How ostriches lay eggs. Useful and nutritious properties. How many eggs does an ostrich bring

An ostrich egg is not only a natural product that can feed a whole family, but also a very important commodity. Creating ideal conditions for the birds is the key to success and a constant large harvest of fruits. In this article, we will talk about the egg production of ostriches, as well as how much a product such as an egg weighs.

Some farmers prefer to breed not only ordinary ostriches, but also Australian emus, cassowary birds, and Nanda (South Africa). The period of egg production and the number of these bird species have much in common. But there are some nuances that should be taken into account and adopted. For example, how many degrees should be in a room where ostriches are rushing or what was the weight of the largest fetus in history.

Start and duration

Females start laying eggs at about two years of age. In rare cases, it may begin to rush when it turns one and a half years old. Around this age, females begin to carry unfertilized shells. Emu females mature in the 40th month, and Nandu can become fertile when she is 2.5 years old.

It is laid down by nature so that these birds rush twice a year: in winter and autumn (except for the females of the Cassowary, who lay eggs in August). How long will the female replenish the clutch? The duration of this period is approximately 2 months. That is, if the birds began to lay eggs in February, the last offspring can be expected at the end of March. In autumn, ostriches rush in the same rhythm, providing farmers with offspring or fresh eggs.

Ostrich fruits can be of different colors: from white (African ostrich) to dark green (Emu, common cassowary) and yellow-golden (Nandu). The maximum harvest per season from one female can be up to 80 pieces. It happens that an ostrich does not acquire offspring at all for a whole season in a row.

It is worth noting that these flightless birds never rush the same way from season to season. One should not expect Nandu to lay 60 eggs, because last February there were just so many embryos. The egg production of ostriches of any variety can be affected by weather, nutrition (in particular, the lack of vegetables in the diet), keeping conditions and other factors.

Factors that affect egg production

Good offspring are obtained from those birds that have the ability to eat grass with roots and swallow small pebbles. Birds that have enough space to move and live freely gain weight faster, which also affects egg production. In addition, this indicator is affected by the temperature of the room in which the ostriches are kept. How many degrees should be in the corral for the bird to feel comfortable? Approximately from +16 to +20 C.

Stress affects how often birds will lay. If you decide to transfer them from one room to another, then be careful. Usually the birds are very nervous in such situations and may carry less of such an important product as ostrich eggs. In such cases, you need to introduce an anti-stress diet, consisting of an increased amount of nutrients. How many days before transfer do you need to feed the birds with a double dose of vitamins? Approximately two days.

Do you want your pets to hatch viable ostriches and have high egg production? Then you should take care of adding herbal flour to the diet. It is especially important to give it to females in winter. During this period of time, adult food should consist of 5-7% grass meal. Ostriches will have enough 3-5% in the diet.

Number and weight of eggs

The weight of ostrich eggs varies from 450 g to 1800 g. How many chicken products in the shell can replace one creation of an ostrich? It turns out that about 40 pieces.

The African ostrich lays her future cubs in a common nesting pit. The parameters of the eggs of this variety of flightless birds are as follows: the length of such a creation varies from 15 to 21 cm, and it weighs no more than 2 kg (with rare exceptions). An ostrich egg has a shell thickness of just over 0.5 cm. One ostrich of this species carries from 40 to 80 eggs during the productive season (it lasts from March to October).

Large nests - this is the place to lay eggs. Typically, such nests may include a clutch of 5-7 females. In one clutch there can be from 15 to 40 products in a dense shell. The incubation period is approximately 1.5 months.

A female emu lays an average of 11 to 20 eggs. She does this every day or every three days. The shell of such embryos is approximately 1 mm. How much does such an ostrich product weigh? As much as possible, it can drag on 900 g. In addition, clutches with eggs weighing 700 g were noticed. All the results of mating of Emu birds add up to clutches. The total clutch can contain up to 25 eggs.

