Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-06-09
Facts About Ostrich Farming.

The following is summary of the
facts gathered by experienced ostrich
farmers:
"That a league Of land (say 6,OOO
acres) will, in an open state, readily
subsist and accommodate 5000 ostriches,
being at the rate of one bird to the acre,
though this is evidently understated.
That swith suitable Enclosures the cost
of maintaining the birds is compare
lively small, as they thrive on the most
ordinary grass pasturage. An allow
ance of grain food, however, is advisa-
BILE, as it increases the feather product.
That the birds will do we'll on most any
kind of soil, though that which contains
gravel or small stones is preferable;
that they are seldom sick, drink but lit
tie water, Craze only during the day,
and lie down to sleep wherever the
night overtakes them. That when the
farm is properly fenced the expense of
management is trifing. no regular
herdsmen being required. That the
female becomes breeding bird at four
and the male at five years Of age; that
until they are two years OF age they can
be herded in the open country, like
sheep; that they drive very readily, and
can be removed from one part of the
country to another, on foot, with great
rapidity. That after they arc two years
of age they prefer to scatter or wander
singly, and require more attention un-
less they are kept in enclosed pastures.
That one pair of birds will hatch out q
batch of ten or fifteen chickens four
times year, thus producing from forty
to sixty chicks in twelve months. That
the female will lay one egg every other
day; and that when fifteen to twenty
eggs are deposited in the nest she will sit
upon them during the day and the male
bird at night; that the period of incu-
baton is forty-twO days, and that, If the
chicks are removed to be brought up by
the farmer, the famale will at once
begin to lay again. That during the
breeding season the birds should be
carefully inclosed and protected, and
receive a generous allowance, not only
of green stuff but also of small grain,
such as barley and corn. That the
young chicks for the first few weeks
should bo carefully housed from the
cold and the rain; and especially to be
sheltered at nights. That the gross
income derived from the chicks pro-
duced by one pair of birds Is from
1000 to $4,000 per annum; that is to
say, the value of the chicks one month
old at Cape Colony is about $50 apiece,
and on account of the feathers pro-
duced the value goes on increasing until
the bird reaches the breeding age, when
the ostrich reaches its greatest value.
That the birds are plucked for their
feathers at the age of six to eight months,
and again every six to nine months, and
every succeeding six to nine months.
That the value of the feathers of the
chicks is only about IS per bird, but
the next pluckings yield from $40 to
$50 per bird, so that, assuming the
pluckings to average only $75 per bird,
there will be gross income of $3.50 in
sixteen months, or about S1l2 per an
mum from each ostrich. That when the
bird becomes mature, each wing pro-
duces twenty-five long white feathers,
or fifty feathers in all (besides blacks,
etc. }, each feather at Cape Town being
worth at least S5. That with young
and growing birds there will, even
under the least hopeful view, be q profit
of Is per cent. from the feathers alone
per annum, while the value of the birds
will have more than doubled In the
same time. United States Consul b.
Eer