Above: Foot of an Ostrich
Photo Far Left: Dan Nelson with Sid Birch, South African Consultant with one of the largest farms in Africa around nine feet tall and weigh in at 300 pounds! In captivity they often live for 30-40 years. Chicks, in their first year of life, grow about nine inches a month until they are around 100 pounds at one year of age!
At the Gilroy Ostrich Farm the birds are separated by age and size. Younger birds are curious and somewhat friendly. Younger chicks can be held and petted. The incubation period for an ostrich is 42 days. A healthy female( hen) will lay between 40 and 60 eggs a year. Eggs weigh between 3.5 and 5 pounds. Ostriches are mature at around 14 months. When mature, ostriches are put in pens with one male( rooster) to two females( hens.)
Older full grown, especially male, ostriches can be aggressive and dangerous. They have a powerful kick and a wicked nail that can seriously injure a man. In the wild they will usually hide from predators by lowering themselves to the ground, which is why there is a myth that they bury their head in the sand. This is not true. When confronted, their first course of action is to hide, then to flee. An ostrich can run up to 43 miles per hour and can sustain a pace of 31 miles per hour over long distances. If cornered, they will fight back with their powerful kicks.
At an ostrich farm in Watsonville, only once in twenty years has something( a preditor or wild animal) gotten into one of the pens with full grown birds and killed one of the large males. The biggest danger is that the birds will attempt to flee and injure themselves running into the fences.
In matting season, the beak, neck
and shins of the males may turn red. The logo of the Gilroy Ostrich Farm shows a red, blue and black ostrich. These are the types of the three most common varies found locally. The blacks are usually the largest. Most female ostriches are brown. The ostrich ' s two-toed foot is an adaptation that allows them to run fast. When running they use their short wings as stabilizers thus giving them a somewhat awkward running style.
Dan Nelson hopes to complete the purchase of another 200 birds soon, add more pens, clean up the property and have the facility open to the public in October of 2018. The Gilroy Ostrich Farm will have a welcome and education center, several other farm animals, ostrich pens and a vegetable and fruit stand.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2018 gmhtoday. com
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