The female Common Cassowary lays her greenish eggs in a nest of moss and leaves. In clutch there can be up to 6 eggs, the weight of which does not exceed half a kilogram. If the eggs are hatched correctly, then the chicks of this bird appear in September.

Here are some facts about ostrich fruits that may surprise you:

  1. The largest product carried by an ostrich has been recorded in China. It weighs 2.35 kg with a diameter of 18.67 cm.
  2. The growth of hatched chicks is 12 cm with an average weight of 500 g.
  3. Very often, females become very aggressive during the mating period and after the birth of offspring (this is especially true for Emu).
  4. Calories in ostrich fruits are less than in chicken.
  5. This product holds the record for sodium and selenium.

Video "One ostrich egg"

In the video, you can see how much protein and yolk is in a product such as an ostrich egg.

Recently, such a bird as an ostrich is no longer considered exotic, as some farmers are trying to breed it on their own. The period when these birds are able to rush has some features that must be considered. And the fact that ostrich eggs have a great commercial value has already been appreciated by many farmers. The article will discuss how often an ostrich rushes, how many testicles a year it can lay, and what useful substances they are endowed with.

Female ostriches start laying at the age of 24 months, there are rare cases when they start laying at 18 months. Egg production persists until the age of 45, although they live up to 60-70 years.

For a year, an ostrich carries 50-60 testicles. Between egg periods there are breaks of 9-10 days. In winter, egg laying stops. The resumption of egg production usually occurs in the spring month of April. The laying of fruits is carried out every other day, while this process occurs mainly in the afternoon.

The female at the first oviposition lays 15 percent fewer eggs compared to subsequent seasons.

This is due to the fact that in the first year it still continues to grow, so it is not ready to use its full production potential. There are periods when the female does not even lay a few eggs and remains without offspring throughout the season, that is, the whole year. In addition, the quality of egg production is affected by the content of birds. If there is room for free movement, enough greens are present in the diet and the temperature in the room is comfortable, the ostrich rushes well.

We invite you to watch the video, which provides a unique opportunity to see firsthand how the ostrich lays.


In a year there can be more than one offspring and more than a dozen ostrich cubs. Many people often ask how many eggs per month can an ostrich give? The answer is ambiguous. On average, about 5-10 pieces. However, if optimal conditions are not created for this process, it may even happen that nothing happens in a year.

ostrich egg

An ostrich egg can have a mass of 500 to 1800 g. chicken eggs equal to an ostrich? Approximately 35-40 pieces. The color of the shell can be from almost white to slightly yellowish. Its surface is smooth and has pores of different diameters. The shell weighs about 200 grams, its average thickness is almost 4 mm.

An ostrich egg is extremely strong and can withstand a pressure of 55 kg. It is worth noting that it carries testicles in a dark green shell, while the African ostrich has a light or yellowish eggshell color.

Structure

The ostrich egg is the largest of all birds in the world, although they are small in relation to the size of the bird itself. The structure of such a product is practically no different from chicken or quail eggs, since they also contain protein, yolk and shell. They differ only in color, size and composition. It is worth noting that the fruit, which has a mass of 1600-1700 g, contains almost 1 kg of protein and 300-350 g of yolk.

In terms of calories, ostrich eggs are less than chicken eggs and this figure is 118 kcal per 100 g. And how many useful substances they contain, just a storehouse of vitamins: they are rich in vitamins A, E, the amino acid lysine. In addition, these products have a very low cholesterol rate, which indicates the dietary properties of this product.

Ostrich eggs will be an excellent solution for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the normalization of metabolism. But unfortunately, it is problematic to get as many of them as we would like, since they are not so often found on sale and have a rather high price.

How to break?

smash ostrich egg a knife on the principle of a chicken will not work.

To open it correctly, you must:

  • first, make a hole from above, then from below (an ordinary electric drill will help to cope with a similar task);
  • then you need to substitute a bowl or pan under the testicle;
  • after that, it remains to blow it into the container.

