Table of incubation of ostrich eggs. Incubation of ostrich eggs

Believe that breeding exotic bird- a useless and unprofitable occupation, stupid and unreasonable. We will try to refute this opinion, and explain why the breeding of ostriches, which is considered “high fashion”, is an affordable activity for a modern farmer.

What are the benefits of breeding ostriches at home

There are more and more ostrich farms every year, so there is some benefit in this?

Anyone can start breeding ostriches, the main thing is to skillfully use the latest technology, and adhere to the recommendations for the care and maintenance of the bird.

Years of experience have shown that ostriches perfectly adapt to unusual climatic conditions. Harsh winters do not pose a danger to them, they feel great on ostrich farms and give healthy, viable offspring.

Why is it more profitable to raise ostriches than other birds:

• ostrich meat is an expensive product, and the cost of their maintenance is small;
• in addition to meat, you can sell the most valuable products - feathers and leather, which also makes a profit;
• the bird is unpretentious and "non-capricious" in care, feeding and maintenance, unlike some breeds of chickens.

You can learn more about what is the use of ostriches from the video.

From this we can conclude that by making an incubator, you will acquire a long-awaited bird, and financial investments in your business will soon pay off with interest.

Let's take a closer look at how to make an egg incubator with your own hands so that the design is functional and works without interruption.

Creating a design for ostrich eggs with your own hands

The incubator usually has average value, but those who have been doing this business for more than a year are well aware that, given the different sizes of eggs, it is better to make two designs - large and small. The size ostrich eggs varies, sometimes their length is 15 centimeters, and their weight is two kilograms. If the size of the eggs is not taken into account, uniform heating may not be obtained. The temperature regime will be violated, the incubation of eggs will be of poor quality, and as a result, part of the brood may not be viable.

When creating a design, you need to know that the incubation of eggs will last 45 days. It is recommended to plan its device in such a way that there is a hatching chamber or a closet for young animals nearby, where the eggs are transferred on the 39th day.

Temperature regime.

The incubation of ostrich eggs is different from that of other birds. The most optimal temperature for them is 36 degrees. This is very important, since overheating or hypothermia threatens the embryos with death.

Air humidity.

Humidity depends on the breed of ostriches. For some, the norm is -20%, for others - 45%. For uniform heating and ventilation of eggs in incubators, ventilation systems are installed, thanks to which the incubation is successful, and the brood appears healthy and viable.

What to pay attention to.

During the day, the eggs should rotate at least ten times. For this process to be continuous, it is not necessary to do it manually. A special electric motor and a timer are installed in the incubator. The grate with the tray will rotate after a certain period of time in a given direction.

Considering that the tray will rotate, it is better to make it from a durable rigid material (plastic, thick cardboard, etc.). The grate underneath needs to be strong enough to support the weight of the eggs, so it's best to make it look like a metal sheet.

The video shows that in order to make an incubator for ostrich eggs with your own hands, you do not need special knowledge.

We use the old hive.

We take an old, but a whole bee hive. We fix the egg tray in the box and install a fine mesh in the ceiling and bottom of the box for air circulation. Above the cover of the hive, two 40-watt light bulbs are fixed on both sides. Under the hive, you can put a bucket of water to maintain the desired humidity.

Note to newbies.

You may be advised to build such a device in an active hive. Do not take risks, a fine mesh will not help to get rid of the bees, if there is no used box at hand, make it yourself, it's easy.

For beginners, you can design a simple structure, the only devices in which will be light bulbs, and for those who already have experience, you can create a more complex incubator, for example, such as shown in the video below.

Emu egg incubation

If eggs are removed from the nest for incubation, then this must be done carefully, placing them in a container and using rubber gloves or a paper towel for this.

It is possible to accumulate eggs before incubation, provided that the storage temperature is 10 - 16 ° C, and the storage period does not exceed 7 days. Virtually all emu eggs are hatched in forced-ventilation incubators, so as a rule, eggs are accumulated for a whole brood. Eggs lose 13-17% of weight from the start of incubation and are difficult to check by candling because they have a very thick shell. Sometimes on the 35th day of incubation, you can observe how the egg moves if you put it on a clean, flat surface. Incubators should be located in clean, well-lit and climate-controlled areas.

