found in the semi-arid, open grassy plains of the African savanna. Despite this preference, they have been known to also inhabit desert, dense brush, and steep rocky mountain environments.
Breeding
Masai ostrich breeding season begins around May or June. During this time, the pink hue on male Masai ostriches neck and leg skin intensifies as a form of mating display. Mature males begin to establish territories that are about 2–3 km2 in area and aggressively defend their domain against other breeding males. They will also construct scrape nests in prior to the arrival of breeding females.
In July, adult female ostriches begin establishing breeding zones that span around 13 km2. These breeding zones overlap with 5–7 male territories, in which males attempt to mate with any adult females that pass through his territory.
Communal nesting
Major Female Masai ostrich incubating eggs. Similar to other ostrich subspecies, the Masai ostrich nests in groups and engages in crѐching behavior where a single (major) female incubates the eggs of several other (minor) females within a single nest. Only 1 out of 3 hens will become a major female, the remaining hens are considered minor females and will not incubate their own eggs. A nest is initiated when a single major female mates with a territorial male who has already prepared a nesting site and performed a complex mating display. After she lays the initial clutch, both her and the territorial male assume primary care of the eggs.
Eggs
Masai ostrich eggs are large (grapefruit-sized) and white in color. They measure 14–16 cm and weigh between 1.0 and 1.6 kg. Egg hatching occurs during October and November, when eastern Africa experiences brief periods of rainfall that generates edible plants that are the Masai ostriches primary food source. Hatchlings are about the size of a domestic chicken hen and are physically precocious, but still require parental care.
The conspicuous size and color of the Masai ostrich eggs makes them an easy target for predation, particularly when major females abandon nests for upwards of two to three weeks prior to incubation.
Ostrich Feathers
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The feathers of the Masai ostrich lack barbs, which gives them a soft, downy appearance. Similar to other ostrich subspecies, they possess approximately 50–60 tail feathers, 16 primaries, 4 alular, and 20–23 secondary feathers. The wing and tail feathers have evolved to serve as decorative plumes for courtship display rather than flight. here
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For males, the majority of the body is covered in black feathers. White feathers appear along the tips of the wings, tail, and form a small ring partway up the neck that separates the black body feathers from bare neck skin. The white tail feathers are often discolored from dirt and appear reddish-brown.
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Females tend to be smaller than males and also possess bare skin on both the neck and legs, though their skin color appears more beige than pink. Adult females body feathers are a uniformly-distributed, monochromatic color scheme of brown.
The Blue Neck Ostrich
Male Blue Neck Ostrich
The Somali ostrich
The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), also known as the blue-necked ostrich, is a large flightless bird native to the Horn of Africa. It is one of two living species of ostriches, the other being the common ostrich. It was also previously considered a subspecies of the common ostrich, but was identified as a distinct species in 2014.
Molecular evidence indicates that the East African Rift has served as a geographic barrier to isolate the taxon from the nominate subspecies, the North African ostrich S. c. camelus, while ecological and behavioural differences have kept it genetically distinct from the neighbouring Masai ostrich S. c. massaicus.
Similarities
Though generally similar to other ostriches, the skin of the neck and thighs of the Somali ostrich is blue (rather than pinkish), becoming bright blue on the male during the mating season. The neck lacks a typical broad white ring, and the tail feathers are white.
The males are larger than the females. The Somali ostrich is similar in size to other ostriches so far as is known, perhaps averaging marginally smaller in body mass than some subspecies of common ostrich (at least the nominate race, S. c. camelus). Reportedly Somali ostriches in captivity weigh about 105 kg (231 lb) but this may not be an accurate weight for wild birds as captive animals have feeding accesses not available to wild ostriches. It is thus one of the two largest extant bird species.
Female Blue Neck Ostrich
Distribution and habitat
The Somali ostrich is mostly found in the Horn of Africa, especially in north-eastern Ethiopia, southern Djibouti, most of Kenya, and across most of Somalia.
Status and conservation
A report to the IUCN in 2006 suggests that the Somali ostrich was common in the central and southern regions of Somalia in the 1970s and 1980s.
However, following the political disintegration of that country and the lack of any effective wildlife conservation, its range and numbers there have since been shrinking as a result of uncontrolled hunting for meat, medicinal products and eggs, with the bird facing eradication in the Horn of Africa. In Kenya it is farmed for meat, feathers and eggs.
The cross breed ostrich
This is as a result of breeding the maasai ostrich with the somali. The offspring is bigger in terms of body size, the plumage is similar to that of somali ostrich, the thigh colour is a mixture of the red and blue colour giving it a distinct colour. In terms of body weight it weights upto 180kgs.
Habits
Somali Ostriches move around browsing in the daytime and are seen alone or in pairs. They will roost in the early evenings and stay in one place at night.When predators are nearby, ostriches lie down on the ground with their necks flat and stay still. With their natural colours, they blend in with the surroundings and appear like a pile of dirt.
Incubation
The ostriches share incubation duties for optimal concealment. The females will incubate during the day because of their drab colours. The males will incubate at night.
Behaviour and ecology
The Somali ostrich is differentiated ecologically from the common ostrich, with which there is some range overlap, by preferring bushier, more thickly vegetated areas, where it feeds largely by browsing, whereas the common ostrich is mainly a grazer on open savannah.
Meat
Ostriches are slaughtered when around 9-15 months old producing an average of 35-46kgs caucus weight, a cross breed is the one with the highest weight on slaughter compared to the maasai ostrich or the blue neck.
Ostrich meat is a lean, red meat with a beef-like texture and flavor.
It has a lower fat and cholesterol content than other red meats.
Ostrich meat is high in iron and vitamin E, and low in sodium.
It can be cut into steaks, ground, or made into sausage or hot dogs.
Eggs
A female ostrich starts to lay eggs from 2 years to around 30 years, a female can lay an average of 40-70 eggs per year and 1 egg in 48 hours. Their egg laying is stimulated by long day light and strong sunlight, egg laying stops when it starts to rain.
Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 2 kilograms, which is equivalent to the eggs of 24 chickens.
They are highly valued in the food market and in handicrafts.