There is also another way to break an ostrich egg. To do this, you may need a small hammer and a nail file.

The opening instructions are as follows:

  • the upper edge of the shell is filed with a nail file;
  • then a hole is made with a hammer;
  • after that, the “lid” is slowly removed.


Some try to break the shell as carefully as possible in order to subsequently make engraved or painted souvenirs out of it.

No wonder ostriches are considered the largest birds in the world, their height is within 2 meters, sometimes even more, and their weight is about 160 kilograms. When favorable conditions are created, birds can live for about 70 years, an average of 50 years. The main feature of the birds in question is the fact that they can lay eggs for most of their lives - 40 years. Here, many may ask the question: how many eggs does an ostrich carry?

It is quite difficult to find an unequivocal answer to such a question, because the amount of "harvest" will depend on the breed of birds, the conditions of keeping and feeding. Let us pay attention to the fact that egg-laying in African ostriches begins 18 months after the birthday, in Emu - after a year and a half. At first, the birds lay unfertilized eggs, which means that they are better used in cooking, and not laid in an incubator for breeding chicks. Material suitable for incubation can be obtained from females at about three years of age.

According to experts, the productive season for ostriches begins in mid-March and lasts until October, and the development of eggs can stretch over several periods with short breaks. Depending on the breed, adherence to the diet and care of the bird, the egg production of females can range from 40 to 80 pieces per season. In ostriches that have taken root in our country (African breed), the eggs are white and weigh between 1.3-1.8 kilograms, although there were cases when one specimen reached a weight of 2.3 kilograms. As we can see, ostrich eggs are huge, but they are also durable. Each such product easily withstands a load of 60 kilograms. Eggs can be boiled, in which case the heat treatment process will drag on for two hours, or an omelet can be made from an ostrich product. It will be enough to feed 12 people, because one such copy can hold up to 40 chicken eggs.

How often do ostriches lay eggs

According to experts, an ostrich egg is formed within two days. When creating optimal conditions and normal nutrition, the female can carry from 12 to 17 eggs in one cycle, then there is a short break of one or two weeks. During the warm period of the year, the process of oviposition in ostriches occurs in 2-4 cycles, sometimes there are six of them. Note that the reason for the appearance of cyclicity in these birds has not yet been clarified. According to some reports, the laying cycle can be long, when 27 eggs can be obtained from an ostrich, and short - 12 pcs. Most often, the interval between laying eggs takes two days, but sometimes this period can last three or four days.

To date ostrich is no longer exotic. This is due to the fact that many farmers try to breed it on their own. It is necessary to take into account certain characteristic features of the time when the ostrich can rush. Most farmers appreciated the fact that ostrich eggs are of high value.

When the ostriches start laying

If you answer the question when ostriches rush, then after two years egg production begins. Sometimes, an African ostrich begins to rush even at a year and a half. Birds initially incubate unfertilized egg shells. Only in the fortieth month do Emu ripen, while Nandu are capable of the process of conception at 2 years and 5 months. In order for fertilization to be successful, you need to use a proven conception option - these are 2 females and a male.

How often does an ostrich rush? During the year, these birds rush twice - in autumn and winter. Birds of the Cassowary breed only once a year - in the summer. Within two and a half months, the ostrich replenishes the masonry. If the process starts in February, then the final withdrawal should be expected at the end of March.

At a normal pace, birds rush in the autumn. Breeders receive either eggs or ostrich cubs. For two months, gestation occurs.

How many eggs does an ostrich bring

An unusual circumstance is that an ostrich egg can be of different colors. For example, in the Nandu breed they are golden, in Emu they are green, and African ostriches hatch white testicles. How many ostrich eggs can appear? mature bird can carry 80 eggs in one season. Although it also happens that an individual does not produce offspring during the season. Another characteristic is that ostriches do not rush the same way every time. For example, if Emu had 70 embryos last season, then you should not expect a similar result.