Emu eggs are only incubated horizontally. It is recommended to lay eggs for incubation according to certain schemes:

1. "One batch in the cabinet" - eggs are laid in large batches, while loading the cabinet at 100% of its capacity.
2. "Two batches per cupboard" - eggs are laid in batches, each of which occupies 50% of the capacity of the setter. The next batch of emu eggs are laid in 24-28 days. Thus, according to this scheme, two batches of eggs are simultaneously in the cupboard with a difference in the age of emu embryos - 24-28 days.
3. "Three batches in the cupboard" - the laying of eggs is carried out in batches that occupy 1/3 of the volume of the incubator. The laying of each next batch of emu eggs is carried out 18-20 days after the next one. In this case, three batches of eggs are simultaneously incubated in the cabinet, the embryos in which differ in age by 18-20 days.
4. "Seven batches in a cabinet" - laying of emu eggs is carried out in the amount of 1/7 of the volume of the incubator. The laying of each next batch of emu eggs is carried out 8 days after the previous one. In this case, there are 7 batches of emu eggs in the cabinet at the same time with a difference in the age of the embryos of 8 days.

When distributing emu eggs by weight, laying is carried out in separate cabinets or in one, adhering to a 12-hour interval between laying: first, larger eggs (I class), then - II class. Classes of emu hatching eggs are determined depending on their mass.

It should be remembered that maintaining a low relative humidity in the incubator chamber is often difficult, so in such cases it is recommended to install air dryers in the incubator.

Before the start of hatching, the eggs are transferred from the incubators to the hatchers. Emu eggs are placed evenly and horizontally in the hatchers. Emu eggs are transferred to hatch for 46-48 days.

The first sampling of young emus is carried out on the 49th day, and in case of delay in hatching - one day after the start of mass pecking, the next samplings - every day after the previous one, and the final sampling and cleaning of the incubator - on the 55th day. The average incubation time for emu eggs ranges from 48 to 52 days.

The incubation of ostrich eggs is an understudied process and can bring many surprises. The article will discuss the artificial incubation of African black ostrich eggs. Many factors influence the process. In addition to temperature, humidity, rotation, you need good air exchange, the presence of the required amount of oxygen and the required atmospheric pressure. For incubation of ostrich eggs, it is best to use special incubators, but more often you have to use any suitable model.

Immediately after collection, it is better to rinse the eggs under running water with the addition of hydrogen peroxide so that no dirt remains on them. They do not have a protective film, therefore, washing them is very useful. Eggs are best dried quickly.

Ostrich eggs are stored, as usual, vertically, blunt end up. In ostrich eggs, it can be very difficult to determine which end is which. It is better to use an ovoscope, with which you need to find the air chamber in the egg, it is a lighter color. It is better to immediately circle its borders with a pencil. Eggs are optimally stored for no more than a week, most days 10, while it is desirable to maintain a temperature of 12-18 ° C and a humidity of about 40%. It is useful to turn them over a couple of times a day every day. Before laying in the incubator, the eggs must be at room temperature (about + 25 °) for at least 12 hours.

Before laying in the incubator, the egg must be disinfected with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (1: 1), which must be sprayed; eggs should not be immersed in liquid. With regard to ostrich eggs, the principle applies, the better we wash and process, the less infection, however, due to the porous structure, immersion in liquid and treatment with strong agents can adversely affect the state of the embryo.

Weight also affects the process of incubation of ostrich eggs. On average, the weight ranges from 1.2 kg to 1.6 kg. Smaller eggs lose moisture faster and hatch from them earlier, and from large eggs, hatching can be delayed by 1-1.5 days. The incubation period lasts 41-43 days. During the entire incubation period, the temperature is in the range of 36.0-36.4o, and the humidity is 23-35%. The temperature on the surface of the egg should be 2o higher than the temperature in the incubator itself.

When incubating ostrich eggs, they can be laid horizontally (180° rotation) or vertically with the air chamber up (90° rotation with the egg at an angle of 45°). It is permissible to turn the eggs every hour. Good air exchange in the incubator is very important, the oxygen content should be about 23%.

The shell of ostrich eggs is very thick and porous in order to maintain the necessary humidity, the incubation process can be carried out without water and in the room where the incubator operates, the humidity must be appropriate, otherwise very humid air will get inside during air exchange, which will not have time to dry, there will be excess moisture. The egg has a thick shell membrane, more than 0.1 mm, while it is very tightly connected to the shell. Due to the lack of a protective film, a lot of air gets inside the egg.

