These eggs are incubated by the dominant female during the day and the male at night. The dominant female may have help from other females. The eggs hatch in about 40 days and the brown and cream striped young are 'precocial' meaning that they are ready to leave the nest and feed within hours of hatching. Both sexes help to look after the young. Mating may occur at any time and a male may mate more than once with any given female.
Egg laying normally occurs during the afternoon.
Ostriches have a courtship which involves the male sitting on his hacks, waving his wings around and throwing his head from side to side. During this time he makes a deep thumping sound or inflates his neck and emits a loud booming noise. A receptive female walks with her head down making a clucking noise and shaking her wings. The male will then approach her and she will sit down to allow him to mate with her. As with most birds mating does not take long.