The following circumstances influence the gestation of eggs:

  • feeding conditions;
  • content quality;
  • weather.

Due to the fact that birds do not lay in the same way, it is difficult to predict the number of ostrich eggs.

Characteristic features of ostrich eggs

The shell of an ostrich egg is similar to porcelain. From it various and interesting products are obtained, which are engraved and painted. The shell of an ostrich egg has an impressive size and strength, but at the same time it is very light. It is very difficult to break it, and the color depends on the feather color of ostriches. The yolk has a brightly saturated yellow color. He very helpful.

It takes over an hour to hard boil an ostrich egg. In order to cook the dish you need only one egg. However, often this is a lot, so the leftovers can be folded in the refrigerator and stored for no more than three days. Ostrich eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for over two months due to their strong shell.

How much does an ostrich egg weigh?

The largest flightless birds are ostriches. They are extremely popular with farmers because of their high adaptive abilities. The mass of an egg, on average, ranges from 1.7 to 2 kg. If you compare it with chicken, then the ratio will be 36:1. A rather interesting feature is high density, and the thickness is 0.7 cm. Thus, the weight of an ostrich egg is several times greater than the weight of a chicken testicle.

Maximum weight of an ostrich egg? How much is the record? In China, the largest testicle was recorded. The diameter of which was 18.6 cm and weight 2.3 kg. Such eggs are low in calories, this is an ideal dietary dish. Their taste is unique. The omelette will turn out the way it would have turned out from 27 chicken eggs.

The benefits of ostrich eggs

Such foods rich in vitamins, amino acids, minerals. This is a dietary dish, as they have a lower cholesterol content than chicken testicles. Omega-6 and Omega-3 are present in their composition, thus, this is a wonderful prevention of vascular and heart diseases. Ostrich eggs contain both vitamins A and E. They contribute to the beauty and health of the eyes and skin.

  • An egg can be cooked in the same way as chicken. You can make fried eggs or scrambled eggs. They are very popular in baking and making desserts. Delicious meals that are rich in protein are obtained.

The size of an ostrich testicle is very impressive, up to 1700 grams of weight. A strong shell, also, will not leave anyone indifferent. However, true connoisseurs pay attention not only to this, but also to beneficial features. The testicles of this bird are very rich in useful substances such as calcium, potassium, proteins, phosphorus and fats. They break all records for the content of sodium, as well as selenium. They do not contain cholesterol. An ostrich egg is enough to feed a whole family. The irrefutable advantages include the possibility of their long storage. The product is rich in micronutrients. It can be consumed by both young children and the elderly.

These exotic birds were domesticated by farmers many years ago and are now commercially bred. From the sale of products such as meat, eggs, feathers, fat, leather, you can get a good profit. We will tell you what the egg production of an ostrich is, when the bird starts and stops laying, how much an ostrich egg can weigh, and how many to expect.

Ostriches in Russia began to breed relatively recently. Therefore, farmers in Russia are interested in any information related to these birds.

Excellent offspring appears in birds that eat grass with roots and small stones. Live weight gain is faster and the degree of egg production increases in those female ostriches that have a lot of space to move and live freely. The temperature indicator also plays an important role - it should be at the level of 16 - 20 degrees Celsius.

The frequency of egg production is also affected by the absence of stress. Birds do not tolerate moving from one room to another for further residence, which they will certainly respond with a decrease in the number of eggs. An anti-stress diet includes a double dose of vitamins a couple of days before relocation.

Ostriches rush often if grass flour is present in their diet. Especially important is its use by females in the winter. If we talk about how much such a product is required, then there is an opinion that 5 - 7% of the total amount of feed will be enough. For ostriches, 3 - 5% grass meal in their diet is acceptable.