The larger the hatching egg, the lower the humidity and temperature should be, if the indicators are too high, then the weight loss (drying) occurs faster, which leads to problems in the incubation of ostrich eggs. Accordingly, for small eggs, the humidity and temperature indicators should be higher. Medium parameters are poorly reflected both in large eggs and in small ones.

It is better to lay eggs with similar weights in the incubator and it is better to load it immediately so that the egg is not reported in the future. The conclusion will be better if the laying of the egg is not complete. Most often in the incubator there are eggs of different periods, which is also acceptable.

When incubating ostrich eggs, weighing helps keep track of their condition. It is enough to weigh the eggs every week. We need to calculate and record the weight. According to the norm, the egg should lose 0.3% of the total mass daily, therefore, the weight loss should be about 2.1% of the mass per week. It's easy to calculate. For example, when laid in an incubator, an egg weighs 1.4 kg or 1400 grams. The initial weight is 1400x2.1, we get 2940, we divide the result by 100, we get 29.4 grams. Therefore, our egg the first week should reduce weight by 29 grams, if the weight loss is greater, the humidity should be increased, if less, the humidity should be reduced. In the future, we again multiply the weight by 2, 1 and divide by 100, and so on every week. This method of weighing the eggs weekly is very helpful in getting the right incubation rates fairly well.

Check the condition of the egg by translucent it with an ovoscope. With a thick shell, it is not easy to distinguish the embryo. It is visible as dark spots in the contents of the egg, and they must be distinguished, for example, from a simply spoiled egg. If the embryo is not visible in the egg, you should not rush, let the egg lie for most of the incubation period. During the incubation of ostrich eggs, uneven development of the embryo can be observed, sometimes it grows very slowly in the first half of the incubation period and can be practically invisible, but in the second half of the incubation it is formed very quickly. All ostrich eggs develop at different rates.

On day 39, eggs should be transferred to a hatcher. In the hatcher, the humidity is increased to 30% at the first signs of biting, and the temperature is increased by 0.5-1o if there are few eggs in it (with a large number of eggs, it is lowered by the same value). As soon as the babies begin the process of shell destruction, the humidity is raised to 50-60%.

Helping ostriches during hatching should be done very carefully. Babies that get out of the eggs on their own are stronger. You should not touch the ostrich if he has not begun to breathe with his lungs on his own. You can help the baby if he takes the wrong position in the egg. It is permissible to increase the lines of breaking the egg. Chicks squeak and breathe air through the shell, they can be left in the shell until the yolk sac is retracted. Ostrich chicks begin to squeak on days 41-42, if there is no biting within 12 hours, you can drill a hole in the egg with a diameter of at least 5 cm, which is desirable to be located in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe baby's beak. At the moment of destruction of the shell, you can help the chick by breaking off pieces, and you can take out the ostrich after drawing in the yolk sac, so as not to provoke its inflammation.

You should not leave ostriches in the incubator for a long time; after drying, the babies should be transferred to a brooder. After hatching, the umbilical cord is smeared with brilliant green and this is done for the first 2-3 days several times a day.

Ostriches have not yet ceased to be exotic for us, although there are already quite a few ostrich farms and individual poultry farmers in our area who specialize in these African and Australian birds. And not only the climate prevents the greater distribution of ostriches in our latitudes, but also some features associated with the breeding of these birds. This will be discussed.

Features of incubation of ostrich eggs

The main problem that arises during the incubation of ostrich eggs is the large variation in their mass in the range from a kilogram to 2.1 kg and in the different porosity of the shell.

For example, from an egg weighing one and a half kilograms, a chick hatches after 42 days, and with lighter or heavier specimens, this period may decrease or increase. In addition, the percentage of chick hatchability depends on how pore-permeated the shell is.

Important! Ostrich eggs of different sizes should not be placed in the same incubator chamber. Otherwise, some eggs will overheat, while others will dry out quickly.

The humidity level required in the incubator, which is determined by egg size, also depends on this parameter: for large specimens, lower humidity is required, as well as the temperature maintained in the incubator.

