The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-06-17
AN OSTRICH FARM.
DR.. George Trousseau's Experiment
Proves a Success.
NINETEEN YOUNG BIRDS
THE RESULT.

ihouobiS "HiCh, IL putSucu, is ue5llutd
to become an item of no little import
ance in the commerce OF these Islands.
The climate here seems to be peculiarly
adapted tor the successful breeding OF
these valuable birds, and DIR. George
Trousseau, of this city, long ago con-
ceived the idea OF embarking in the
business, but, for several reasons, post
poned action in the matter until nearly
two years ago, when he entered into
correspondence with successful ostrich
farmers at the Cape of Good Hope and
in Southern California. The encourage
ment he received was sufficient induce
ment for him to import one male and
two female birds, which reached here
June 9th last year. These were pro-
cured through Mr.. Edwin Cowston, a
California breeder who had obtained
them at the Cape. The birds had suf-
fered considerably from the hardships
consequent upon 30 long a journey, and
one, female, died a few weeks after it
had been placed in the Park.
The Doctor was not in the least dis
discouraged, and at once decided to OBJ
tain additional birds but instead of
Cape birds, he purchased one male and
two females from the San Diego Farm,
this time selecting California-bred birds.
They were in perfect health on their
| arrival, and have continued so ever
since, experiencing no bad effects from
| the change in surroundings or climate.
On July oath, last year, an egg was
| found in the nest of the first hen, fact
which visibly increased the enthusiasm
of the Doctor, for he felt pride at what
| appeared to be the first step toward ulti
mate success in ostrich farming on these
| Islands. Ostriches are prolific if nothing,
this hen having laid twenty-threC eggs
| between the date of the first until
| September Is, when she took vaca-
ton. OF these twenty-three eggs but
| four were fertile, a term applied to those
which, when held to the light, appear to
| have something inside; the balance
were clear eggs, and were useless.
Of the fertile eggs, half were placed in
| the incubator and the balance placed in
| the nest for the hen to hatch out in the
| natural wav. But in neither case were
| chicks hatched-a matter which rather
| disheartened the Doctor--and an investi-
| cation of the cause was begun, but the
| only deduction to be drawn was that the
| paddock was so close to the highway
| that the birds had been more or less
annoyed by visitors-a fact which the
breeders at the Cape take precautions
against.
| On October 20, the hen began laying
again and beat her record by one egg
between that date and December 3. OF
these only twelve were fertile and sup
posed to be good, the balance were
worthless, as the chicks had died in the
shell and could be seen through the thin
! shells.
On February oath of this year she be-
gan again and laid twenty eggs. The
first ten were placed in the incubator,
and six chickens were the result. The
other four, though fertile, failed to pro-
duce good results The other ten eggs
were placed in the nest for the bird to
hatch out, but this for some reason end
ed in failure. and it is notable fact that
not one of the young chickens on the
farm has been Matched in the natural
way. What the direct cause of this fail
ure is, has not been discovered; nor does
it matter, for so long as the chicks are
Matched the manner does not interest
the doctor except in scientific way !;
the plumage will no doubt be as valuable
on artiicially Matched birds as on any
other.
|
minds of many that in foreign countries,
where the birds are wild, they hatch
their young by burying the eggs in the
the birds at the park would pursue the
same course. On the contrary they 60
about it in the most business-like man
ner, the male and female each having
their regular office hours, the male going
/ fl,n a. ny,I
til 10 A. NJ, when MS place is taken by
the hen, the male bird doing the most of
the setting.
OF the second lot imported, the Cali
fornia bred birds, no eggs were laid until
March 10th, SIX months after their ar
| rival here, and between then and the
18th of this month, forty-four eggs have
been laid by one of the California hens.
The first seven were worthless, the bal
ance good and have Matched on the
thirty-ninth to forty-second day after
being placed in the incubator. There
are now nineteen young chicks ranging
from one day to two or three months old.
Directly they are hatched they are
taken from the incubator and placed in
a we'll heated box and kept until they
are thoroughly dried, then placed in a
small paddock and kept from the older
birds until they are sufficiently grown
to protect themselves from attack, as
birds OF four or five months old are not
congenial companions tor the very young
! ones.
Of all the birds Matched but two have
| died, and those from accident, one little
tot having had an eye plucked out by
an older bird, and the other managed
to get his head caught between two
pickets in the fence and in trying to get
it back broke his neck.
The young chicks very much resemble
young ducks, except as TO feet and legs,
the latter being thick bone with an
unusually large joint and terminating in
| two toes, one with and the other without
a nail. AS the bird grows older the foot
becomes formidable weapon of warfare
with the bird, his kicking power being
| quite equal to that of horse.
Of the birds in the paddock, that is,
| those Matched here, there are none but
which may be handled with safety.
| Captain John Morisseau, nephew of
| Dr. rousseau, who has charge of the
farm, stepped into the paddock where
the young birds are kept and on whist
| ling the birds came to him like so many
| pets.
The feathers are plucked from the
birds as soon as eight months old and
every eight months afterward, except
the quill feathers, which are cut each
six months, and two months later the
quilts are withdrawn at the time the less
valuable feathers are pulled. The Quill