These birds have eggs, the color of which depends on the color of the female's feathers - rich green, almost black, pink-yellow. The shell looks like porcelain, so artists use it for decoration or painting. The shell is very hard, difficult to develop, but at the same time light. The yolk has a bright yellow color, the protein is more transparent and dull. The purpose of these eggs is to produce new ostriches. Humans eat not an incubating egg, but one that was laid by a young bird. One ostrich egg can replace 26-42 chicken eggs.

When does egg production start?

Ostriches rush when they are 2 years old. In some cases, the female lays eggs when she reaches the age of 1.5 years. During this period, females tend to give unfertilized shells. Females are considered mature at the 40th month, and for the Nandu bird, this figure is relevant at 2.5 years.

How many times a year do ostriches bring eggs? This happens not so often: twice a year - in autumn and winter. The exception is the female Cassowary, which rush in August. These flightless birds never rush from season to season in the same way. Therefore, one should not expect Nandu to lay 60 eggs this year on the grounds that there were just that many last February.

The degree of egg production is always influenced by weather conditions, nutrition (it is better if there are always vegetables in the diet), as well as conditions of detention and other factors.

How long does it take

The process of laying eggs occurs every other day. After that, the female rests and gains strength. During the season, a healthy pair of birds produces egg products with a fertility of over 92%. At the beginning and end of the period, it may be infertile.

How long will the female replenish the clutch? This happens for about 2 months. If the birds started laying in February, then the last offspring should be expected at the end of March. In autumn, ostriches give eggs in the same rhythm, thanks to which the owner receives new offspring and fresh products.

The egg takes 2 days to form. If you create good living conditions and good nutrition for the female, she will bring 12 to 17 pieces per cycle. This is followed by a 1-2 week break. In the warm season, old women have an average of 2-4 such cycles. The reason for the cyclicity in these birds has not been fully elucidated by scientists. Some sources claim that sometimes the cycle is long and you can expect up to 27 pieces egg products, and sometimes - short, when the bird gives about 12 copies.

How many eggs does an ostrich give

How much can an American ostrich carry in a season? Usually this bird carries 40 - 80 pieces. produce masonry in a large nest. Moreover, in one nest there is a clutch of 5 - 7 females. They give from 15 to 40 products in a dense shell. The incubation period is 1.5 months.

An ostrich brings him 11 to 20 pieces. She does this often - daily, or 1 time in 3 days. The shell of these embryos is 1 mm. The result of the mating of birds of this species can be one common clutch, numbering 25 pieces.

The female cassowary lays in a nest, at the bottom of which is lined with moss and leaves. It really detects 6 pieces. Under the condition of normal incubation, the offspring appears in September.

Egg weight

The parameters of the eggs of the largest flightless bird are different, depending on its species. How much does one egg product weigh in all breeds on average? About 2 kg. The yolk of an ostrich egg weighs about 350 grams, while the protein weighs about a kilogram. At the same time, the thickness of the shell is a little more than 0.5 cm. For example, an Emu female egg weighs an average of 700 grams, some specimens tighten up to 900 grams. For a female common cassowary, an indicator of 500 grams is relevant.

The record holder among all egg products was the ostrich egg laid in China. With a diameter of 18.67 cm, it weighed as much as 2.35 kg.

Special attention is paid to the egg products of these exotics in restaurants in Poland. There, customers are offered exotic dishes, and for 8 - 10 people they prepare a dish of 1 egg. If in Russia 15 years ago such a product was considered a rarity, today it is more popular than ever.

How much does such a product cost in Russia? If we take data for Moscow, one egg costs about 1,500 - 1,600 rubles on average. In small farms it costs about 700 - 800 rubles. A female per season can produce up to 80 pieces of selected products, which cost a total of $ 15 per kilogram. And the meat of this exotic bird in recent years, it costs about 17 dollars per 1 kg.

Video "Cooking an ostrich egg"

This video will show you how to crack and cook an ostrich egg.