How to choose the right eggs

The level of hatchability of ostrich chicks directly depends on the usefulness of the eggs, that is, on their fertility, so it is necessary to have not only a female, but also a male in the farmstead. All ostrich eggs are divided into two classes. The first is for large specimens, and the second for smaller ones.

For the African ostrich, this means:

• I class - from 1 kg 499 g to 1 kg 810 g;
• II class - from 1 kg 130 g to 1 kg 510 g.

For the Australian emu, the figures should be as follows:

• I class - from 549 g to 760 g;
• II class - from 345 g to 560 g.

Storage and processing before laying

Oviposition in ostriches begins in April and ends in October, has 2-4 cycles. During each of the cycles, the female is able to produce up to twenty eggs. For incubation, they must be collected immediately after demolition and stored at a temperature within +15 ... +19 ° C with air humidity up to 40% for a maximum of a week, turning them daily.

It is preferable to store them with the blunt end up, but since it is extremely difficult to figure out which end is which, eggs are usually stored lying down.
The absence of a protective film and the presence large pores on the shell make ostrich eggs almost defenseless against infection, so they should be handled with extreme care, protecting them from dust and possibly infected moisture.

If it becomes necessary to free the shell from contamination that has fallen on them, this must be done with a clean cloth dipped in a very weak iodine solution.

Did you know? In an ostrich, whose head seems quite small compared to its body, the eye is larger than the eye of a huge elephant.

Bookmark: flips and sprinkles

Before placing the bookmark in the incubator, you should take care of the appropriate size of the trays so that they can accommodate ostrich eggs in both standing and lying positions. The bookmark should provide the air bag with a position at the top. This is achieved by the fact that the egg is located with a blunt end up or in a supine position.
Since it is extremely difficult to find the blunt end of it, it is recommended to resort to the help of an ovoscope or just a bright electric lamp. The boundaries of the detected air sac are usually outlined in pencil to further monitor its expansion.

Eggs during incubation must be turned daily 6-8 times using a special device or manually. On the 39th day, the turning should be stopped, and each egg should be transferred to the hatcher, placing it horizontally there.

Since the offspring of the Australian ostrich hatches later, the laying of this bird is transferred to the breeding section after 46–48 days. It should be borne in mind that emu eggs are located only horizontally in several steps with an interval of half a day.

Video: incubation of ostrich eggs First of all, eggs belonging to the first class are laid, and after that - to the second. Spray incubator bookmarks only when the required humidity in the cabinets is reduced by means of warm boiled water.

Important! To avoid the penetration of harmful microorganisms through the shell pores, spraying should not be eggshell, and the objects around it.

Incubation mode: table

The incubation process proceeds differently depending on the size of the stowage elements, the time of incubation and their type, that is, whether they belong to the African ostrich or the Australian emu. What conditions need to be created at different periods of incubation for future African ostrich chicks can be seen from this table:
And this table shows the conditions necessary for the successful incubation of emu eggs. At the same time, it should be emphasized that emu eggs should be located exclusively horizontally, and they are turned over in the same way as in an African bird:
While in the incubator, ostrich eggs need good ventilation. As the embryos develop, they need more and more oxygen.

Did you know?In case of danger, the ostrich does not hide its head in the sand, as people for some reason believe, but runs headlong, sometimes developing speeds of up to 97 kilometers per hour. And if he is driven into a corner, then he will fiercely fight back with his powerful legs, being even able to kill a not very large predator.

On average, at least 0.2 liters of air per minute is required for every kilogram of incubator filling. The increase in air demand during the incubation period can be judged from the table:

The timing of the emergence of chicks

African ostrich chicks require 39–41 days to be born, and emu chicks require 52–56 days of incubation period.

What to do after hatching

There are mandatory measures that must be taken immediately immediately after the birth of ostriches:

1. Hatched chicks should be immediately placed in a brooder, that is, in a cage with a pallet, equipped with a heater.
2. Within two to three hours of being in the brooder, the ostriches should dry completely.
3. Each ostrich needs to be weighed to further control its development.
4. The umbilical cord of the chicks should be disinfected by repeating this procedure for two to three days.

Common rookie mistakes

Since the breeding of ostriches through incubation is associated with many conditions that must be strictly observed, beginners inevitably make mistakes at first, sometimes leading to sad consequences:

1. Wrong choice of material, during which the strength of the shell was not carefully checked. Too much fragile shell often leads to the death of the fetus.
2. The low quality of the shell was the result of improper feeding of producers, in whose feed there were few minerals.
3. Wrong, that is, below, the position of the air sac in the egg.
4. Overheating or underheating of the incubation material is equally harmful to the embryos. When underheated, even the chicks that hatched alive then die anyway.
5. With insufficient humidity in the chamber, ostrich chicks often hatch ahead of schedule and then die.
6. Excessive humidity is also harmful to the development of embryos.
7. Incorrect gas exchange with poor ventilation is fraught with fatal consequences for future chicks.

Breeding ostriches at home through incubation is not a very simple matter. However, with due care, attentiveness and scrupulous observance of all the necessary rules, the efforts of a novice ostrich breeder will not become excessive and will be crowned with success in the form of dozens of cute chicks.

Incubation of ostrich eggs

Although ostrich eggs cannot be found on the shelves of ordinary supermarkets, more and more ostrich farms and private households are now appearing. An urgent issue in this area is still the technology of incubation of ostrich eggs and, in particular, at home.

Incubation of ostrich eggs at home

Hatching ostrich eggs

If it is not possible to build a separate specialized building for the hatchery, you can organize it at home. The main thing is that the temperature in the room is 13-18 ° C, and the humidity is up to 40%.

The incubator itself can be purchased or made by hand. Buying a ready-made one is easier - now you can find many models that differ in capacity, degree of automation, case material, country of origin and other parameters. The most popular models of incubators for breeding ostriches are:

• REMIL 36-CU. This model holds 36 eggs, is equipped with automatic climate control and ventilation. The body is made of metal-plastic. This device is considered to be of high quality, but, due to its large size and weight, it is intended only for specially equipped rooms.
• INCA-10. This incubator is designed for 10 eggs, equipped with a temperature and humidity controller. He weighs 54 kg. Great for poultry farming at home.

Also on large ostrich farms, the BION-1200M, AI-1400 models are used, designed for 1200 and 1400 eggs, respectively. In households, of course, they are not used.

An incubator can be made independently from a refrigerator case, lamps, trays, a thermometer, a fan, a power supply and a thermostat. But if you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to purchase a ready-made device.

Selection of eggs for incubation and storage rules

Only fertilized eggs are taken for incubation. Normal weight is 1200-1800 for African ostriches and 350-700 grams for emus. Typically, more than 80% of copies pass the selection. They must be picked up immediately after demolition and stored very carefully - due to the lack of a film, various bacteria and microorganisms easily get inside. You also need to remember these rules:

• After collection, the shell must be wiped with a dry cloth and placed in a clean box with the blunt side up.
• The top of the box is covered with a film or cotton wool.
• If the eggs will be transported for a long time under open sky, it is better to paint the boxes white - its contents should not overheat.

The most important thing is to clean the shell well. No contamination should remain.

Bookmark in the incubator

For African ostrich eggs, it does not matter whether the arrangement is vertical or horizontal. It is important to find an air bag with an ovoscope in order to place it on top. But emu eggs are laid only horizontally.

You need to turn them over 6-7 times a day - this can be done manually or set to automatic mode. It is necessary to spray only if it is not possible to provide the necessary humidity.

Temperature and humidity in the incubator

The temperature and humidity values ​​depend on the incubation period. And if the temperature is approximately the same and should be 36-36.5 ° C for African ostriches and 35.5-36 ° C for emus, then the humidity at the end of the incubation period is much higher than at the beginning.

For African ostriches in the first 38 days it should be 19-23%, during 39-40 days this figure increases sharply to 40-44%, and in 41-43 days - 55-65%. For emus, the humidity should be 24-30% for the first 46 days, and 58-61% from 47 to 51 days.

Ostrich hatching eggs - when to expect ostriches

And here comes our little ostrich

African ostrich chicks hatch on 40-41 days of incubation, emu chicks - on 54-56. In height, an African ostrich should be about 20 cm, its weight should be 500-900 grams, emu ostriches 200-400 grams.

If everything is done correctly, then after the end of the incubation period you will get healthy chicks. However, people who do not have sufficient experience in breeding ostriches often make the following mistakes: incorrect position of the embryo, incorrect temperature regime, the choice for incubating eggs with poor shells.

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